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Vermonter's Vermont: ...And Action

By Marcelle Langan DiFalco
Photographed by Stefan Hard

The new executive director of the Vermont Film Commission discusses his vision for setting Vermont's picture industry in motion

Joe Bookchin means business. Specifically, the business of film in Vermont. Taking the helm of the Vermont Film Commission as executive director this past Sept. 24, Bookchin got real serious, real fast.

A hair longer than two months into the job, while in the midst of moving his home from Burlington (where he was director of film and video production at Burlington College for the past dozen years) to Montpelier (where the Vermont Film Commission is located), he jetted off on a fact-finding mission to the epicenter of the film universe: planet Hollywood.

What's the rush? Why not move to Montpelier, take in the lay of the land of government officialdom, hang a few framed vintage movie stills on the wall of his new office, and "brainstorm" about "creative" things — at least until the New Year?

"The time is now," asserts Bookchin. "The system of filmmaking that existed for many years is transmogrifying, which bodes well for the state of Vermont. But if we don't move deliberately and expeditiously, we will have missed a huge opportunity."

Bookchin went to Los Angeles to attend an event held by the Directors Guild of America, called "Film Incentive: How to Make Your Film in the USA." He also met with executives at Warner Bros. Studios, where he had been employed for several years, to find out specifically what directors and producers are looking for these days. His take-home message was that there is far more to consider than the biggest tax break when selecting a filming location. If postproduction can happen in the same state where the filming is done, it's a huge attraction.

"Until recently the technology and expertise for postproduction work was only available in major cities," he says. "[Now] you can be in the smallest hamlet in Vermont, nestled between the farms and silos and be doing production and postproduction for film and television."

This type of work includes many Oscar Award categories such as editing, sound mixing and visual effects. "The nature of production and postproduction work is environmentally low impact, and these are high-paying jobs in an industry that attracts young people, which is exactly what we want in Vermont."

Skeptics may wonder whether Vermont's rural, climatically challenging environment is any match for a soundstage at Warner Bros. As the person charged with being the state film industry's biggest cheerleader, Bookchin is undaunted.

Looking out 10 years, he has a specific vision: Vermont as a Creative Brand. "While there are some large companies here that have a natural connection to the state, such as Burton Snowboards, there are wildly successful companies that are not so organically synonymous with Vermont," Bookchin says, naming among others Jager Di Paola Kemp Design and Magic Hat. "There is absolutely no reason why moviemaking and postproduction can't flourish in Vermont just the same way that IBM and Husky have."

It's not simply a matter of wooing Hollywood, Bookchin says, although large productions like "What Lies Beneath" can quickly drop $20 to $25 million into the state's economy. Far more important, he claims, is to establish a connection with the filmmaking industry that's less transient.

"Every Vermont filmmaker I speak with wants the same things. They want to live here in Vermont. They want to have a production infrastructure base so they can continue to work here and so they don't have to go out of state to make their films," says Bookchin. To that end, Vermont must not just be wired for a high-speed fiberoptic network (currently underway), but also help support all the film-related projects and professionals that already exist here, he says. For instance, two television shows have already been put into development.

Stephen Bissette, a film historian and author of "Green Mountain Cinema," agrees that Vermont needs to nurture the film community that is already here, but he extends that to would-be, could-be filmmakers. "I don't think we need to attract new talent here. It's already here," he says. "We have high school kids making feature films. We need to make it possible for these young filmmakers to have a future in Vermont. We're losing a generation of talent already. Let's keep the generation that's here now, here. That's how you cultivate a regional film culture."

Bookchin suggests, though, that Vermont already has a reputation for quality filmmaking and creative diversity. His goal is to make Vermont a destination known for nurturing independent filmmakers, artists and creative entrepreneurs by giving them a place to work, space to think and other resources to develop new ideas for any media platform. "Vermont has the potential to become the Silicon Valley of film production, postproduction and new media," Bookchin says. "But there's no time to waste."

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When the Dream Becomes Reality

Edgewood Studios in Rutland already has facilities that could handle a major motion picture feature production, according to Joe Bookchin, the new executive director of the Vermont Film Commission. "Now we need more postproduction facilities and a greater crew base if we want to attract and sustain ongoing local and national productions," he says.

A few of the films that have been shot in Vermont over the years:

• "The Trouble with Harry," 1955 Alfred Hitchcock comedy/mystery, filmed in Craftsbury Common.
• "The Four Seasons," 1980 drama starring Shirley MacLaine and Anthony Hopkins, filmed in Bennington, Wilmington.
• "Baby Boom," 1987 comedy starring Diane Keaton, filmed in Peru, Manchester, Weston.
• "Beetlejuice"(right), 1988 comedy/fantasy directed by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, filmed in East Corinth.
• "Vermont is for Lovers" 1992, "Man with a Plan" 1996, "Nosey Parker" 2003, Vermont director John O'Brien's "Tunbridge Trilogy," filmed in Strafford, Chelsea and Tunbridge.
• "Wolf," 1994 thriller directed by Mike Nichols, starring Jack Nicholson, filmed in Roxbury, Waitsfield.
• "The Spitfire Grill," 1996 drama starring Ellen Burstyn, filmed in Peacham, St. Johnsbury.
• "The Cider House Rules," 1999 drama based on John Irving's novel, starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine, filmed in Dummerston, Bellows Falls.
• "What Lies Beneath," 2000 mystery/thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, filmed in Addison, Burlington, Waterbury, Charlotte.
• "Me, Myself & Irene," 2000 Farrelly Brothers comedy starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger, filmed in Burlington, Middlebury, Waterbury.
• "American Gun," 2002 drama starring James Coburn, filmed in Fair Haven, West Haven, Rutland.
• "Disappearances," 2006 adventure/drama by Vermont director Jay Craven, adapted from a novel by Howard Frank Mosher, starring Kris Kristofferson, filmed in St. Johnsbury, West Barnet.

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