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Silverdraft to light up silver screen:
Boise’s first independent film studio brings community excitement
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Aspiring Boise State University filmmakers, long since disillusioned by their university’s inability to provide in-depth professional training and frustrated by the lack of employment opportunities in the Treasure Valley, can now rejoice.
A new independently-funded film studio has opened its doors in Meridian. The film studio, called Silverdraft, is expected to make a definitive mark on the Treasure Valley’s burgeoning film community.
“Community interest has been immense,” Paul Thornton, co-founder of Silverdraft, said. “We’re all very excited.”
Silverdraft Studios is the brainchild of three Boise filmmakers: Amy Gile, Sandra Cavanaugh and Paul Thornton. Silverdraft will combine various elements of media including feature film, television, documentary film and live-action film recordings. The trio, along with many of Boise’s most celebrated filmmakers, is attempting to capitalize on the national trend in independent film to form a community-based outfit that is completely separate from the Los Angeles corporate machine.
According to Thornton, Silverdraft Studios hopes to provide filmmakers with the chance to make films at a low cost and without corporate interference.
“Boise has a great advantage over other cities because of the lack of unionized work force and the relatively low cost that is required to shoot on location,”
Thornton said.
“Out of state crews can be lodged in or around the city at a cheap price, and actors and filmmakers won’t be distracted by paparazzi.
Silverdraft hopes also to capitalize on its most valuable untapped resource – Idaho. Boise’s downtown is lovely and will be cheap to shoot in, and the surrounding area is beautiful as well as accessible.”
Students who are not necessarily tied to Silverdraft can still benefit from the studio. Silverdraft is equipped with state-of-the-art sound booths and editing bays. Anyone in need of these things can rent space at an affordable price.
“One of our main goals is to convince filmmakers outside of the city to come to Boise to make films,” Thornton said.
Through recruitment and training, Silverdraft hopes to build a large enough work force to enable the studio to be totally self-sufficient. The studio will also offer mentor programs to Boise State students.
Independent does not mean unprofessional. Heather Rae, an Academy Award nominee and Boise native, is involved with Silverdraft. Thornton said she is already working with the studio on a project.
The level of prestige Rae will bring to the studio will benefit Silverdraft, and may help silence critics who still insist a film must be shot in New York or Los Angeles to
be successful.
Students at Boise State are responding.
“For some time we have been trying to build an insulated film community so that Boise filmmakers won’t have to leave the valley in order to find employment,” Nick Taylor, president of the Boise State film club Dead 8, said. The film studio will provide prospective filmmakers an avenue to achieve their goals without ever having to leave Idaho.
“The Los Angeles film scene has become so bloated and monopolized that it has become nearly impossible for a filmmaker to carry out his artistic vision without some form of corporate hassling,” Tommy Bradley, former Los Angeles film editor and Boise State student, said.
“The financial risks are too high and the studio heads have too much to lose. They micromanage everything,” Bradley said. “It’s like trying to paint a picture with a calculator."
DANIEL PRIDDY
Special to The Arbiter