A movie being made in Forsyth is providing the Branson region with economic benefits.
Juliana Goodwin • News-Leader • March 8, 2009
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This is a “huge opportunity,” says Casey MacLaren, an enthusiastic 22-year-old from Nixa.
MacLaren has been cast in “Winter’s Bone,” a film based on the novel by West Plains writer Daniel Woodrell.
The movie is being shot in the Ozarks, primarily around Forsyth. About a dozen area actors have landed roles in the film. For Hollywood hopefuls this is a chance of a lifetime. Film experts and tourism officials are also thrilled about the production. This movie is coming at a perfect time, they say, and many hope it will help attract more films.
“It’s exciting to see work of this magnitude coming to the area,” says Cody Brown, a 23-year-old from Nixa, who is in the movie. “Not everything big or noteworthy happens on the coast.”
The crew is staying in Branson spending money on hotels, restaurants and employing local people, says Bill Lennon, commissioner with the Missouri Film Commission.
Any time is a great time to pump money in the economy, but in the off-season and in this economy, it’s even better, Lennon says.
The film is produced by Anonymous Content and Down to the Bone Productions. Anonymous Content has produced films like “Babel,” starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
This production will allow local actors to get their first significant film credentials, says Mark Biggs, chairman of the Missouri Film Commission, who teaches film at Missouri State University.
“I have been very impressed the woman directing the film has intuitively understood that for this film to feel real … to make that happen she really understood she had to cast local people who are part of the culture. … This is a significant film,” Biggs says.
“Winter’s Bone” is directed by Debra Granik, who won a best directing award for her film “Down to the Bone” (2004) at the Sundance Film Festival.
Granik says it was important to her to film here and use local actors because real accents and dialect give legitimacy to the film.
“The last thing we wanted to do was be outsiders and create a film that was grossly inaccurate,” Granik says.
After seeing Granik’s first film, Daniel Woodrell says he knew she was the right director to turn his book into a movie.
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“She has the artistic integrity that this film needs, and I think it will be a film of high merit, whether it sells scads of tickets or not,” Woodrell says in an interview via e-mail.
The film’s heroine, Ree Dolly, is a 16-year-old who sets out to save her family home. Ree’s father is a meth dealer who puts his family’s house up for bail and then jumps bail. Ree — who is raising her brothers and caring for her mentally ill mother — has 30 days to find her father to keep her family from losing their land. This film follows her journey.
“This teenage girl is fearless, just fearless,” says Biggs. “It’s a tale of survival in a culture where survival is tenuous at best.”
While the story examines some darker sides of the Ozarks, such as the culture of methamphetamine, that doesn’t make it negative for the area, says Biggs.
It’s not likely to deter anyone from visiting the area, but the strong female heroine has a chance to resonate with audiences and pique their interest in the Ozarks, says Biggs.
Missouri’s meth problem is not a secret, says Woodrell.
“The novel was not designed to highlight drug problems. Drugs are incidental to the characters, part of their lives, their world, but not of primary interest to me. I don’t think the meth situation in southwest Missouri is a secret anymore, but is a widely known aspect of Ozark life,” Woodrell says.
Local Actors
The part of Ree will be played by Jennifer Lawrence, an actress from Kentucky, but many local faces will appear in the film. Five of the actors, including Lauren Sweetser who plays Ree’s best friend, are part of the Creative Actors Workshop, run by Scott-Arthur Allen and his wife Elizabeth.
Scott-Arthur Allen worked in Los Angeles for 36 years before opening his business in Springfield as an acting coach.
This is a huge break for these actors because landing a film could take years in Los Angeles, he says.
Armed with this film credential, MacLaren hopes to move to Los Angeles in May to pursue an acting career.
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Filming has been incredible.
“I honestly felt like a superstar,” says MacLaren. “It has been so cool. Everyone has in ear plugs and walkie talkies.”
For Charlotte Lucas — a 63-year-old who lives two miles south of the Oregon County line in Arkansas — this is a dream come true and long overdue.
Lucas majored in drama in college and aspired to be a movie star. Instead, she got married and raised a family. A few years ago, she decided it was time to take up acting again.
This is her first film.
It’s also a first for Brandon Gray, 27, of Springfield. Acting is a hobby for Gray, but this is still a wonderful experience that will look great on his resume, he says.
Dealing with professionals has provided invaluable experience, says Cody Brown.
“I’m not focused on what it’s going to get me, I’m focused on what I can give to this project,” says Brown.
Tax Incentives
In order to attract more movies to the area, members of the Missouri Film Commission believe tax incentives in Missouri need to increase.
At least 40 states offer rebates or tax incentives and many states have no cap, says Biggs, who worked to increase annual tax incentives in the state from $1 to $4.5 million.
According to information from the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield Web site, in 2006, all available tax credits were allocated to four films by mid-year; 16 additional films applied for or expressed interest in tax credits.
This year’s tax incentives have already been expended by a George Clooney movie being filmed in St. Louis.
The increased tax incentives show Missouri is a viable option for filmmakers, says Granik.
“The incentive was instrumental. It worked as an incentive,” Granik says.
In Missouri, for every $1 million a production crew spends, it has the potential to receive $350,000 in tax credits.
In addition to incentives, the commission hopes to create a “business climate” for film and motion media, says Biggs.
The goal is to create jobs, job training programs so there will be enough people with technical skills to meet the demands, and make sure the infrastructure is in place for filming.
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Members are also working on a Web site to tout the resources available in Missouri.
“One of the things we are going to set out to do is put together a Web site to show people who have experience in the film industry a master list of resources and people that would be helpful,” Lennon says. “We want to attract more people here and want to employ more people here and this (movie) is a really good start.”
Economic Impact
Branson officials hope “Winter’s Bone,” is only the beginning.
Branson is unique in that it has an entertainment and tourism industry so it has the hotels and restaurants to accommodate the crew, but in five minutes filmmakers can shoot in nature, and Branson has technical people to work on the film, says Lennon.
If more production companies realize that it could bring more films here, says Lynn Berry, director of public relations for the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“The knowledge that there is that pool (of talent) here plus the word of mouth from the cast and crew that has come in, is invaluable,” Berry says.
Aside from employing area people, production members are spending money in Branson, too. Granik says crew members are eating out, shopping, riding horses, exploring caves and acting as tourists.
And if this film is successful, it could increase tourism to this area.
“When a film is successful you can see an increase in film related tourism over the next four years for sure and in many instances for many years after that. That tourism brings in cultural tourists who tend to stay longer and spend more money,” Biggs says.
Once the film is complete, Granik says she has no idea when and where it will be released.
She hopes to return to the Ozarks for a screening.
It’s hard to get smaller films out in the marketplace, she says, but expects it to be available on Netflix.
In making this film, Granik has been impressed with the “extraordinary” amount of help she’s received from the local community.
At first, she didn’t know if they’d be able to make this film.
“We were very in love with the book, but we were very unsure, it’s so far from our zip code,” Granik says.
But people — from the sheriff’s department to the film commission to strangers – have been helpful, welcoming and made all the difference.
“You wish every experience could be like this,” she says.