Banding together

Tulsa Film + Music wants to help, but first it’s asking for some help of its own

Tulsa Film + Music was created last August to prove to the world ­— and to Tulsa itself — that film and music are two important industries to the city. TF+M’s success in that endeavor will require participation from those involved in those industries. In this early stage, TF+M is the Tom Cruise to our local musicians’ and filmmakers’ collective Cuba Gooding Jr., saying, “Help me help you.”

Last year, Abby Kurin was hired as the director of TF+M, a division of the city’s Communications Department, after working as Development Coordinator at the Oklahoma Film & Music Office. There, she was part of the team that created the Oklahoma showcase at SXSW, The Buffalo Lounge, and helped bring the film productions of “August: Osage County” and “To the Wonder” to Oklahoma. Now she wants to take what she learned and focus it on her hometown.

“I’m extremely passionate about these industries,” Kurin said. “How can the city help these industries? And how can we grow these industries? We know that they’re making an impact on the economy, and we want to continue that.”

How, indeed. To help figure that out, TF+M has created a pair of questionnaires — one for music, one for film — it calls the Cultural Audit.

“The idea behind this is we really want to hear from these people. What would they love to see out of their city? What are ideas that they may have? We’re at a stage where we’re really wanting to hear from everybody so we can make it what they want,” Kurin said.

Another goal of the Cultural Audit is to gather data that shows the economic impact of the film and music industries and to “take that information and put it on our website to showcase who’s working in these industries both to people in Tulsa and outside of Tulsa looking in. … But it’s only as strong as how many people fill it out. It’s really short,” Kurin insisted.

So far, the Cultural Audit has been made available to those on TF+M’s email list, but will soon be available to all who wish to participate via TF+M’s website.
The Cultural Audit — the sound of it couldn’t feel more like city government — was named before Kurin was hired, she said. It’s not a particularly inviting name.

It’s hard to imagine a hardcore punk band volunteering for any “audit.” The questions range from broad (“Why Tulsa, Oklahoma?”; “What would you like to see the City of Tulsa do in support of the film/video industry?”) to very specific (“How much did you earn playing music in FY13?”)

“[The questions] seemed more like a dating profile than anything else,” said local filmmaker Charles Elmore. “None of them were bad. It’s a step in the right direction, but I’m not sure what to think.”

“I’m thrilled that film and the art and industry of filmmaking is being recognized as a legit endeavor by Tulsa’s government,” Elmore said. “On the other hand, my feelings are like, ‘Fuck that, what can the Film and Music Office do for me to help me make better films?’ If I want to get a film made, I’m going to go ahead and push that rock up the mountain, help or no help.”

That’s not to say he doesn’t see the benefit of uniting those working toward similar goals. “Ideally what I’d like is that all of our disparate equipment vendors, filmmakers, directors, writers, colorists, editors, etc., were at least all on the same page as far as awareness of each other and our shared desires or intentions. Filmmaking is a collaborative art, and the more collaborators you’re aware of, the better it reflects on everyone and the city.”

Collaboration is key, and Kurin and TF+M know that. One of their main goals is to help filmmakers and musicians alike get to know each other and get to know local production companies, movie theaters, venues, and labels.

“The Office wants to serve as a place where these industries are no longer fragmented,” Kurin said. “That’s what I want to do: connect the dots. I get phone calls for locations, or requests for access to an office space or the airport, or to work with the Tulsa Police Department and the Fire Department. We can make that happen.”

TF+M is also connecting those dots by holding mixers and other events, corralling Tulsans who work in film and music into one room. The most recent was late last month, when local musicians gathered at The Vanguard for a panel of representatives from local publications, including The Tulsa Voice Associate Publisher Matt Cauthron. The event was a good example of what TF+M can do to forge new connections, and there’s now a sizeable group of local musicians who have a much better idea of how get their names in print. (Hint: reach out to us.)

TF+M is still in its infancy, and much of what it is capable of doing remains to be seen. But as Elmore said, it’s great to see the local government take a stake in music and film.

“[It is] our first mission to take care of people working and living in Tulsa,” Kurin said. “We want Tulsa to be not only a destination, but a place where people can live and work and want to be here. And that’s why I’m hoping to hear from everybody.”