Cut. That’s a wrap.
Mel Gibson and company are packing up after a week of shooting in and around Northampton, but they are leaving behind them a trail of money and a gaggle of star-struck fans.
Edge of Darkness, which stars Gibson as Boston police officer Thomas Craven, commandeered the streets of downtown Northampton for most of the week, stopping traffic and drawing crowds of rubber-neckers hoping for a glimpse of Gibson. Although the city has been the setting for several movies over the past few years, this will be the first time Northampton will play itself.
In Edge of Darkness, Gibson’s character goes on a search for truth after seeing his 24-year-old daughter Emma gunned down in front of him. His investigation leads him to Northampton, where the mysterious corporation Northmoor is headquartered. GK Films also shot scenes in Deerfield and Amherst.
Although the film’s producers did not disclose their budget, Edge of Darkness did not flinch when it came time to pay its way. For a single day of shooting at the Hampshire County Courthouse, it paid $10,000 to use the building and the lawn, according to Pennington Geis, the administrator for the Hampshire County Council of Governments. Court officials said the company also paid the crew of Five Star Roofing, which is repairing the courthouse roof, to suspend their work for a couple days.
GK Films compensated the city for parking revenue lost during the filming on Main Street. Although parking commissioner William Letendre said the figure has not been calculated, he estimated that it would be about $1,000. Northampton police were employed to direct traffic during several of the scenes. The film company paid about $11,000 for their services, according to Capt. Joseph Koncas. In addition, four officers, Gilberto Jimenez, Deirdre Yasutomo, Steven Digiammo and Timothy Satkowski, were employed as extras.
Edge of Darkness used 700 extras, many of whom are local residents. They include area lawyers, court officers and several employees of Tully O’Reilly’s Pub on Pleasant Street, where one of the scenes with Gibson was shot. Tully J. McColgan, who is one of the owners, said he got up at 4 a.m. on Monday to let the film crew in.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “I got to watch the whole set-up.”
McColgan’s cooks whipped up a variety of dishes for the scene and one of them served Gibson’s character. For verisimilitude, the film company also used several regulars in the bar scene.
GK Films rented several city lots for staging areas, including the parking lot at Paradise City Tavern on Main Street. Restaurant owner Claudio Guerra said he was paid $500 for the use of the lot, but didn’t otherwise profit from the presence of the film crew.
“There was zero increase in business,” he said. “Not a dime.”
For some reason, the film’s big wigs headed across the river to dine. Cliff H. Loeb, a manager at Judy’s Restaurant in Amherst, said Gibson ate there at least three times in parties of four to eight. The restaurant let him use a side room.
“We made sure no one came in and bothered him,” Loeb said.
Script writer William Monahan, a University of Massachusetts graduate, is no doubt familiar with Judy’s, but Loeb did not know if he was among those who ate with Gibson.
Gibson also dined at Green Street Cafe in Northampton, which is gaining a reputation as the feeding place of the stars. Owner L. James Dozmati said Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise and Michael Caine have eaten there in the past while filming in Northampton.
GK Films hired its own caterer to serve breakfast and lunch to the cast and crew. The staff at the Hampshire County Superior Court was invited to have lunch with Gibson and the rest of the crew one day last week as a courtesy to Clerk of Court Harry Jekanowski, Jr.
“We watched him go up and get dessert,” said clerk Elaine Jandu. “It was so exciting.”
The court staff also had a brief encounter with Gibson as he was coming up the inside stairs after slipping out back for a smoke. Jekanowski described him as a joker.
“I don’t know how much acting he really does, because he’s as wired as the people he plays in the movie scenes,” he said.
Executive producer E. Bennett Walsh said GK Films was drawn to Massachusetts in part because of the financial incentives the state offers. Massachusetts offers a 25 cent credit for every dollar a film company spends in the state. This year alone, seven films have been shot in the state.
According to a Massachusetts Department of Revenue report cited in The Boston Globe, the incentives have cost the state almost $120 million in lost tax revenues over the past three years. On the other hand, the film productions have generated $545 million in direct spending and resulted in hundreds of new jobs, the report said.
Source: Mass Live