Since the Oklahoma Film and Music Office was established in 1979, the state’s film industry has boomed, and today, aspiring actors and crew members can find projects in the works just about anywhere.
Film productions can apply for incentive programs through the Oklahoma Film and Music Office, Cherokee Film, or Film Muskogee.
“Oklahoma has always had a small but mighty film industry, but has recently seen a boom in production,” Cherokee Film Senior Director Jennifer Loren said. “In large part, this is due to the state investing in a more robust film incentive program.”
Loren said film incentives have become a standardized part of film financing, to be competitive with other states wishing to recruit productions. According to Loren, films can create economic development opportunities where they are filmed.
“Cherokee Film’s ecosystem is set up to offer people many different options to get their foot in the door of film and media,” Loren said.
She said Native Americans seeking to be hired as writers, cast members or crew, can register to be put on Cherokee Film registries.
“We really need small businesses within the reservation — Native-owned or not — to register in our support services directory, so film productions know their goods and services are available,” Loren said.
According to Loren, productions can receive 15%-25% cash back on expenditures in the Cherokee Nation, or wages paid to people residing within the Cherokee Nation reservation.
Loren said projects that have benefitted from the incentive include: “Fancy Dance” on Apple Plus, “Possessions” on Amazon Prime, “Land of Gold” on HBO Max, and “Little Dixie” on Paramount Plus.
“The winter months are slower in the film industry, but many projects should begin casting in early 2025,” Loren said.
The Oklahoma Film and Music Office awards incentives six times per year, and over the past 10 years, the programs have incentivized film and television productions to spend over $300 million, which contributes to the state economy.
According to a recent press release from Film Muskogee, the rebates they offer can be used in conjunction with Oklahoma’s state film incentive, and the Cherokee Film Incentive. Feature films can qualify for up to $25,000, TV shows can receive up to $15,000, and commercial and music video productions can be awarded up to $5,000.
“By offering the largest collective incentive package among small cities in the state, we’re creating an opportunity for productions of all sizes to bring their projects here to contribute to our community,” Director of Film Muskogee Bryce Marshall said.
According to Film Muskogee, the film industry has grown significantly in recent years, generating over $170 million in spending, and creating more than 7,900 jobs across the state.
Cherokee County filmmakers Marcus Pruitt, and Scott Duffield, said they are working to complete an homage to 1950s-style science fiction films with a project called “They Came from the Stars!”
“It tells a great story about getting back home in the face of diversity,” Duffield said.
Pruitt said they are also putting finishing touches on shorts that were filmed during the summer.
“We have two more shorts planned for spring, along with various music videos we’re slated to shoot,” Pruitt said.
While many think of movie sets, for smaller creators, sometimes filming takes place in businesses or in public parks.
“We find a location and ask it it’s OK to film there, and that’s it. Most places are happy to help,” Duffield said.
Jeremy Scott, another Tahlequah-area filmmaker, said they have to be respectful toward businesses in which they ask to film.
“On a movie set, you have things the way you want, but you have to pay for it all,” Scott said. “I will say, local businesses sometimes have a certain look or decorations that add authenticity to a scene. You know, something that would have never been thought of if you were dressing a movie set.”
When it comes to filming in Oklahoma, Duffield said the film industry has come to the state because it’s full of untold stories.
“It was a matter of time before that potential was realized,” Duffield said.
Pruitt said he believes filming is less expensive in Oklahoma, and that Oklahoma has a variety of landscapes, including open fields, forests, rivers, lakes, beaches, small towns, and even a desert.
Casting can be a challenge for projects that are self-funded, according to Pruitt.
“We’ll usually look to our friends who have acted before and go by availability, unless we need someone who is a certain age, ethnicity, or a special skill,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt said he and Duffield also post in Facebook groups dedicated to connecting actors and filmmakers in the state.
“Considering this is Tahlequah, not Los Angeles, I have to think about who is available and willing to do it. I tend to have the cast of characters in the script be the type of roles that I can cast locally. I’d say over 50% of the time, I write characters for specific people,” Scott said. “In my last film, ‘The Nature of Things,’ I wrote a role specifically for Jimmy Sego, who has the majority of the lines. Basically, I assess what I feel I have to work with and custom-fit the script around that.”
Duffield said most of the films he and Pruitt have worked on have been made with little to no budget.
“I’ve definitely heard about incentives for film, both from the state and the Cherokee Nation, and I haven’t ventured into that avenue just yet,” Duffield said. “Hopefully we will apply sometime in the future.”
The next deadline for applications to the Oklahoma Film and Music Office is Dec. 15 for projects filming between Feb. 1, and July 31, 2025.
There are currently open crew calls for a series being produced by the Chickasaw Nation, titled “Revolution to Removal.” Production is set to begin Oct. 1, 2025. A full list of casting and crew calls can be found at www.okfilmmusic.org/crew-and-casting-calls.
Several film festivals are seeking entries. The Wide Open Experimental Film Festival deadline is Nov. 30, and the event will take place April 4-6, 2025. The late deadline for the Tonkawa Film Festival is Dec. 10, and the festival will take place April 25-26, 2025. The deadCenter film festival is currently taking submissions until Feb. 14, 2025.
A full list can be found at www.okfilmmusic.org/call-for-entries.
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