* Most digital cameras are sufficient to photograph your property, you don’t need any special attachment lenses

* Avoid close-up shot. The fireplace shouldn’t  be the only thing in the picture. Location Scouts need to see the entire room and everything in it.  When you take a wide angle shot you can still see the fireplace in the room.

Indoor Photos:

* A simple rule for photographing your property or home.  Take two pictures per room for important rooms. Take shots from opposite corner’s , it always best to show two walls in a picture. By shooting in opposite corner’s you have shown all four walls in two pictures.  The “opposite angles” principle can best show outside shots as well, like front yard, back yard, gardens, and parking lots.

* Always use a flash when you are taking pictures. It lightens everything, fills shadows, helps show detail and takes a sharp picture.

Taking Outdoor Photos:

*The best time to take outdoor pictures is early morning right before sunrise. There is still alot of light but the sun is not high enough to make shadows.   Taking indoor pictures in a room with no window can be shot anytime.  Indoor pictures in a room with windows the best time to take the shots is just before sunset when there is still light out. The light is softer in the evening and gives a warmer look.  Remember to turn on all light no matter the time of day. It makes the room seem alive and always us your flash.

*When shooting your property remember to include the main rooms and major areas, the largest and most prominent areas and features. Think about what scenes would be shot at your location. Think about what are the most visually interesting features. When determining the order of your pictures, consider how the areas connect and flow into the next.

Some Examples of what to shoot.

Home:

* Front Exterior

* Foyer/entrance area

* Living room

* Family Room

* Master Bedroom

* Garage

* Backyard exterior

Bar:

* Parking Lot

* Front Exterior

* Front Door

* Bar

* Cash Register

* Dance Floor

* Booths/Tables

* Office

* DJ Booth

Commercial Properties:

* Front Exterior

* Front Entrance

* Aisles

* Office

* Main Floor

* Parking Lot

* Register area

More Tips When Taking Photos:

* Very clean, uncluttered looks work the best

* Shoot the photos with no inhabitants

* Try to keep the camera at about 6ft above the ground

* Parking lots and driveways look better empty

* Take two shots for main areas and only one for less important areas

* Turn on all lights for interior shots

* Fireplaces look better if they have a fire in them

* Kitchens look better with open counter-tops. Clear all small appliances, dishes, and clear magnets and pictures from the refrigerator

Check out this Hollywood Home for Sale in the NE Heights of Albuquerque

Contact Linda Kallish @ 505-553-9229 for more information. or go to the listing on www.filmsavage.com

for more info. filmsavage.com/profile_loc2.php?usr_id=702&sub_id=loc_2

The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get

David Manzanares is a doer. Raised on a ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, he learned early on that life is a practical matter. There are two kinds of people: workers and shirkers. And it’s the workers who make the world go ‘round. They’re also the ones who continually get the opportunity to do more – to move up – to branch out.

Location Scout, Location Manager, Production Manager, Production Coordinator, AD, Production Supervisor – Manzanares has branched out all over the place since he got his unlikely start in film-making, some eighteen years ago. As often happens, his initial opportunity came disguised as a crisis of sorts. A UK catalog crew trespassed onto his family’s land, and Manzanares went out “to say hello”. He was carrying a gun, in case they turned out not to be good listeners.
“They were out there with our horses,” he explains. “Posing with them, holding their heads. It’s a good thing the horses were geldings. Anyway, I explained to them that fences are for a purpose, that they were trespassing, and that you’re not supposed to take anything without permission, even photos.”
The conversation was friendly enough, partly because Manzanares himself is a good listener. The people told him what they were doing and what they were looking for.
“I got into the film business THAT DAY,” he says. “I put the gun away, and they put the cameras down, and we just talked. They needed to know where they could find cliffs and rivers. So the next week, I took them out, and showed them the locations – and they wrote me a pretty healthy check. ”That check served as an awakening for Manzanares. In spite of a BBA degree from NMSU, with a double major in Marketing/Management and Sales and Promotion, he had never realized that the most saleable product he would ever come across would be his own home state. “Now,” he says, “I’m selling New Mexico.

”The transition to movie-making was not instantaneous. He did a lot of other things along the way. Stills. Videos. Commercials. “Production stuff”. But his path had taken a turn, and he would never retrace that path. (Understandable, considering that he’s made a name for himself as a major go-to guy for location scouting and management, in New Mexico.) Because he is called upon to work with the best, his resume reads like a Who’s Who of producers, directors, and stars, and you only have to look him up on IMDB to figure out that this man is busy. (In 2007 and 2008 alone, he has worked on Brothers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Comanche Moon, The Flock, 3:10 to Yuma, Transformers, and Wild Hogs.).

