Decatur Filming Rumors Busting Out All Over
Decatur Metro | April 7, 2010 | 5:11 pmUPDATE: An anonymous source says that the movie doing extensive filming at Agnes Scott is “Big Momma’s House 3″ starring Martin Lawrence.
That seems to jive with this blurb on the plot of the third movie in the Big Momma trilogy.
After stints as an undercover grandmother and an undercover nanny, FBI agent Malcom Turner (Martin Lawrence) adds “undercover housemother” to his resume in the upcoming Big Momma’s House 3….Apparently, Big Momma is hired by the Headmistress of the Atlanta Girls’ School for the Arts. Why exactly the school needs an undercover housemother remains to be seen.
Two separate movie rumors are making the rounds today.
The first, from a super-secret tipster, is that the Farrelly Brothers’ movie “Hall Pass“, which has been all over Atlanta the past couple weeks, will be filming in Decatur on April 26th and 27th. The city’s Cheryl Burnette tells DM the production company hasn’t yet contacted the city for a permit, but often times they wait until they’re closer to the filming date.
The other rumor isn’t actually a rumor at all.
Agnes Scott President Elizabeth Kiss announced in a lengthy email to the Agnes Scott community today that a new film will start shooting on the school’s campus beginning this week through the end of May. President Kiss’ note explains that the film’s script has been reviewed by the college’s new Film Shoot Advisory Committee and that filming will not take place on-campus during Commencement.
Also, in addition to providing the college with “significant revenue”, the film company will pay for “long-needed repairs to the chandelier in Gaines Chapel and to cover the cost of placing a tent on the Science Quad for Commencement.”
She promises to announce the title of the film shortly. Until then, you can amuse yourself by looking for hidden clues in her full message after the jump.
Dear Campus Community,
Happy Spring to all of you! I am very pleased to let you know that a film shoot will be taking place on campus, beginning later this week and running through the end of May. This time period will include prep work and actual filming.
In line with the film shoot policies developed last year, the script was reviewed and approved by our Film Shoot Advisory Committee composed of students, faculty, and staff.
Our educational mission is always our top priority. The activities of the film company will be closely monitored to prevent disruption to classes, campus events, exams, and Commencement. Director of Special Events Demetrice Williams has worked closely with offices across campus to schedule the shoot in ways that minimize inconvenience to students, faculty and staff, and the college has placed significant restrictions on the prep and filming process and schedules.
The film company will not be on campus during Commencement weekend to ensure that our graduates, their families and guests can enjoy the full beauty of our campus. All film related vehicles will depart on Thursday, May 6 and return after commencement.
The good news is that this shoot will provide the college with significant net revenue. In this recession economy, it is important for colleges like Agnes Scott to pursue sources of revenue that help us offset drops in other revenue sources, especially endowment income. In addition, as a result of our negotiations with the film company, they have agreed to pay for long-needed repairs to the chandelier in Gaines Chapel and to cover the cost of placing a tent on the Science Quad for Commencement.
If you have questions or concerns at any time during this process, please let us know immediately by contacting Dean Donna Lee (6391) or Director of Special Events and Conferences Demetrice Williams (6035). I am very grateful to Demetrice for her extraordinary efforts, not only to bring this production to our campus but also to manage the shoot at this busy time of the year.
We will be announcing the title of the film and the names of its stars shortly. Stay tuned!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
I have a friend who is a production assistant for BMH 3 and I don’t believe they are filming yet, so it’s probably a different movie at this point. That said, the movie is going to be filmed around Atlanta so there is a possibility, but he hasn’t mentioned them being ready to shoot yet.
As a recent alum, I can say that this will not end well.
It may seem great to see all these movies and tv shows being filmed in Decatur, Atlanta and the surrounding areas, yes it’s good for those economies, but the truth is, they don’t hire too many locals on the crew. They do cast for actors and extras, but there are hardly any postings for production crew positions. Georgia gives major tax breaks for shooting here, but don’t require them to hire local, like in other places. It would be a win, win for all involved.
Steve, the productions are incentivized to hire as much local talent as possible, particularly for all on-screen roles. The PAs tend to be local, but many of the more specialized crew positions are filled primarily by folks from the west coast, as there are not enough trained people here to fill them. It would be much less expensive to use only locals, but I don’t think we’re not quite there. If the film work were steady enough (it tends to be seasonal), perhaps more folks might consider relocating here.