Film Crew Helps Town During Hurricane Ivan

MONROEVILLE- The film crew of "Heaven's Fall" came to the rescue of Monroeville this month, using it's generator to keep the town's 911 center operating after after Hurricane Ivan.

"That generator was a fabulous piece of equipment," Monroe County Tom Tate said. The 911 center's generator had failed.

The crew also boarded up Monroeville's treasured courthouse. The crew used it's hydraulic lifts to board up the courthouse's 80 windows. "We normally use them to our big daylight-simulating lights on, so we can reach several stories high", said lighting engineer Hollywood Heard.

"They really kept that building from being ruined", Tate said.

The Monroeville courthouse is one of the state's popular tourist destinations and was the model for the courthouse in the movie "To Kill A Mockingbird". Author Harper Lee lives nearby and the museum contains movie memorabilia.

"Everyone in Alabama has been so wonderful to us that it was the least we could do," said Associate Producer Michael Nehs. "We like to think that when we go into a community, we are part of that community and have a responsibility to help out."

"This film crew has been unbelievable," said Kathy McCoy, executive director of the Monroe County Heritage Museums. "From now on, these people have a second home."

Now, like many others across the state, the film crew is dealing with the storm's aftermath. Ivan ruined filmed sets, forcing directors to look for alternative locations. It brought down power and phone lines and blocked streets. The crew lost three days of filming, which translate into several thousands dollars.

Heard said he has worked on 150 movies and it was the first time he experienced his work being interrupted by a natural disaster. Working with the town to prepare for the hurricane, he said, made him and the crew feel like part of the community.

Independent film company Strata Production's "Heaven's Fall" is based on the historic 'Scottsboro Boys' case, in which nine black youths were falsely accused on raping two white women. The case les to the end of whites-only juries. The film stars Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, B.J. Britt, Anthony Mackie, Azura Skye and Leelee Sobieski.

Producer Gloria Everett said the production company chose Alabama in which to shoot the film after visiting Monroeville and the Old Monroeville County Courthouse. The courthouse, coupled with the assistance provided by Tommy Fell of the Alabama Film Office, helped the company make the decision to film in Monroeville, she said. "We were courted by all the southern states," she said. "Tommy searched endlessly for locations until he found the ideal place for this film."

Monroeville area businesses and vendors will stand to benefit financially from the film shooting. Everett said although she could not put a dollar figure on the economic impact, the company has brought 100 people to the area renting hotel rooms, homes and cars and patronizing local businesses. Students from Alabama Southern Community College in Monroeville and Huntington College in Montgomery are assisting filmmakers and earning credits toward their classes.

The company is shooting the bulk of the film in Alabama, with the Monroe County Courthouse being used as well as jail scenes in Union Springs and railroad scenes in Tennessee. Various downtown Montgomery locations will be used such as the State Capitol, State Archives and Montgomery City Hall. "In addition to the courtroom scenes, the film requires various period architecture scenes from the 1930's," Everett said.

For more information go to http://alabamafilm.org/heavensfallarticle.pdf