For those who have a hankering to get into his field, Manzanares has some advice worth listening to.

“Bring gumption,” he says. “Be prepared not to get much sleep. Develop a thick skin.

”While noting that locations work is not the easiest way to break into the film business, Manzanares believes that certain individuals are more likely to make it.

“People who come out of disciplined background do well,” he says. “It could be the military – it could even be ballet. Anything regimented.

”He warns, though, that the job looks more glamorous than it actually is. It’s not all about riding around with the director, pointing out the dandy locations you’ve found.

“Glamour is not the reality of this job. You start a project, and you don’t see a camera for the first 2 months. You might be sewing seams for wardrobe, for 100 cavalry men. You have six hours of work, then lunch, then another six hours of work. When you’re finally filming, you’re going to have long hours, with a lot on your plate. Here’s an example of a period western project with 300 background players: say the crew call is 6 a.m. As location manager, you and/or your crew come in 3 hours before crew call in total darkness. Work lights have to be turned on for the caterers. The caterers need to begin preparing to serve breakfast to the 300 background and the 120 crew members 1 hr. Before crew call. Heaters and lights get turned on in the tents. The assistant directors and the makeup/hair departments arrive shortly thereafter. You have to insure that hair and makeup stations are set up along with spraying tents as the mu dept will be spraying body make-up on the 300 extras. The hair dept. Is busy fitting wigs. The wardrobe dept gets there and starts to make sure that everyone has the proper wardrobe. Craft service arrives and insures that everyone has all the water and snacks o tide everyone over in-between meals. The medics are on hand at all times. You will be helping/support the casting department with holding/warming areas for all of the background players. Background casting is also on location hours before crew call in order to (along with the ad’s) check in all of the talent. An hour before crew call is when the rest of the crew; grips, electric, art dept, camera, props, script, set dec, sound, special effects, stunts, production and video, start arriving… unless any of the departments have had a pre-call. Construction and the pre-riggers are more than likely getting your next location ready hours away in a different city. The cast and executives arrive as required by the demands of the particular shooting day. It’s your job to supply and service all the departments, and, if some department is not being serviced, you’ll hear about it. But, by the time you’ve done several shows, you learn the needs of all the departments. It’s a wonderful training ground.”Success in film-making, he points out, is just like success in any other business: It’s largely a matter of applying yourself.“If you learn one thing – for example make-up — and do it well, and you dedicate yourself, you will eventually be the head of the department. That’s in every department EXCEPT locations. This one isn’t a narrow road. With other departments., you show up when your boss tells you. In locations, you have to take initiative, but it offers the most mobility to move up within the industry.”But the best part, Manzanares says, is the satisfaction of working with a group of people who are experts in their fields, to bring to life a shared vision.“All of you have been moved by a script that made you say, ‘Wow this is a story that should be told’ — and now you’re all locked in together. Whatever it becomes, you’re a part of it.”by Jenny Wingfield

__________________________

by Tech. Sgt. Larry A. Simmons
Air Force Print News

Movie director Michael Bay films an Airman on the set of the movie “Transformers” at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., on May 31. Several Airmen had the opportunity to fill roles as extras during filming. The movie is scheduled for release in July 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Larry A. Simmons)

7/11/2006 – SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) — Lights, camera, action! Airmen at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., home to the Air Force’s only operational F-117 wing, got to experience a new kind of rush as Hollywood invaded their base.

The DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures live-action film “Transformers,” set to release in July 2007, will feature several different aircraft including the F-117 Nighthawk from Holloman and the CV-22 Osprey from Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. More than 300 Airmen participated as extras in the movie and providing logistical support during the filming.

“It’s a thrill to know my face will be seen in a movie. It outweighs the long hours,” said Airman 1st Class Mehtar Sullivan, an emergency management technician with the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron at Holloman.

While participating as extras in the movie, Airmen had to be on leave and available all day for shooting scenes. Some Airmen have speaking roles in the film. The days were long and sometimes lasted until early morning the next day.

“This was a great way to highlight what our mission is, what our people do and what our equipment does at no expense to the taxpayer,” said Capt. Trisha Raynoha of the 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office.

The production crew sent scouts to seven different Air Force bases and several Army installations before deciding on Holloman and the F-117 wing.

