Screening Room - Pittsburgh Film Office

Tuned In: New Netflix coming-of-age series will film in Pittsburgh

ROB OWEN

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

MAR 29, 2019

9:15 AM

Following last week’s news of the drama series “Manhunt” filming its second season in Pittsburgh, this week a second Netflix series, after the streamer’s “Mindhunter,” has begun hiring crew for an expected summer shoot.

“I Am Not Okay With This,” which Netflix ordered to series in December, will film its eight-episode first season in Western Pennsylvania.

The coming-of-age series is from “Stranger Things” director Shawn Levy, who will executive produce the series, and British director Jonathan Entwistle, who previously adapted the Charles Forsman comic series “The End of the F***king World” for Netflix.

Mr. Entwistle has teamed with writer Christy Hall, per Deadline.com, to adapt Mr. Forsman’s “I Am Not Okay With This,” which Mr. Entwistle will direct.

The series follows a teen girl trying to make it through high school while discovering both her budding sexuality and mysterious superpowers. No casting for the series has been announced.

Netflix appears to have had success in the teen space — the streamer does not release ratings data so it’s difficult to know for sure — ordering multiple seasons of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and many rom-com movies aimed at the teen audience.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Netflix back to southwestern Pennsylvania to continue the great relationship that’s been established,” said Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer.

Netflix filmed season two of “Mindhunter” in Pittsburgh in 2018, but a premiere date for the show’s return has not been announced.

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TV writer Rob Owen: [email protected] or 412-263-2582. Read the Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv.

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

Source
March 20th, 2019

ROB OWEN
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[email protected]

A TV series that once planned to film in Pittsburgh and then went to Atlanta for its first season is set to film its second season in Pittsburgh.

But it may be some time before Pittsburghers get a chance to see it.

Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer confirmed on Wednesday that “Manhunt” opened a production office in town this week.

In July 2016, Discovery Channel announced plans to shoot the first season of “Manifesto,” an FBI profiler drama, in Pittsburgh. However, Lionsgate Television producers had trouble finding a suitable male lead, and by the time they landed actors Paul Bettany and Sam Worthington, the Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit funds producers anticipated getting had been allocated elsewhere. Production relocated to Atlanta.

The series aired on Discovery in summer 2017 as “Manhunt: UNABOMBER.” Discovery, moving away from a brief flirtation with scripted programming, didn’t renew “Manhunt,” but in July 2018, Hollywood trade publications reported the anthology series, following a different FBI case each season, was coming back to life after it was sold to Charter Communications. Charter has several series in the works for its Spectrum Originals channel including “L.A.’s Finest,” a cop drama spinoff of the “Bad Boys” movies, and a limited series revival of the former NBC sitcom “Mad About You.”There’s just one catch for Pittsburghers interested in seeing the filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Manhunt”: It won’t be possible to watch it, at least not initially. Charter has no cable systems in Western Pennsylvania. (Spectrum Originals is to Charter as Audience Network is to DirecTV; you only get the channel if you subscribe to the service.)

Odds are “Manhunt” will at some point have a secondary window of distribution — possibly on DVD — so Pittsburghers will have the opportunity to see it then.

While season one of “Manhunt” offered a deep dive into the case of the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Deadline.com reported last year that season two will be about the true story of security guard Richard Jewell who was first lauded and then accused of a bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; Eric Rudolph eventually was convicted of that crime.

A spokeswoman for Lionsgate would not confirm the plot of season two.

TV writer Rob Owen: [email protected] or 412-263-2582. Read the Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook.

Pittsburgh Film Office requests $5 million for a movie production campus in Rankin

Bill O’Toole

March 7, 2019

Braddock, City Design

In the last decade, the Carrie Furnaces have been the site of operas, modern art and dance parties.If the Pittsburgh Film Office has its way, movies are up next.

This January, the office submitted a proposal to the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) requesting $5 million to begin construction on a new film production park on the vacant brownfield beside the abandoned Carrie Furnaces mill in the borough of Rankin.

According to the proposal posted this week, the 20.16-acre development would include six sound stages, three production support buildings, a mill building restored for set construction and two commissary buildings.

Speaking to NEXTpittsburgh, Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer said the project is a key step in growing the region’s burgeoning industry.

In terms of filmmaking, “Southwestern Pennsylvania has been on a roll. We’ve been bringing in over $100,000,000 a year into this region’s economy every year for the past five years in a row,” says Keezer. “We’ve quadrupled the number of people working in this industry locally, and we could see a lot more of that.”

The city already has several warehouses that have been successfully converted into production studios, including 31st Street Studios in the Strip District, the Westinghouse office park in Churchill and the former American Eagle distribution center in Warrendale.

Currently, though, these facilities are unable to support much of the state-of-the-art lighting and camera equipment that has become the industry standard in the era of 4K televisions.

“We’ve been able to make due over the years,” says Keezer. “But what we keep hearing is the need for purpose-built space. It needs to happen in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Though she declined to name specific projects, Keezer says that in January, “we lost three shows to Canada in one week.”

This list of RACP award winners will be announced this fall, and Keezer hopes this project will be among them.

