It all came about as a result of a call to Jerry Frost, a member of the Douglas County Film Commission, about a site to shoot a commercial for a financial institution.
Frost suggested the street because of its scenery, charm and beautiful historic homes, and the location scout was sold on it.
Their homes were selected, as well as another location in the city. Two weeks ago, the scout had mentioned finding a spot that represented community involvement, and Frost thought of the Community Garden behind the Douglas County Public Library and the Cobb-Douglas Public Health Center. It is maintained by Douglas County Master Gardeners.
“I showed him the garden and he loved it,” Frost said. “The producer came out, also loved it, and wrote it in the script.”
Because of its location, signs of production might have been less visible.
But Price Street looked like a miniature city, its entrance blocked by a police car at each end, the street lined with trucks, vans and other vehicles.
Tents were set up on both sides of the street. On one side, a catered barbecue buffet spread across a long table crews had brought in while several tables and chairs were set up under an awning of trees for the various production people to sit and eat. A young man and woman fanned away flies as they waited to serve the feast.
People milled around as the film crew waited to see if rain would delay the shoot. Some of the actors waited outside as well.
It was too hot to move fast, but the muggy weather didn’t stop the show.
Padgett’s home, stately and grand, sat in the background, ready for action. Thompson’s home was equally as resplendent.
Padgett, looking elegant, was back and forth, having just come from a Douglas County Chamber of Commerce luncheon and headed to a yard sale up the street.
This was the culmination of plenty of advance work required to shoot a scene.
Film commissions like the local one get involved early in the process,
“Our job is to help promote films coming here,” Frost said.
Initially, it involves helping location scouts find suitable sites. Before any production company comes out to film, production managers and location scouts get a firsthand look, photograph scenes and locations and send them to directors and producers, who make the final decision.
“They come back and sign contracts with the property owners,” Frost said. “All of the negotiations are made between the producer and the property owners.”
A film commission assists location scouts in cutting through red tape, meeting the right people in the community where they will be filming and just learning a little about the area, he added.
In this shoot, the scout needed Frost’s intervention in a major way. He had placed small signs along the route from the interstate and up Campbellton Street as directional markers for staffers to find their way to Price Street.
Code enforcement officials, doing their jobs, removed them.
Frost’s intervention, however, assisted them in obtaining a variance to leave the signs in place temporarily.
Not long after, vans opened up, dollies, cameras, light reflectors, sound equipment and tents went up.
It was controlled chaos, Frost said, likening it to a circus coming to town.
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