Colorado in Search of Cinema

From left, Colorado Local VP Nancy Flanagan, Colorado Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman and Colorado Local President Sheila Ivy Traister at the State Capitol.

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” State Sen. Linda Newell exclaimed, as she acted out her part, holding a prop basket and sporting a replica of Toto in front of the green screen on the magnificent set erected in the West Foyer of the Colorado State Capitol.  

This was CINEMA Day, Feb. 26, 2014. CINEMA (Colorado Innovators of New Entertainment, Media and Arts), a coalition of Colorado entertainment, media and artistic interests, helped organize CINEMA Day at the Capitol in an effort to seek support from state legislators and the governor for increased film incentives in Colorado. 

Newell’s image would later be edited into the actual scene from the film, as would those of dozens of other elected officials, including senators, legislatures, the state treasurer and their aides, who picked from four classic cinematic moments: Dorothy arriving in the land of Oz; Rhett Butler’s infamous “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn ...” from Gone With the Wind; “I am Frau Blucher!” from Young Frankenstein; and the immortal “Bond ... James Bond,” which was wonderfully dramatized by longtime supporter of the film industry and card-carrying SAG-AFTRA member Gov. John Hickenlooper.

A local crew participates in CINEMA Day at the state Capitol.

A day on the set proved to be worth a thousand rallies on the steps. There was no shortage of compliments and wonderment from the elected officials over the quality and number of professionals it took to produce the finished product. The shoot, followed by an evening event co-sponsored by the SAG-AFTRA Colorado Local, was a huge success, as those present better understood what a viable film industry could do for the state. Hopefully, the positive experience will impact officials’ votes to increase the state's funding for our industry.

SAG-AFTRA Colorado Local President Sheila Ivy Traister coached the participants on their lines and fed them their cues on camera, while Vice President Nancy Flanagan used her skills as a makeup artist to make sure the representatives looked their best. Sheila and Nancy worked side by side with their brothers and sisters from the DGA, Teamsters, IATSE and the International Cinematographers Guild. Other industry organizations, such as the Colorado Film and Video Association and the Colorado Film Commission, joined these labor groups, all donating their time to make this event a meaningful and rewarding experience for those who have the power, with the stroke of a pen, to bring production back to Colorado.