F-117s and the CV-22 Osprey are featured prominently in the movie as both static background and taxiing aircraft. Also featured will be the A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, MH-53 Pave Low, HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant, AC-130 Gunship, C-130 Hercules, MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle and Air Force One.

“The CV-22 Osprey is scheduled to make its feature film debut in this movie, along with the F-22 Raptor,” said 1st Lt. Christian Hodge, chief, industry relations, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs entertainment liaison.

With the movie set in full swing, it gave Airmen a peek into Hollywood life and a moment in the spotlight.

“It has been a wonderful experience seeing how they actually make a movie and all the work that goes into it. It has been fun,” said Airman 1st Class Toby Schultz from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.

This is the largest movie project since “Black Hawk Down” to receive Department of Defense approval as selection is based on how accurately forces are portrayed. With Michael Bay as the director, known for his special effects-driven movies like “The Rock” and “Pearl Harbor,” the approval was easy.

“We’ve worked with Michael Bay before; we like the way he operates. He understands how the military operates,” said Army Lt. Col. Paul Sinor, lead public affairs representative for DOD.

Airmen filling the roles of movie extras run on the set of the movie “Transformers” during filming at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., on May 30. The movie is scheduled for release in July 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Larry A. Simmons)

By Rebecca Murray, About.com

Ethan and Joel Coen on the set of No Country for Old Men.
© Miramax Films

Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen adapted the screenplay and directed the dramatic movie No Country for Old Men, based on the critically acclaimed novel by Cormac McCarthy. No Country for Old Men follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who comes across the scene of a shootout with dead men everywhere, a stash of heroin, and lots and lots of cash ($2 million to be exact) just sitting there waiting to be taken. Moss can’t resist the temptation and with the act of removing the cash from the crime scene, he sets in motion a horrible chain of events involving a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) who has to investigate the case and a vicious killer (Javier Bardem) whose job it is to track down the money.
The Appeal of No Country for Old Men: Producer Scott Rudin acquired the rights to Cormac McCarthy’s novel and sent it to the Coens. “He sent it to us in galleys about a year before it came out,” explained Joel Coen. “He asked us if we were interested in doing it and we read it and both, we’d read other Cormac McCarthy books just for pleasure and liked him a lot, but this one we thought could make a really interesting movie.”
Filming in New Mexico: Ethan Coen said the decision to shoot in New Mexico had a lot to do with economic incentives. “As you know, the story takes place in West Texas. We shot for two weeks based in Marfa, West Texas for the stuff you really see landscape because New Mexico offers spectacular scenery, but not of that kind. It is a very different landscape. So we shot, as everybody is in New Mexico now, for economic reasons. And because it does offer things, while it’s not West Texas, there are things we could shoot there we couldn’t have shot in Flemington, New Jersey.”
The Casting Process: Josh Brolin wasn’t really on the Coens radar, but his people doggedly pursued the filmmakers in order to get them to see how much Brolin had to offer. Joel Coen explained how they found their cast: “Javier [Bardem] was cast much before Josh was. Tommy [Lee Jones] and Javier were cast fairly early on. Tommy first, he was on the short list of people who could really do this part, both from an age point of view and he’s one of the sort of great American actors of a certain age and who can convincingly be from that area. In fact, he is from that area.”
Laughing, Ethan Coen interjected, “Tommy would love to hear that. We asked him to do it because he’s so f–king old.”
“In fact he got up my a– about it one day,” said Ethan Coen. “‘I’m only 59 years old.’ Javier is a little more complicated. Look, if you have a chance to cast Javier Bardem in a movie, even if it’s a stretch, which I don’t think it was in this movie, you should do it. He’s fantastic. The problem is once we cast Javier and Tommy in those two parts, it’s a movie about three men, each of whom sort of has equal weight in the movie. So you’ve got a problem. You’ve got to find somebody who can be an equal in the movie with those two guys. We saw everybody and we were not happy with anyone until we met Josh. He came in and read for the part and that was that.”
But Josh Brolin came with some baggage. Right after he got the part and right before filming began, Brolin was involved in a motorcycle accident and badly injured his shoulder. “He had a motorcycle accident about a week or two before we started shooting, and then lied to us brazenly about the implications of the accident,” joked Joel Coen. “So we felt completely at liberty to ignore the fact that he was in pain.”
Javier Bardem’s Appearance as a Ruthless Killer: Joel Coen said the haircut wasn’t Bardem’s idea but that he embraced it when they suggested the look. “Actually the feeling of the wardrobe and the haircut came from the art department. [The art department] does a lot of research, mainly photo research, because it’s a period thing – although a recent period – it’s 1980 Texas border area,” explained Ethan Coen. “So they don’t just kind of make it up from scratch. They look at archive pictures of the time and place and the wardrobe department had found this picture of a guy at a bar in West Texas in 1979. It was that alarming haircut, and actually that kind of wardrobe as well. We looked at it and thought, ‘Well, he looks like a sociopath.’ And Javier really enjoyed it as well.”
A Shift in Tone: Although much of the first part of the film has very limited dialogue, the tone shifts toward the end. “This is true of the novel and one of the things that was interesting to us about the novel as well, it does undergo a shift three quarters of the way through,” said Joel Coen about the shift. “The reason for that, and what that engenders or what that means and how that works as a story and all the rest of it, was part of what was so interesting about the novel.”
Collaborating with Cinematographer Roger Deakins: The Coens and Deakins have been working together on films since the early 1990s. Asked how the process works, Ethan Coen replied, “It varies, actually. Roger didn’t do the one we just finished shooting, but he did this movie and the 7 or 8 previous to that. Except when his schedule doesn’t allow it, we actually do a draft of the storyboards for the movie ourselves and then a draft, in effect, with him. We kind of redraft with him and the storyboard artist. We did that on this movie. We have kind of a general discussion about how the movie is going to look and then we all think and forget about it when we are actually shooting the movie. We forget about everything we’ve decided and just take it day by day, scene by scene. That’s probably the norm for how most people work on movies.”

