From: Film Tucson <pcatalanotte@visittucson.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2019 2:10 PM
Subject: News from Film Tucson
A Plethora of International Fashion Shoots Rock Tucson
Barneys New York frames Tucson as a backdrop.
Internationally-known UK-based fashion photographer Thomas Giddings captured Tucson's otherworldly desert locations for the Barneys New York Spring catalog shoot. If you are a fashionista who is lucky enough to receive a catalog, you'll see page upon page of stunning models posing against our one-of-a-kind backdrops.
Rika Magazine capturing the endless desert skies of Tucson.
Sean Thomas, another internationally-known UK based fashion photographer, shot several mostly Western-themed Tucson locations for a 26 page feature story entitled "Arizona Highways" in Rika Magazine. Rika calls both London and Amsterdam its home and has subscribers from all over the world. We assisted with contacting and setting up filming in several locations such as The Maverick, Hotel Congress, The Buffet, and White Stallion Ranch, to name a few. Not only did the crew and models shoot at White Stallion Ranch (which has been hosting all manner of shoots for decades), they lodged there, and featured its owners Russell and Michael True as part of the fashion spread.
Russel and Michael True, owners of the White Stallion Ranch
Spanish company Zara shot at the White Stallion Ranch for their new Zara Kids catalog. The shoot also featured our infamous Neon Cactus. We assisted with permitting and contacts for crew and equipment at Monsoon Production Services, a Tucson company. Zara found us via Film Tucson's advertising in Production Paradise, an international publication.
Zara Kids pose beneath The Neon Saguaro.
Zara Kids saddle up at White Stallion Ranch.
They Make Awesome Look Easy
Southern Arizona's new Modern Studios is up and running with 7,000 square feet of production space, 2 very impressive motion-controlled rigs called Cinebots (the fastest high-speed camera robot in the world), 19-foot ceilings, two cyclorama infinity screens, a soundproofed room, and 600 square feet of portable LED screens.
A full-service creative agency, Modern Studios can shoot, edit, mix sound, color correct, or pretty much perform any other film production task. Southern Arizona's ability to serve the film industry's needs just became a whole lot grander.
Tucson & Baja Arizona on MTV, Dutch TV, and Discovery
A scene from the upcoming TV series Highflyers.
Months before they actually came to shoot, we began working with MTV on their new upcoming reality series Border Life. We assisted with casting calls, local hires, lodging, locations, and permits, which brought our area 76 days of filming. Everyone in the community welcomed them with open arms, and we would like to especially acknowledge the hospitality of Pima County and the City of Tucson for meeting the fast-changing demands of this project.
Border Live, a similarly-titled Discovery Channel series, filmed for 24 days along the Nogales border. We were able to connect the producers with contacts at US Customs and Border Patrol and other agencies thanks to two decades of assisting shoots along that region.
Filming for Highflyers, a TV series from the Netherlands, came to Tucson for a story centered around Dutch fighter pilots training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Pinal Air Park was used as another important location, many local crew were hired, and the 25 Dutch crew and actors went home happy and tanned.
Another Discovery Channel series, Shifting Gears, filmed an episode here, with our office providing a number of mining contacts (the show explores "dirty jobs"), as well as permits and recommendations for downtown B-roll footage around the downtown area. The fun never ends.
Exploration and Collaboration South of the Border
The dreamlike dunes of Kino Bay.
The film office's Peter Catalanotte and Shelli Hall, along with Visit Tucson's Mexico Initiatives Director Marisol Vindiola, joined state film commissioner Matthew Earl Jones on a recent familiarization tour hosted by the Office of Tourism in Sonora. The team toured bull rings in Nogales, the classic Mexican town of Magdalena (home to Father Kino's bones), the spectacular white sand dunes at Bahia de Kino, its nearby Seri village and more.
The old bullfighting ring just across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Sonora's local filmmakers and film festival organizers were invited to gather with them in Hermosillo for networking and carne asada. Many positive connections were made and plans for future collaborations between Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora are already in the works. Mil gracias Luis, Enrique, Riky, Caro, Rogelio, y los otros.
