Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 43 Montana Economic Industry Ad- vancement (MEDIA) Act into law. The sweeping act offers a variety of significant enticements to in- state and out-of-state productions, including a 20% credit of our own. In case you are, like me, a little fuzzy with numbers, I'll leave it to Mon- tana Film Commissioner Allison Whitmer to explain: "The Act went into effect in July and since then, we've had an increase in inquiries from film producers looking to film in Montana, and we've had people apply for certification to use the tax credit through the MEDIA Act. We're looking forward to bringing more filmmakers to our state who may not have considered filming here prior to the MEDIA Act." As for why that's a good thing, she makes it even clearer for me: "Film is a powerful tool for promoting Montana. Filming movies, television shows and commercials in Montana elevates the awareness about our state and pumps outside dollars in to our stores, hotels, and to industry professionals." So, to return to Richie and the Yel- lowstone Film Ranch, the project's proximity to Chico and Livingston are mutually beneficial: as Richie pointed out to me, many similar or competitive filming locations are not as close to civilization as his site. On the one hand, we Montanans enjoy a state with an absurdly, even desolately, low population density. But where we do have civilization, we clean up nicely; crews working at the Yellowstone Film Ranch will have their choice of great steaks and local brews in Livingston, while some other, less lucky crew will be shivering in pup tents somewhere in, oh, I don't know, let's say Alaska. Or Arizona. I drove out to the spot in late November, to have a look around. When I arrived, a brooding fog rolled in over the site, and if you tuned out the sound of power tools and the sight of a few work vehicles parked here and there, I could pretty easily imagine being on the muddy streets of a rough frontier town. It wasn't hard from there to imagine raucous honky-tonk playing out of the hotel and saloon, or the ominous sound of an outlaw's spurs approaching. I look forward to seeing more of the Last Best Place onscreen. If the big risks and hard work of movie fans like Richie Gray and the folks at the Montana Film Office pay off, we'll be seeing a lot more of her. Most of us Montanans have always known she ought to be in pictures. T H E P O S S E The Yellowstone Film Ranch is a confluence of genius. The gents in the photo below have saddled-up to turn a wild dream into reality. COLIN DAVIS (L) is the owner of Chico Hot Springs, which has provided a portion of their land to create the film ranch. "Build it here," was all he had to say, and the chase was on. The land was chosen specifically because the sur- rounding terrain could easily be re-imagined as any western town from Texas to New Mexico to Arizona to (of course) Montana. CARTER BOEHM (C) is the financier of the project. Carter was born in Livingston, and maintains a home in the area. His family were owners of the old Twilight Drive-in; and his fond memory of a childhood filled with films has no doubt fed his desire to bring that charm and a promising business back to Livingston. The economic benefit will be huge. RICHARD GREY (R), a native Australian, is a notable movie producer, with his latest film credit, Robert the Bruce, recently filmed in Livingston and Scotland. Richie, as he likes to call himself, has re-located his family to Livingston, and is dedicating his creative energy and networking ability to the success of the YFR. Murder at Emigrant Gulch will begin filming at the new Yellowstone Film ranch in 2020. ALICE WHITMER, Commissioner of the Mon- tana Film Office (not pictured), is the linchpin for the enterprise, as it continues to work for the interests of the film industry, and the enormous economic benefits for the state of Montana. INFO@YELLOWSTONEFILMRANCH.COM 406-224-7489 LOCATION AND PRODUCTION SERVICES: YELLOWSTONEFILMRANCH.COM

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