http://oscars.about.com/od/thenominees/a/countryjc111307.htm

New Mexico-made movies receive 14 Oscar nominations. Governor Richardson credits aggressive marketing and incentives program for continued growth of state’s film industry.
Santa Fe, NM (Vocus) J14 Oscar Nominations for Movies Made in New Mexico
anuary 24, 2008 — Governor Bill Richardson applauded today’s announcement that four movies filmed in New Mexico have received a total of 14 Academy Award nominations from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. The films include Best Picture nominee “No Country for Old Men” which tied for the lead with eight nominations.
“These nominations highlight the quality of the projects we are attracting to New Mexico,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “As importantly, they highlight the quality of our support staff, our production crews and the incredible versatility our state offers filmmakers in realizing their vision. We can say with proven certainty that New Mexico is a world-class film destination.”
 Since Governor Bill Richardson took office, 90 major feature film and television projects have shot in New Mexico resulting in an estimated economic impact to the state of $1.5 billion dollars.
“The film industry is a key factor in the high-wage, prosperous economy we are building in New Mexico,” continued the Governor. “Because of our success, thousands more New Mexicans are working, and the industry is benefiting local businesses and communities across the state. Plus, with these nominations the additional exposure these films will bring to New Mexico worldwide is fantastic. I’m committed to keeping the industry thriving and to continue developing New Mexico as a full service production state.”
In addition to best picture, “No Country for Old Men” garnered nominations for best director, best supporting actor, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound mixing and sound editing.
Many consider the film to be the lead contender for this year’s Best Picture award. The Coen Brothers drama was filmed almost entirely in New Mexico in locations such as Las Vegas and Santa Fe. It is based on Santa Fe author Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name. Golden Globe winner Javier Bardem is considered the front-runner for the best supporting actor award for his role as Anton Chirguh the film’s menacing psychopath.
While the film takes place in west Texas, the Coen brothers say they chose to shoot the majority of it in New Mexico because of the state’s attractive film incentives.
Three other films nominated this morning also took advantage of the state’s film incentives, skilled crew base and varied shooting locations. Tommy Lee Jones earned a Best Actor nomination for his work on “In the Valley of Elah.” “Transformers” picked up nominations for visual effects, sound editing and sound mixing. “3:10 to Yuma” also received nominations for sound editing and mixing.

http://www.kidsfirst.org/marketing/2008/01/25/14-oscar-nominations-for-movies-made-in-new-mexico/

Moviemakers fell prey to the intoxicating charms of New Mexico from the dawn of film history. A scant two years after the first public showings of motion pictures in Paris and New York, filmmakers were in New Mexico Territory cranking their cameras at the heart-thumping natural splendors, framing in their viewfinders the dazzling array of exotic native cultures. They came, they saw and they imprinted the object of their wide-eyed wonder on strips of celluloid.

