By Mike Pettinella, genesee correspondent, on June 1, 2016 – 8:08 PM
BATAVIA – If you happen to be in a movie theater late this year – or possibly in the fall of 2017 , depending upon the release date – watch intently as Chadwick Boseman in his portrayal of Thurgood Marshall climbs the 17 steps to a 1940s Oklahoma courthouse door. Here’s some insight: It was filmed around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Batavia.
The crew of the feature film “Marshall,” about 70 strong, shot a trial scene and an entrance scene on Wednesday at the old Genesee County Courthouse at the intersection of Routes 5 and 63 in downtown Batavia.
The movie focuses on a pivotal case in the career of Marshall, an attorney for the NAACP who later became the first African-American justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall, who died in 1993, served on the nation’s highest court from 1967-1991.
In the first shooting, Boseman – who starred as Jackie Robinson in “42,” James Brown in “Get on Up” and T’Challa in the Marvel Studios film “Captain America: Civil War” – walked up to the courthouse door with a bounce in his step, showing that he was ready to defend his client in the Choctaw, Okla., courtroom. In the second, he had to walk past five “locals” who formed a wall in front of the steps.
Director Reginald Hudlin said he wasn’t sure which scene would be used, saying he shot the second one after something told him to try a different angle. “I’m leaning on the first one,” said Hudlin, who said the crew’s two days in Batavia, as well as their time filming in Buffalo, has been a tremendous experience.
The scenes from the Oklahoma trial are a very small piece of this story – about three to five minutes covering a case Marshall defended while traveling across the country for the NAACP.
“This courthouse was fantastic. In fact, we have been to so many great locations in the Buffalo area,” he said. “Everywhere we go people have been welcoming and cooperative.”
Hudlin said filming is expected to take place through this month.
Producer Jonathan Sanger (“Elephant Man”) said he was brought into the production by Paula Wagner, who also is producing the film, and both of them knew that Hudlin was the right person to direct the movie.
“He knew an awful lot about the subject,” Sanger said. “He’ll also wind up getting a producing credit with this. He’s a scholar; very bright.”
Sanger, who looks much younger than his 70 years with his head band and light gray beard, said the film is based on a true story.“It’s not a biopic; it’s a story of one of his (Marshall’s) major trials,” he said. “These are the types of projects I like. I’ve done a lot of movies based on real people.”
Filming a major motion picture brings together executive and assistant producers, construction workers and technicians from throughout the country, including Western New York.
Kameron D. Wood, a production assistant, said he travels back and forth between Buffalo, his hometown, and the New York City area. A film program graduate from SUNY Purchase, he called it an “extraordinary project.”
“When the opportunity opened up for me to be back home, it was great,” Wood said. “We’re involved in everything … we’re the thread, the wire that helps make the production happen.”
Five tractor-trailers along with cargo trucks, production trailers and equipment circled the area around the courthouse, which is across the street from the new Genesee Court Facility. Boseman and a couple dozen extras stayed in the St. Mary’s Church hall on Ellicott Street, a stone’s throw from the old courthouse.
Filming ended late Wednesday night at a house that burned down on Oak Orchard Road, north of the city, for a scene that ties in with the trial at the Old Courthouse, Sanger said.
The production company agreed to make a $1,000 donation to Genesee County for the use of the courthouse and to pay for overtime costs for a Batavia city police officer and Genesee County sheriff’s deputy who provided security during the filming.
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Wednesday, August 31, 2016 – 8:00pm
at The Hollywood Bowl
ARTISTS:
- Marcus Miller
- Philip Bailey, Verdine White, and Ralph Johnson of Earth Wind and Fire
- Full Force
- Additional special guests to be announced
Craig Robinson, host
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Vince Mendoza, conductor
I’ve produced a lot of popular projects in my careers…BET Awards, the NAACCP Image Awards, the Oscars…but few things have generated more excitement than the Salute to Black Movie Soundtracks that I did at the Hollywood Bowl several years ago. The audience loved every minute of the show from start to finish, and the word of mouth was so strong that I got angry calls and emails from friends who didn’t see the show, blaming me for not making them attend.
After weekly requests, the show is back this year and it’s going to be bigger than before. The show will cover the whole sweep of black music in the movies from Stormy Weather to Shaft and Superfly to Selma. Movie clips will show onscreen while the music plays.
Vince Mendoza will be conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra so the sound of the music will be properly widescreen.
Marcus Miller, who has produced everyone from Miles Davis to Luther Vandross, will assemble an all-star band to keep it funky.
The hilarious Craig Robinson is the host, who will jam along with the band as he jokes:
There will be special tributes to the movie music of Babyface (Boomerang, Waiting to Exhale); Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire (That’s the Way Of The World, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Soul Food) and Prince (Purple Rain, Under The Cherry Moon, Batman, Graffiti Bridge).
We can’t announce all the performers yet, but the line up of guest artists is crazy.
