08.29.2007
Love Valley goes Hollywood
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Matthew Coleman takes a break during the filming of “Marshals I.T.“ in Love Valley Thursday evening. |
Star sightings in the past six months have been astronomical in Statesville, leaving some people wondering if Iredell County becoming the Hollywood of the South.
First there was George Clooney and Renee Zellweger in “Leatherheads,“ and now some up-and-coming actors are on the scene in Love Valley.
The cowboy town got into the action this week when six scenes from the independent film “Marshal’s I.T. (Indian Territory),“ directed by Charles Howard Thomas of the Fries, Va.-based Drydock Film Corp., were shot on the main street in Love Valley on Thursday.
“It’s a film-friendly town and there’s no lack of horses,“ Thomas said. “If I do another Western, I’ll come back.“
Set in Oklahoma Indian Territory circa 1888, “Marshal’s I.T.“ is a tale of an 11-year-old girl named Lily Birdsong, played by Brooke Hidde, who is shot three times and her family killed by a gang of bandits, led by Charlie Roberts, during a robbery.
Before wrapping up shooting at the end of the month, the crew will have shot scenes in Kentucky, Florida and various parts of North Carolina.
The low-budget film is one of three directed by Thomas, who also shot 2005’s “Morning Song Way,“ which won 11 awards, including eight in a Native American film festival, and “Spies and Molasses,“ a romantic comedy.
The two-hour film will be released within the next year, but the outlet has yet to be determined and is dependent upon the distributor.
Thomas said he learned of Love Valley through one of his wranglers. He said the welcoming residents made shooting during nearly unbearable heat a lot less stressful.
Brandon Miller, 22, of West Jefferson, who plays Roberts, has visited Love Valley before and said it’s good to be back.
“They make you feel very welcome. It’s a good environment to be filming in,“ he said.
The acting wasn’t left up solely to the professionals as residents of Love Valley made their acting debut, with some characters not too far of a stretch from reality.
Several residents, including arena managers Beth and Charlie Nance, stole some screen time.
Charlie, who is also on the town council, plays a bad guy. “All I had to do was be myself.“ Beth is accosted by a gang of bandits in the film.
“It’s great. It gives us some publicity. People all over the United States are going to see us now,“ Charlie said.
Beth said affording residents an opportunity to step outside of their everyday lives and act in a movie is exciting.
“It gives everybody here a chance to be part of something,“ she said.