From an email to the Mid-Michigan Filmmakers group:
All,
I will attempt to summarize Thursday, but I apoligize now for being brief and factually questionable. My main focus when I attend these meetings or even training seminars is to network before and afterwards. I tend to only hear every 15th word or so during the meeting and am also the worst note taker I know. All that being said, here is what I have.
The morning meeting was held by the Michigan Film Office (http://www.michigan.gov/filmoffice). It was standing room only by the time I got there. The Film Council had no microphones and it was almost impossible to hear speakers from the back of the room. The few highlights:
* Tick Tock Studios (http://www.tictockstudios.com/) outlined the educational programs they are rolling out in Grand Rapids. They will be 40 hour classes starting with the basics of working on the set, followed by advanced classes focused on specific departments. They are partnering with local schools to facilitate this. (I would love to see something similar here with Delta or SVSU, so hopefully Tick Tock grows beyond the west side of the state soon.)
* Tony Wenson from the Film Office addressed the rumors of studios being built in Michigan. He basically repeated what he said last year. Anything you hear now, even in the press, is just a rumor. However, there are “serious parties” interested right now. There are several factors that go into building a studio, but he optimistically hopes to have something concrete to report in two to three months. He stated that Michigan is very serious about getting them built as it will lead to year round employment.
* Gran Torino: Everyone is praying it gets several Academy nominations/awards so Michigan can toot its horn. Janet Lockwood said they only thing she didn’t like about the movie is that it showed the blight of Detroit and asked if there was any way to put a positive spin on that. (I mentally kicked her in the knee at that point.)
The second meeting was held that evening by the Michigan Production Alliance (http://www.mpami.org/). The MPA “strives to promote and enhance the community of Michigan media professionals, both union and non-union, by providing resources such as crew and equipment contacts, seminars, workshops and various other industry related support” (quoted from their website). They backed this statement up that night with a very informative seminar on Location Scouting/Managing. They brought in three very experienced Location Mangers from both Commercial and Feature Film Work to discuss everything required for the position. I learned there is a great deal more than just finding a location with the right look. You need to know what it looks like at all hours of the day, what it looks like from reverse, what day the garbage man picks up, what is the air traffic like, etc. They definitely were able to demonstrate the extrodinary work that goes into locating and managing locations for any project.
The MPA has several more training seminars coming up, starting with a PA Boot Camp at Madonna University in early February. I will be the first to tell you working as a PA requires the skills of a doorknob, but I am still considering attending. There is always something you can learn and more importantly as I mentioned earlier, these are phenomonal networking opportunities. I am not saying you need to join the MPA, but definitely tag their website and keep an eye on what they have coming up.
I’ll end with a belated Happy New Year to the group! Let’s rock and roll in 2009 
Steve