But we can tell you that Phillip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson will be there, doing classics like this:
Full Force from House Party and Krush Groove will be there, and they will do jams like this one from my first movie:
As I am able to announce more of the line up, I will post updates. But don’t sleep, buy your tickets now. Don’t complain to me later that the show is sold out and you need a hook up for a seat. I got nothin’ for ya. Handle your business now. Order your tickets by clicking here.
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Marshall Will Generate Hundreds of Jobs and Millions of Dollars Locally During Production Next Month in the Queen City
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Hero Films, Chestnut Ridge Productions and Hudlin Entertainment have chosen to film the Thurgood Marshall biopic, Marshall, in Buffalo. The courtroom thriller focuses on a young Thurgood Marshall prior to becoming the first African American Supreme Court Justice and his handling of a case that proved important to the Civil Rights Movement. Pre-production is already underway and filming is set to begin in late May, primarily in Niagara Square at the Dillon Courthouse, in the heart of downtown Buffalo. The production expects to spend at least $4.5 million, hire more than 400 crew and extras, and book an estimated 1,100 hotel room nights.
“Thurgood Marshall was a giant of the civil rights movement and the hosting of this film memorializing his great work is an honor,” Governor Cuomo said. “This production will help create hundreds of jobs and generate millions of dollars for the local economy, providing even more momentum to Buffalo’s economic resurgence and adding one more reason why this is a city on the move.”
Marshall is the latest major film production to tout New York State’s Film Production Tax Credit Program as a major factor in the selection of the Empire State as a filming location. Since 2004, 1,336 film and television projects have participated in the program and are estimated to have generated more than one million new hires and $20 billion in new spending in New York State. In 2015 alone, a record 203 film and television projects applied for the program, estimated to generate 187,764 new hires and $3.05 billion in new spending statewide.
Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “We are very excited to have a major film like Marshall choosing a world-class city like Buffalo. The State’s Film Tax Production Credit coupled with the incredible attributes of New York State make for an unbeatable duo.”
Paula Wagner, Owner of Chestnut Ridge Productions and producer of Marshall said, “Reginald Hudlin, our director, and I look forward to filming Marshall in Buffalo. Its iconic architecture and environment lend themselves perfectly to recreate a time and place to tell this story best. The State’s production tax credit program was also a prominent factor while we were choosing where to film, and it made Upstate New York an even more attractive place to shoot. We look forward to working with the community of Buffalo and New York State as we prepare to begin filming the production of Marshall in this great city.”
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, “Thurgood Marshall was one of our nation’s greatest legal minds and the choice to film the Thurgood Marshall biopic, Marshall, in Buffalo, New York is a tremendous honor. It is also another great opportunity to bring the eyes of the nation on the transformation taking place in Buffalo as we continue to build on the work we’ve been doing with Governor Andrew Cuomo to support growing industries, including Buffalo’s emerging Film industry, which generates millions of dollars to the local economy. We are demonstrating that Buffalo is a great place to film a movie and we will continue to work hard to bring even more productions to our city, which will create good jobs and drive more economic growth.”
Buffalo has emerged as a popular film destination as a result of provisions championed by Governor Cuomo, designed to drive more productions to locations in Upstate New York, like Buffalo, by offering an additional 10 percent credit on qualified labor costs for films that shoot or do post production in most Upstate counties. Buffalo has attracted a variety of productions in recent years, including smaller independent films and major motion pictures, with films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 shooting in the city last year, generating jobs and millions of dollars for the local economy. When coming to a city like Buffalo, productions such as Marshall and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 generate a significant boost for many local businesses; in particular, downtown hotels, restaurants, vehicle and equipment rental companies, and other service industry businesses.
Marshall focuses on a case early in the career of the man who would later help to desegregate the nation’s public schools with his victory in Brown vs Board of Education, and then become the first African American Supreme Court Justice in United States history. While the country was on the verge of World War II in 1940, Marshall is sent by a nearly bankrupt NAACP to Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial that quickly became tabloid fodder. In need of a high profile victory but muzzled by a segregationist court, Marshall is partnered with Samuel Friedman, a young Jewish lawyer who had never tried a case like this before. Marshall and Friedman struggle against a hostile storm of fear and prejudice, driven to discover the truth in the sensationalized trial which helped set the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement to come.
Reginald Hudlin, who produced this year’s Academy Awards and the critically acclaimed Django Unchained, will direct Marshall. The film will star Chadwick Boseman, whose credits include recently playing two African American icons – Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up – as well as Josh Gad, who has starred in comedic films and also provided the voice for Olaf in the worldwide box-office hit Frozen.
Marshall is produced by Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible 1, 2 and 3), Jonathan Sanger and Reginald Hudlin, and line producer Chris Bongirne, who has interfaced with representatives from the City of Buffalo and the New York State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development. The film is written by Mike Koskoff and Jake Koskoff.
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