Montana Promotion Division

FILM INDUSTRY PROMOTION & SERVICES

The Montana Film Office promotes the state as a location for feature films, commercials, television, documentaries, music videos, and still photography by providing information, scouting, and support services to the film production industry - including producers, directors, location managers, and studio executives.

The Montana Film Office website www.montanafilm.com

See a description of our current filming tax incentives HERE

Advertising & Marketing

The Montana Film Office undertakes specific promotional projects to build and sustain the out-of-state production community's awareness of Montana as a prime filming location.

Trade Magazine Advertising
Montana film ads are featured in various trade publications such as AFCI Locations, Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter, SHOOT, American Cinematographer, Creativity, Screen, DGA Magazine, Production Update, MovieMaker and Filmmaker Magazines.

Calendars
Each December production decision makers receive a Montana calendar featuring Montana locations. These calendars provide a monthly reminder of the state and its features.

Promotional Poster
The film office may produce a poster to continue the current series on dramatic Montana locations. Posters are distributed at trade shows and as a limited direct mail piece.

Scouting/Industry Liaison

The Montana Film Office provides year-round scouting trips to show producers and other studio personnel possible locations for their upcoming projects. When appropriate, the Montana Film Office works with its industry and regional liaisons to help facilitate this process.

Trade Shows & Film Festivals

Representing Montana at major industry trade shows and film festivals in the United States and abroad allows the Film Office the opportunity to increase awareness and knowledge of the state as a film location on a one-to-one basis.

Sundance Film Festival
Each January directors, producers, and studio executives meet and conduct workshops and screen new independent feature films and documentaries at this nationally recognized film festival held in Park City, Utah.

AFCI Locations Trade Show
This annual location show attracts up to 6,000 major decision-makers in both U.S. and foreign markets. Held each April in Santa Monica, CA, this show is sponsored by the Association of Film Commissioners International

AFI FEST
One of the nation's fastest-growing film events, AFI FEST is an international film festival held in Los Angeles each November.

Fulfillment

The Montana Film Office responds to requests from producers for information about locations, along with the guidelines, laws, and permits regarding shooting in Montana. Turnaround time for information ranges from immediate to 24 hours.

Montana Production Guide
The Montana Production Guide, distributed to key decision-makers within the motion picture industry, is an all-encompassing reference for shooting a production in Montana. The guide includes more than 170 pages detailing information such as: production services and crews; contacts for federal, state, and city agencies; weather data; aircraft charters; major locations, towns, and cities; and photos of Montana locations. Approximately 750 guides are produced every two years.

Internet Web Site
The Montana Film Office web site at http://www.montanafilm.com offers comprehensive information about filming projects in the state. In addition to offering the information detailed in the Montana Production Guide, the web site includes hundreds of photos of locations throughout the state, a new featured location every month, and a searchable locations database.

Photo & Information Files
R esponding to inquiries quickly is one of the best ways to ensure that Montana is considered for a project. The Montana Film Office files include more than 155,000 images from all areas of the state and can be sent at a moment's notice electronically or by overnight delivery. The photo files are continually updated.

Evaluation Mechanisms

The Montana Film Office tracks location inquiries and requests as a measurement of the level of interest in the state. The true measure of success, however, is the increasing amount of revenue generated in Montana through motion picture and commercial projects. The Film Office calculates production company expenditures from data collected from personal interviews and a mailed questionnaire sent at the completion of the project. These figures are then presented in aggregate on an annual basis. Long-term results, such as building the image of Montana both as a viable location and tourist destination, are difficult to quantify but do provide a future return.

Additional Information

For a complete list of the Film Office's projects and other useful information about the program and its operations, check out the following links:

(NOTE: The documents listed below are presented in .pdf format. To view the documents, you need Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™ installed on your computer. To download the latest version of Adobe® Acrobat® Reader™, please click here or on the following icon:)