Rehoboth Beach Regional Showcase

Attention all filmmakers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.! The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is looking for films produced by emerging filmmakers for its second Regional Showcase. If you dream of having your work projected onto the big screen, please submit. The goal is to expose audiences to the creative talents of regional filmmakers, and to provide opportunities for filmmakers and audiences to engage in post-screening discussions. The Showcase will take place May 3-5 at the Rehoboth Beach Film Society’s Cinema Art Theater. Eligible films include shorts, docs and features of any length. The filmmakers of selected films will be invited to attend for a post-screening Q&A session.

• Filmmakers from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C. are invited to submit their films.
• If your film is from outside of the above listed states, and you still submit your film, it will not be considered and your submission fee will not be refunded.
• No age or time restrictions.
• All works must be submitted via online screener through FilmFreeway. No other formats will be accepted.
• Submission fees are non-refundable.
• All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.
• The judges’ decisions are final. Individual feedback will not be provided.
• We do not pay rental/screening fees.
• Films must be in their final form at the time of submission.
• Selected films must be made available for presentation in DCP, professionally mastered Blu-ray or DVD.
• Filmmakers selected to the Showcase should be prepared to cover their own hotel and airfare expenses.
• The RBFS is not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademarks, credits or royalty infringements related to the work. Submission of an entry to this Showcase signifies that the entrant understands, accepts and agrees to these conditions.
• Materials of all submissions become the property of the RBFS, and can be used for review purposes and to promote the film and programs of the Society in all mediums including film, television, radio and the Internet.

TRIB LIVE: Mister Rogers ‘most shocking’ Oscar Snub

Jacob Tierney | Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, 5:00 p.m.

https://triblive.com/aande/movies/14535848-74/mister-rogers-most-shocking-oscar-snub

The Oscar nominees for best documentary take viewers to hazardous mountaintops, war-torn Syria and the chambers of the Supreme Court — but not the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Last year’s Fred Rogers documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” won almost universal acclaim from critics and viewers and became the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all time, but that wasn’t good enough for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The film didn’t garner any Oscar nominations.

Moviegoers weren’t happy about that, and many took to the internet to say so.

“I know from looking at social media that a lot of people are feeling that way, because they were so connected,” said Cara Friez, chair of cinema arts at Point Park University. “People were hoping this would be the opportunity to really let his story shine.”

A survey of more than 1,000 people conducted by movie site Fandango named “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” this year’s “most shocking” Oscar snub.

“Normally, documentaries are so overlooked, nobody really notices or cares, so that just shows you how much people loved Mr. Rogers,” Fandango correspondent Nikki Novak said.

Pittsburgh-area film experts and those devoted to preserving Rogers’ legacy said the Oscar news was disappointing but didn’t undercut the film’s impact.

“On one hand, it’s a disappointment; on the other hand, it’s good the documentary got so much interest,” said Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film office.

The early buzz surrounding “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” may have helped spur development of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” a Fred Rogers biopic starring Tom Hanks that filmed in Pittsburgh earlier this year and is slated for release in the fall, Keezer said.

“It’s nice that we’re able to share Mr. Rogers with the rest of the world,” she said.

Both film projects highlight Rogers’ legacy.

“The most important recognition has come from the countless people who have rediscovered Fred Rogers and been inspired by his talent, scholarship, commitment, and grace thanks to this incredible film,” Fred Rogers Productions President Paul Siefken said of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.”

Rogers founded Fred Rogers Productions, originally known as Family Communications, and the company continues to make children’s programming like “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”

Before the nominations were announced, many people thought “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” was a “shoo-in” to win best documentary, Novak said.

It’s unclear why it wasn’t nominated, though it may have something to do with the insular nature of the selection process, she said.

“Only documentarians vote on the best (documentary), and they can be a little snobby,” Novak said.

This year’s other “most shocking” snubs include Bradley Cooper, who didn’t get a best director nod for “A Star is Born” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” which was not nominated in any category.

Novak believes the Oscars usually get the nominations right — but there’s always a few oversights.

“Every year, you get something that will get snubbed or overlooked, and I think you just don’t want to (anger) Mr. Rogers fans,” she said.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor” is coming to television soon. It will debut on HBO and PBS Feb. 9.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, [email protected] or via Twitter @Soolseem.

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Tuned In: New Netflix coming-of-age series will film in Pittsburgh

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Film Office requests $5 million for a movie production campus in Rankin

Rehoboth Beach Regional Showcase

J Film Festival | March 7-17

WQED Next-Generation Fellows

SCREENING: WOMAN AT WAR (Kona fer í stríð) FEB 22ND @ 6:30PM

WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA: SET ETIQUETTE PANEL DISCUSSION

“WANT TO THINK LIKE A SCREENWRITER?” – Free Screenwriting Class

TRIB LIVE: Mister Rogers ‘most shocking’ Oscar Snub

Films From The COMMUNITY

Tuned In: New Netflix coming-of-age series will film in Pittsburgh

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Film Office requests $5 million for a movie production campus in Rankin

Rehoboth Beach Regional Showcase

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J Film Festival | March 7-17

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SCREENING: WOMAN AT WAR (Kona fer í stríð) FEB 22ND @ 6:30PM

WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA: SET ETIQUETTE PANEL DISCUSSION

“WANT TO THINK LIKE A SCREENWRITER?” – Free Screenwriting Class

TRIB LIVE: Mister Rogers ‘most shocking’ Oscar Snub

Films From The COMMUNITY