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Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 |
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HBO films Empire Falls at Breckenridge
ALISON L. MCCONNELL
ORIENT STAFF
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| The Empire Falls crew was all smiles on Monday afternoon at the Breckinridge estate in York, Maine. Giant Ritter fans were used to create hurricane-like conditions for one of the film’s final scenes. (Brian Dunn, Bowdoin Orient) |
Dark and stormy-just the kind of day a filmmaker dreams about.
The cast and crew of Empire Falls, an HBO production currently being shot in Maine, welcomed that weather forecast this week. The last scenes of the movie, which play out during a hurricane, were filmed at the Breckinridge Public Affairs Center on Monday.
Producers chose Breckinridge, along with several other Maine locations, for their adaptation of Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Location Manager Kip Pax said the River House was an appropriate setting for the Whiting mansion in the film because it provided a "beautiful" backdrop for the film's interior and exterior shots. The College plans to sell Breckinridge next spring.
According to caretaker Gale Berneike, the Empire Falls filming went smoothly. "I was afraid that when the entire crew showed up, they wouldn't be respectful of the estate," she said. "However, they were aware of the fragility and historical importance of Breckinridge and were, in general, quite accommodating."
The three-hour film, which will be broadcast on HBO in 2005, stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris, Helen Hunt, and Danielle Panabaker. Scenes have been filmed all over Maine in towns like Waterville, York, Norridgewock, and Kennebunkport. A number of stores and homes in Skowhegan served as the movie's "downtown" setting.
"I think Maine really sold itself," Russo, a Camden resident, said in the Portland Press Herald last month. "When we pulled into Skowhegan, the location scouts knew that was the place. They loved the quirkiness, that the streets weren't in a grid, that they followed the river."
Earlier this week, the scene was somewhat chaotic in York. Winnebagos, trailers, and 18-wheelers filled with equipment covered the Breckinridge estate, making it look like some kind of hyper-coordinated circus. Pax said that upwards of 150 crew members were on the Empire Falls set at a time. Approximately one third of that team was local, hailing from New England.
Kent Lanigan '98, former Orient photographer, was one of two Bowdoin alums on that crew. His job was to provide appropriate props for each of the movie's scenes. "It's the first film I've worked on," he said.
While Pax indicated Monday that the portion of filming at Breckinridge was on schedule and set to wrap up that day, the subsequent cleanup did not move as quickly as planned. "It took longer than expected to strike the set," Berneike said yesterday. "The Condors just left, and they were supposed to leave on Tuesday."
Those Condors-enormous crane-like structures-were part of an 8000-gallon effort, involving the loan of hoses from local fire departments, to create a hurricane for the movie. In one of the film's later scenes, Francine Whiting (played by Woodward) runs from her house to the river in driving rain and wind, frantically calling her cat Timmy. As makeshift rain poured from the sky and massive propeller-driven Ritter fans whipped shrubs and grass, Woodward made her way to the river's edge. The directors had the desired footage in only two takes.
Pax indicated that a lot of planning went into that scene, as well as the rest of the film. "The actors aren't here for very long, and they're expensive," he said. "So when they're here, we work until [the directors] get things the way they want them."
Bowdoin was approached by Fall Films, Inc.-the movie's production company-earlier this year. The company has paid the College for use of the Breckinridge estate.
The budget of Empire Falls appeared to be uncertain-several people gave different answers that ranged from $20 to $60 million. "I always say, 'Not enough!'" Pax said.
Forrest Lowe, the film's location coordinator, supervised the Breckinridge part of filming on Bowdoin's behalf. "It's my job to make sure that everything with the estate stays in good shape," he said.
For the most part, his job was successful. "There was no damage done to the inside of the building, which was quite surprising," Berneike said. "The set dressers, who create and take down a set, were very cautious. Nothing was lost, nothing was broken."
Outside, the story was a bit different.
"There has been some major damage to the grounds as a result of filming," Berneike said. "We're currently in the process of hiring vendors to fix the property."
She explained the damage was not solely the fault of the crew, but was more attributable to unforeseen circumstances-namely heavy rain. "They will repair all the damage that was done to the estate," she said. "Who knew we would have this much rain?"
Other problems arose during filming. At one point, crackling voices over Pax's walkie-talkie announced that a crucial golf cart was dead, and water troubles brought several calls of "Cut!" from the directors' chairs. Timmy, the thespian cat from New Jersey, was uncooperative on several occasions. Instead of making his scripted exit in one scene, he plopped right in the middle of the floor. At a director's request, fifty bales of hay were hurriedly located and ordered from local farms.
"If there's any one theme of things, it's constant change," Lowe said. "Even when the directors arrive, they change things. [Filming] costs thousands of dollars a day."
Russo adapted his novel into the screenplay being filmed now. "[His] book is amazing," Panabaker said. "I'm so enthusiastic about working on this film."
Several members of the cast and crew indicated that they were pleased to see some of Maine during filming. "Everywhere we've been is just gorgeous," Panabaker said. "Breckinridge is incredible. It's huge and absolutely beautiful."
The 16-year-old actress plays Tick, the daughter of Empire Falls's main character. She indicated that filming days were long, but that acting alongside big-name stars was quite the experience. "Every film is a long process," she said. "Working with Helen Hunt, Ed Harris, Paul Newman, and everyone else on the crew is great."
The film's directing team includes Fred Schepisi (Last Orders) and Frank Capra III, grandson of the Frank Capra who directed It's a Wonderful Life. They aim to finish first-unit shooting of the film by Thanksgiving.
-Brian Dunn, Ann Sullivan and Ted Reinert also contributed to this article.
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