FeedsLights, camera, action: Crew is shooting movie in Westland
Beginning today, Westland will take center stage as the prime location for an upcoming feature film starring Kim Cattrall and Brian Dennehy.
Gilbert Films, an independent film company with a permanent office in Livonia as well as in Los Angeles, will be hosting shoots for the film Ms. January throughout the area from now through early October.
Billed as a “coming of age tale,” Ms. January will follow the exploits of a young man who, upon graduation, decides to go on a cross-country road trip.
“We are duplicating terrain that goes from…Washington (state) to the Midwest, all in Michigan,” said Gilbert Films location manager Ernest Belding.
The locations were determined after earlier scouting efforts scoured the area for properties that would meet the needs of the film so that the production designer could determine, in part from photographs, which best match the vision for the film, he said.
Although filming locations will be scattered throughout the region, including areas within Hines Park, Romulus, and Livonia, Belding said that seven of the 26 shooting days would take place in Westland.
“We’re shooting more days in Westland than anywhere else,” said Belding.
In Westland, much of the filming will be at a private home hired for the shoot.
“There’s also a large vacant property in Westland where we’re going to build a set,” he said.
Westland Mayor Bill Wild said he feels the opportunity to host the film crew is a boon for the community.
“This is truly an exciting endeavor,” said Wild. “Westland is an excellent choice to live, work, and play in, and if we can be considered a ‘coming attraction’ as far as movie production is concerned, well, that’s even better.”
The reasons the company will film in the area are twofold, Belding said. The decision was spurred in part by the fact that Gilbert Films owner Gary Gilbert is a native of the area. Secondly, the incentive package offered by the State of Michigan helped provide further enticement.
“Michigan has the best incentive process in the nation, comparable to Puerto Rico,” he said, adding that the diversity of available locations, availability of technology, and quality of the staffing also made the state notable.
In April, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation that offered film companies a 40 percent refundable or transferable tax credit for producing films in Michigan, with an additional 2 percent rebate for films produced in so-called ‘core communities’. The legislation was designed to attract entertainment dollars and create jobs in Michigan.
The production team does expect to pump a fair amount of revenue into the region, Belding said.
“We have probably 50-70 direct hires with our actual shooting crew and office staff,” he said.
He added that the ancillary jobs spurred by the production, such as caterers and vendors for goods such as props, are expected to bolster a similar number of jobs.
According to Belding, the production crew is also making a priority out of training new crews and forging relationships with the various municipalities involved.
“The city (of Westland) has been tremendous,” he said. “Certainly in the future I would look toward Westland more favorably.”
Once Ms. January is completed, the same company will be filming another movie in the area although the locations have not yet been determined.
