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More moviemaking at Crossroads Village

Thursday, August 06, 2009

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Randy Conat
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GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) -- (08/06/09) -- A second film production company will soon be coming to Crossroads Village in Genesee County.

Producers say the village and the Huckleberry Railroad will give the movie just the right feel.

A production crew from Signature Communications shot a film this past June at Crossroads for the National Park Service. It's about the Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee.

Crossroads will again stand in for Tennessee in a movie with the working title of "Alleged."

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"It's a 20-day shoot. It's going to be fast and furious and a lot of fun," predicted director Tom Hines.

The plot revolves around the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee. The writer, Fred Foote, grew up in East Lansing. He says he is striving to tell a historically-accurate story. "I was inspired by "Inherit the Wind" and had read that play, performed it in high school and became somewhat infuriated with the biases and inaccuracies of it."

The producers want to capture an old-time feeling, so rather than rent an expensive backlot in Hollywood, they turned to Crossroads Village. Line producer Kevin Reidy says the village is the ideal location for the movie. "It's amazing you preserved these buildings from being torn down and put them together in the plan of an old city. It's perfect."

Local officials are excited that Dean River Productions will be spending time and money in the area. "Having a movie made here at Crossroads Village is a big boost for our community's image and a boost for our local economy," said Tim Herman with the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"This is a big deal for us here at Crossroads Village," said Genesee County Parks Director Amy McMillan.

Background actors will be hired for the movie, which goes into production in the middle of September. Eighty-five percent of the film will be shot at Crossroads, with a few other Flint locations possible.

It hasn't been decided when the film will be released to theaters.

If you're interested in becoming an extra in the movie, you should send your information to bhcasting@gmail.com. State your interest in working as a background performer and list any special skills such as juggling or playing an instrument. Send a photo, but it doesn't need to be an official headshot.

On the Web: Genesee County Parks