From the beginning, the relationship took on the character of a love affair between artists with “the cinema eye” and the landscape – a landscape that was not only extravagantly beautiful, but also gloriously alive with an ageless people. Filmmakers embraced their newfound subject with youthful enthusiasm, catching the mountains, the desert stretches, the wide skies – catching, mostly, the light. The land responded with pyrotechnic displays: colossal processions of clouds, mighty storms, ravishing hues, long expanses of snow, wide mountain meadows, a sacred stillness. It was the start of a love affair that has been going on for a hundred years.

The roster of early filmmakers who uncovered their lenses on New Mexico is surprisingly long, considering how remote it was from the large centers of film activity, and remarkably distinguished. The list includes at least two bona fide geniuses of early cinema, a brilliant documentarian, film’s first superstar, its foremost comedienne, a celebrated king of comedy and a world-famous movie cowboy.

In the 1890s New Mexico Territory was still “the Wild West.” Eastern authors continued to depict it as the untamed backyard of the American republic where the law of the six-shooter reigned and the dregs of society created constant turmoil among serious settlers trying to tame the land. Photography, born half a century earlier, promoted the landscape and cultures of the West even further as Matthew Brady’s photographs of the Civil War in the West and, later, Edward S. Curtis’ ethnographic pictures of Native Americans were circulated widely.

Still, the American West was remote from the experience of most people. What was the West really like? Was it the Eden depicted in paintings and photographs? No one who had not been there knew for certain.

In 1898, all that would change. That year the infant medium of cinema arrived in New Mexico, intent on uncovering, capturing and recording the true West. It would do that – and in the process, it would create new Western myths of its own.

For more click here

                                                                                                                                      

Uvalde Texas / Socorro NM – March 22 – Take a small town named Uvalde suffering from a prolonged drought, decaying downtown buildings and local ranches sparse with cattle waiting for rain. Add a wild horse preserve with stunning mountain views near Socorro on a similarly dry ranch in the Rio Grande Valley. Stir in a deserted Grand Opera House on Uvalde’s town plaza, once alive with cultural events and activity in the wagon yards outside its doors — waiting patiently for revival. Add an enthusiastic film producer who doesn’t know the meaning of words like “can’t” or “impossible”. Finally, add a population of hardworking folks who still believe they can achieve anything if they work together. And you have the recipe for creating a new and very special motion picture.

Uvalde, Texas is the town. It had the opera house and industrious locals. Socorro County’s New Mexico Horse Project near Escondida provided local wild horses, rolling hills and mountains as a backdrop for the film. The movie Road to El Paso is the delicious pastry producer Shiloh Richter pulled out of her video production oven and released for sale to the public last week.

Socorro County’s Cindy Rodgers LoPopolo Horse Preserve is just a year old but has made a great start. The preserve located on three sections of land near Escondida and Socorro is named after the late wife of Carlos LoPopolo of Los Lunas. Both Lopopolo and his wife Cindy had an abiding interest in saving wild horses — the offspring of horses brought here by Spanish explorers centuries ago.

The first wild Spanish mustangs were released at the preserve in June 2006. A month later a stallion, mare and foal were added to the herd after being bought at the State Cattle Board auction by preserve founder Carlos LoPopolo and a New Mexico wild horse advocacy group — the Wild Horse Observers Association (WHOA).

Asked how Socorro County’s horses and scenery contributed to the film, Shiloh Richter smiled and said, “When I look at the footage I am amazed by the New Mexico landscape and the shots we got at the preserve. The wild horses are the symbol for the story told in the film.” Then she concluded, “We’d love to bring the video back to New Mexico, to show there what we’ve done.” To enjoy Steppin’ Out’s versions of the preview for the film, click here.

Like Socorro, Uvalde is a community, enriched by two cultures — Southwest Texas and Mexican-American — that was just waiting for a chance to show its true colors. So, when opportunity knocked the community eagerly adopted the Road to El Paso project. Over time, Uvalde proved it was more than just a movie set. The town put its heart to every aspect of production writing, acting, set design, costuming, and wrangling. Costumes stored at the old Opera House came off hangers to get washed, ironed and repaired; an empty downtown building was reborn as a 19th century saloon. Even city leaders took roles as Texas Rangers and explorers to bring this two-era western — a full-color modern story and an 1800s sepia-toned western — to life.

Along the way, the town’s creative impulses were reignited. As many know, art can become the heart of a town. Helping make this film gave many – who had few roots in Uvalde’s past – chances to become part of its history. The project gave place to old values and a new outlook. Ranchers and hunting lodge owners opened their gates to help characters come to life. Even horses, normally used only for ranch work and shows got their moments in the spotlight too.

