 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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