Balance.

We spend a lot of time thinking about sandwiches. That’s right. Sandwiches. One of the reasons for this is because that’s how we see a healthy ecosystem for our industry here in Oregon.

The top slice is the larger productions. Television series. Studio features. Longer schedules. Higher budgets. Guaranteed outlets. Economic drivers.

The bottom slice is emerging local work. Short films. Seed & Spark campaigns. Grants. New talent. Eclectic stories.

In the middle is the real heart of the sandwich. The mid-level indies. Risk takers. Opportunity generators. Economic contributors.

All three layers are vital and in order to make the best version, all three layers need to be working together. Adding to each other. Taking from each other.

And, wait for it, it needs to all be in balance.

So let’s set aside the allegories for now. That was just a fun way to open. (And it made us hungry.)

As we all know this industry is a bit out of balance. This is true for the development, financing, production and distribution aspects of what we do. Where there was once a clear pipeline there is now self-help. DIY.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

But it does cause some introspection and anxiety for filmmakers as well as film commissions. Finding and keeping a balance is critical not only to the creative process but to the economic developers among us who are seeking to keep talent in our cities and towns just as much as we want to attract talent into our creative workforce.

Here in Oregon we take some pride in the fact that we can play host just as easily to large series from Amazon, challenging features from Netflix, Emmy Award Winning VFX for Hulu, and ground breaking stop motion from LAIKA. While at the same time we also see the impact of those projects on short films and new features being developed at places like Desert Island Studios and through programs like Catalyst’s Script to Screen and PDX Women in Film’s Vision Grant not to mention Portland Event and Film Office’s Amplify Portland and the Post Production Grant and our own Oregon Film Impact Grants.

In addition, we’ve been lucky enough to develop a unique training and placement program called Pathways with our partner Outside the Frame that has given entry-level training and paid placements to scores of people on the sets and in the studios here in Oregon.

For a long time these two “layers” of our ecosystem help sustain a very active mid-level production scene. These included projects like three seasons of “Shrill” and two seasons of “Trinkets” as well as smaller market features from Netflix like “All Together Now” and “Metal Lords.”

But over the last two years that mid-market has shrunk at the edges or disappeared completely. Where there was once a broad production slate for projects budgeted between $5M and $25M, it noticeably declined post-pandemic. Studio output was reduced. Distribution outlets were removed. Budgets were not approved or slashed so excessively that projects just never happened. Production budgets started to fall under $2M or over $30M and, for those few that did find their way into the middle, they chose production locations elsewhere - Eastern Europe, Canada.

This could be a function of many things. Reduced financing. Reduced production slates. Reduced risk tolerance. Reduced investment. Consolidation and mergers. Even things like an uncertain economy, AI and a war.

But, and there’s a catch in our voice as we say this, it seems like those projects are starting to come back. Where we saw a marked decrease in the median and average budget levels for projects both inquiring and filming in Oregon in 2025, those numbers have started to work their way back upwards in 2026. Perhaps with only seven months gone we are being premature in saying this, but the sandwich filling seems to be looking more generous of late.

It’s easy to get lost in the data. Inquiries are up. Budgets are up. Trends seem to be moving up.

But consistency is still lacking. It’s very much a two steps forward, three steps back dance we’re doing. What seems like a sure thing loses its financing before it can start pre-production. Some projects come in, start production only to lose financing during the shoot itself leading to stress on the crew and on the local system in general as we work through lack of payments and broken commitments.

So where is all of this going?

Balance is a good thing. Balance is calming and somewhat predictable. Balance is the steady-state that all systems tend toward. And, yet, balance has been lacking.

The US box office is way up. Incentives are moving upwards, 35%, 40% in many states. Projects are chasing money regardless of international boundaries. An incentive at the federal level seems to be more of a possibility than ever before. AI is creating actors, films, animation, commercials and scripts. Industry leaders are now saying that they couldn’t do their jobs without AI but that it is “a tool” and not a solution. At the same time creators are rejecting AI on almost every level. Verticals and Microdramas are the new shiny toy that people are talking about and watching, but the data showing its monetary success is lacking. Soundstage construction is up but stage rentals are down. There are fewer productions but more production days.

The big questions - how do I find the money to make my project and how do I bring that project to an audience? - remain somewhat unanswered. Less and less investment and fewer consistent outlets for unique indie product.

So why us? Why Oregon?

The short answer is: because we’re thinking about these things. Because we care. Because we want to see your story made, made well and we want people to see it. This is a place that cares about creativity. Its built into our DNA.

And, to top if off, it’s a cash rebate. Easy to use. Responsive.

This is a long game. And we’ve been making movies here since the turn of the 20th century. We’ve successfully hosted several Eras of filmmaking - the Silents, the Westerns, the Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, the 80s Classics, and the Rebellious Series of the aughts.

It’s a balance, yes, but when it’s out of balance you need support. That’s what we do.

We make a terrific sandwich.