Retired teacher Jama Brown, who was film star Matthew McConaughey’s kindergarten teacher, delighted in the fact that a western was being made in her town. “That’s what children are missing these days, the heroes of westerns. The values westerns taught.” Local University students took roles, sewed costumes, stayed up late hanging chandeliers and tea-stained curtains, polishing old barstools or rubbing dirt on actors’ faces. Local businessmen and women offered restaurants, props, drinks and buckets of encouragement. It seems movies aren’t just for Hollywood anymore. The heart of creativity belongs in towns where stories like this are born, can be nurtured, provide opportunities, stimulate more stories, and reflect community values. Such stories are important for any town to tell. Keeping the stories alive also brings new life to the communities where the stories were originally born.

On the last day of filming, after nearly two years of production, the community stopped to honor the history of entertainment in the area, pooling their funds to buy bronze plaques for Dale Evans, Matthew McConaughey, Dana Andrews and Grammy Award Winning group Los Palominos to place in Uvalde’s Plaza, the heart of a town where cultural activity and events can once again dance the night away on the Plaza, rejoicing in the community’s spirit of creativity and the knowledge of what people can achieve when they work together.

Now that the movie is ready to sell, local stores in Uvalde proudly display the product of their town’s labor of love. Road to El Paso is available on DVD at www.thetexasranch.net. Steppin’ Out looks forward to hearing retailers in Socorro are also selling this modern-day western with strong local roots too.

A portion of the profits from the film will go to Socorro’s New Mexican Horse Preserve to help protect what became the symbol of the story – the wild horses that, like creativity and the spirit of the West itself, should always run free.

For more information about Road to El Paso, or to buy your own copy of the movie, visit www.TheTexasRanch.net, contact producer Shiloh Richter at 830-988-2804, or send email to shiloh@thetexasranch.net. A short preview of the film is available on the front page of www.TheTexasRanch.net. If you’re from the Socorro or Escondida New Mexico area, be sure to look for the smiling wild horses from Socorro County. Those mountains in the background should look familiar too.

Be sure to say you found them in Steppin’ Out. That ALWAYS makes our supporters smile. Remember, they’re the ones who make this site possible!

You, Too, Can Take a New Mexico Road Trip
By Elizabeth Mitchell, About.com

Wild Hogs – Wild Over Beautiful New Mexico                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                 Tim Allen of Wild Hogs in New Mexico
                                                                                                                                                      Copyright: Touchstone Pictures

                                                                                                                                                                

In the new Disney Touchstone Pictures comedy Wild Hogs, starring John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy, four middle-aged wannabe bikers take a road trip from Ohio to the West Coast spending time in New Mexico. The movie was almost entirely filmed in New Mexico and although the state’s diverse landscape filled in for other parts of the country, much of the movie is set in the state.

Head for Madrid, New Mexico

The majority of the film is shot in the colorful former mining town of Madrid, New Mexico. After the town’s mine closed in the 1800s, it became somewhat of a ghost town until the 1970s when artists began to settle in the charming village. Today, it is a thriving artists’ colony complete with shops, galleries, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts. Madrid is located on the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, approximately 50 miles northeast of Albuquerque amongst the Sandia Mountains. The open roads, breathtaking vistas, magnificent mountain views, and parking and picnic spots along the way have made this a popular scenic route for tourists, motorcyclists and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Albuquerque, Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World

Madrid is one of many reasons to visit the Albuquerque area. The “Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World” offers something for everyone. For outdoor enthusiasts, the high desert climate, more than 310 days of sunshine annually, and spectacular scenery make Albuquerque a dream come true. Within an hour’s drive of the city are the Sandia, Jemez and Manzano Mountains as well as the Turquoise Trail. Hikers, skiers, mountain bikers and motorcyclists delight in the outdoor opportunities afforded by the varied terrain. Elevations ranging from 5,000 feet to over 12,000 feet offer majestic mountain vistas, bright blue skies, towering ponderosa pines and crystal-clear streams. The vivid colors, wildlife, climate and scenery of the high desert region offer a sharp contrast to the common perceptions of the Southwestern landscape.

Travel Like the Wild Hogs

To experience the natural splendor and the open roads of the West as seen in Wild Hogs, Albuquerque serves as an excellent starting point. Visitors will find a variety of options for lodging, dining, shopping and attractions in the metropolitan area. Outdoor outfitters providing equipment, supplies and tours will maximize enjoyment of the scenic wilderness, which is easily accessible from the city. Learn more about visiting Albuquerque with our Albuquerque Travel Guide.

Information Courtesy: Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau