by David Flint
Filming of the movie “Taking Woodstock” which has begun in Columbia County is scheduled to move into Stephentown next month. Representatives from Tuxedo Terrace Films appeared at the Stephentown Town Board meeting Monday evening to explain the process and allay residents’ concerns.
The film is based on a memoir by Eliot Tiber who, while managing his parents’ seedy motel in the Catskills
in 1969, ended up playing a pivotal role in bringing about the Woodstock Festival. The film is produced by James Shamus and is directed by Oscar Award winner Ang Lee, (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” “The Ice Storm”). Tuxedo Terrace is a production company in association with Focus Features, a specialty films unit under NBC Universal.
Location Manager Joe Guest said that Sullivan County in the Catskills has changed a lot since 1969, so,
searching for a replica of Tiber’s motel, they found one in New Lebanon, the former Shady Rest Motel on Route 20. It has now become the El Monaco Motel. The fact that Producer James Shamus is a resident of Columbia County might have had something to do with that. Then they began to search out other scene locations in the surrounding area and settled on three locations in Stephentown.
A half mile stretch of Route 43 between Calvin Cole Road and Tinley Road will be used to show part of the traffic jam that occurred on Route 17B in Sullivan County, the road leading to the Woodstock Festival. There will be up to 300 extras in the scene and some 200 vehicles from the 60s or earlier. Preparation work and a rehearsal are scheduled for Sunday, September 14, followed by filming the next day and completion of clean-up on Tuesday. Guest said they are still looking for extras for this scene.
In October the Stephentown Evangelical Church near the intersection of Routes 22 and 43 will become the Church in Bethel where the Town Council had its meetings. Filming is scheduled for October 2 and 3.
Finally, the bar of the Stephentown Hotel will be used to represent the bar at the El Monaco Motel, a center of activities during the concert. Filming at the Hotel is scheduled for October 6 and 7.
Town Supervisor Tom Sherman intimated that he and the film company had gotten off to a rough start because he had only found out that the company was scouting out locations in Stephentown after complaints started coming in about vehicles blocking roads and driveways in the vicinity of Stone Bridge Pond. In past weeks he has been working closely with the company and with residents, County and State offices, the Fire Department and Post Office to resolve any disruption issues that might arise. He and Highway Superintendent Neil Gardner also spent time working out detour routes around the filming sites. He also invited location crew representatives and the concerned residents to the Town Board meeting to discuss and resolve their issues.
A number of residents expressed concerns, especially those living on Williams Road by Stone Bridge Pond. They wanted to know who is liable if anything goes wrong, how were residents to gain access to their homes when roads are blocked off, where would work vehicles for the film be parked and how would Stephentown benefit. Some were worried about large numbers of unknown persons from all over in the area and the possibility of break-ins. Williams Road residents wanted assurance that vehicles would not be using the old abandoned Route 43 bridge which is already deteriorating and if it were to collapse could cause flooding in nearby homes.
Guest said the company would provide a certificate of insurance that covers the Town. Individual residents whose property is affected would also receive a certificate of insurance specifying the company as liable, and there will be written location agreements specifying payment, restoration of property and protecting all parties. He said they had been working with NYSDOT and the State Police setting notifications and signage for road closures and planned detours and providing for placards for residents’ vehicles to ensure they have access to their homes. Guest explained that actual filming rarely lasts more than five minutes at a time and in between there is a lot of preparation and wait time, allowing for necessary traffic to move through the area. He said they did not know yet exactly where they will be parking all their work vehicles. They would like to use part of Williams Road, but they would be working with residents on that. They plan to use part of Old Route 43 by Stone Bridge Pond for a film scene but only the western end of it. The deteriorating bridge will not be used, and they would consider banning even foot traffic over it.
Guest added that extras are closely supervised. The company wants filming to be accomplished quickly and efficiently, and they can’t have people wandering off the set.
Regarding school buses and emergency vehicles, Guest said there will be an emergency lane of adequate width along the south side of Route 43. Radio communications from the State Police will enable them to know instantaneously when an emergency vehicle is coming through. Arrangements will be made for volunteer firemen responding to a call in their own cars to enable them to get through any restricted area quickly.
Guest noted that all the people on the location crew are New Yorkers and they want to make this a positive experience for the Town. They have been and will be working with the Governor’s Motion Picture Office, taking advantage of tax incentives for filming in upstate New York, and they want that office to know they have done a good job, cleaned up after themselves and left everything as they found it. They have been buying everything they possibly can locally. He said the company would be willing to make donations to Town organizations. Although one resident kept pressing for specifics on this – to whom, when, how much – Guest said they would be working with the Town Board on that so organizations seeking donations should talk to the Town Supervisor.
The Board passed a resolution giving its approval to the filming “contingent upon all permit approvals from the State of New York and the County of Rensselaer.” Councilman Larry Eckhardt was appointed liaison between Town residents and the production company. Sherman accepted responsibility as the “point man” to oversee that all agreements are carried out satisfactorily.