Wednesday, April 02, 2008
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Lincoln Offered Opportunity to Be Backdrop for Major Film

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[April 02, 2008]  We're not talking about home movies, people.

Residents of Lincoln and Logan County have always known that there is a marvelous, quaint charm about our courthouse and town square. Now it seems the world might soon catch a glimpse at some of the landmarks we have personally and affectionately called our own.

Movie producer and writer Patrick Jennings visited the Logan County Board Building and Grounds Committee meeting last night to begin the permission process to use downtown Lincoln, especially the Logan County Courthouse, as the backdrop for a major motion picture. Although the names of some of the actors cannot be released for a few more weeks, several household names are already committed to the film, according to the film's online site.

Noted Irish cinematographer Jack Conroy will direct the movie. Conroy has shot over 20 feature films and is best known for his stunning cinematography in the Oscar-winning and nominated films "My Left Foot" and "The Field," starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Richard Harris respectively.

The film, based on a screenplay by Jennings, who is originally from Normal, deals heavily with character development, with plenty of twists and turns in a murder mystery that finally comes to a head after two decades. It is this strong emphasis on the characters that allows the actual locations to be within a small geographic area.

"The movie mostly will be filmed in the courtroom and the building itself, plus a bar on the square, as well as an upstairs apartment." Jennings noted. When asked if the movie could easily be converted to a play someday with this minimal need for varied locations, Jennings agreed. But a play could never give the story the kind of look our square can lend to a film, and that is why Jennings was here last night.

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"We have spent over a year looking for the exact location for our film and this is it," he said. "We could spend $5 million trying to make a set that would look like this courthouse and still it wouldn't be as good as this. This is the real thing and it's just perfect for the movie."

Jennings stated that as long as a year ago he had chatted with both Judge David Coogan and State's Attorney Tim Huyett about the possibility of using the courthouse. When he was met with an enthusiastic response from both of them and after checking out sites all through the Midwest, it was decided that Lincoln offered the best background texture for the film. "The third-floor courtroom is perfect for our film. It has the perfect look, plus it is larger than most courtrooms." Jennings noted. Board chairman Dick Logan, justifiably bragging, advised Jennings it is the second-largest courtroom in the state.

It was all these factors, including the charm of the square, that brought Jennings to the committee meeting to explain the project and ask for permission to go ahead with plans to come to Lincoln to begin preliminary work. The committee voted unanimously in favor of the project and will submit the proposal to the full board at the next voting session.

Jennings stated that current plans have shooting beginning in June, and there is an added boost to the local economy, as between 60 to 80 individuals involved in the filming will be staying here anywhere from four to eight weeks or longer during the filming process.

When it was jokingly asked if there was going to be any need for extras for the film, Jennings said, yes, "We will stay local with our needs."

The title of the movie will be "Normal Again," although that might not be true for Lincoln once we hit the big screen.

To find out more about the film, including the story line, actors and to keep abreast of further information, readers can go to www.normalagainthemovie.com.

[By MIKE FAK]

Readers can find more of Mike Fak's writing at www.searchwarp.com and www.problogs.com.

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