We’re so grateful to Visit Central Oregon for supporting our work!  With their grant support, we’re able to expand our media library, sharing the stunning locations Central Oregon is famous for. Today we scouted one of our favorite parks, located an easy 10 minutes from downtown Bend. Shevlin  has a myriad of locations on its nearly 1,000 acre park, all with Tumalo Creek running through the center.  With multiple bridges, including a covered bridge, tree varieties (aspens and ponderosa’s) and incredible vistas, Shevlin is a film set waiting to happen.  We also think it would be a fabulous location for a car commercial given the road winding along the river, with distinct looks on either side.  We’d love to see someone shoot here in the Fall when the Aspens are golden and shimmer in the breeze. Bend Park and Rec are easy to work with on inexpensive permitting and we’re here to help you in any way.

Every now and then we find a hidden gem in Central Oregon. This stunning river is located in La Pine, close to Sunriver and Bend.  It’s perfect for a fly-fishing shoot, recreational or even a wedding layout.   Parking is available close to the trail down to the bridge and Deschutes National Forest maintained restrooms on site.  Beautiful year round.

Images taken mid-January, 1pm.

Deschutes National Forest permit required.  Please apply 30 days in advance.

We recently had a great opportunity to scout large areas of Eastern Oregon as part of our collaboration with Travel Oregon.  It’s amazing just how stunning this state is, and what incredible natural beauty we have – from lakes, rivers, mountains to rock formations impacted by centuries of movement and weathering by mother nature.

The Painted Hills are located just outside of Mitchell, and are breathtaking. We purposely planned our arrival for the ‘golden hour’ and weren’t disappointed by the images we got.  

Travel Oregon calls the Painted Hills one of their ‘Seven Wonders of Oregon‘, and they’re right.  This area is gobsmacking in its beauty, even if you can’t imagine the thousands of years it took to create the varying layers that have formed the hills.  To put this on the big or small screen ensures a mesmerizing visual to enhance the story you’re telling.

The Painted Hills are a National Monument, and as such when filming you will need to work closely with the Park Management team, in addition to applying for a permit.

Depending on the size of your production and where you shoot, parking is available at the most popular areas of the monument.  There is also what could be a production base at the entrance to the park.

Don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about filming in the Painted Hills, either for film, commercial, branded content or anything else.

 

Prineville, and the areas around it are a film set waiting to happen.  Ever see the film “Pleasantville”?  Prineville has a Normal Rockwell charm to it with beautiful buildings and a small town Americana vibe.  Prineville is the oldest community in Central Oregon, dating back to 1868 and many of the buildings reflect the charm and character of that time period.

But what’s even better than downtown Prineville, are the areas outside it.  We recently scouted Highway 27 which runs along the Crooked River.  The rock formations and topography are just breathtaking.  Check out our images below to get an idea of where you could shoot.

With  a proactive Chamber of Commerce and a  plethora of varying locations to choose from, we highly recommend Prineville as a destination location. The area has stunning rock formations, golf courses, reservoirs and a currently empty medical building that could be the backdrop of your production.

 

Crook County Courthouse

COFO recently went on an extensive scout throughout Eastern Oregon as part of their collaboration with Travel Oregon.  Leaving Bend, we headed south to Fort Rock and the Fort Rock Homestead, a fabulous museum located opposite the extraordinary former volcano.

From the Homestead Museum, we continued south on Highway 31 to Silver Lake, and Summer Lake Hot Springs.

After staying the night in Fields we headed south again and across Hart Mountain, through the Warner Wetlands.  

Traveling across Hart Mountain, we drove along the mountain range, through wide open fields interspersed with cattle and horses.

We didn’t see many people on the journey but we did drop down into the 205 Highway and down to Fields, the gateway to the Alvord Desert.

Alvord Desert and the Steens Mountain in the background

To capture the full beauty of the Alvord, we stayed a few nights in Fields, hoping to have some success at sunrise and sunset.

Leaving Fields, we traveled along Fields-Denio Road, which wraps around the Steens Mountain. 

Leaving the Steens behind, we traveled along highway 78 to Burns, and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Driving through Harney County we traveled on highway 395 through the Malheur National Forest and up to John Day, home to the Painted Hills. We then traveled along highway 26 to Dayville and on up to Kimberly, all along the John Day River.

This is some of the most stunning scenery you’ll ever see, particularly if you are wanting astounding rock formations and colors in the background of your shoot.  The James Cant Museum isn’t open year round, and therefore may be available through the State Park service for your production.  The Museum has horse corrals, a barn, orchards and plenty of parking for your production vehicles.

Circling through Kimberly and Mitchell, we went through the Painted Hills National Monument at the golden hour.  Filming here would need the support of the State Park rangers, and we can certainly help with those permits.  Please always make sure to give us plenty of notice when permits are required.

Coming to the end of our scout trip was disappointing.  We didn’t have a chance to stop in the Ochoco National Forest to get some images there as it was too late in the day.

From the Painted Hills we traveled through Prineville back to Bend, saving the Ochoco’s for another day.