F r o n t l i n e Hollywood, VA? by Liz Nichols Though there's no shortage of filmmaking talent in the Albemarle County region, much of it has languished in recent years for lack of a suitable shooting venue. Each year U.Va. filmmakers produce dozens of independent films, but most have been forced to improvise where sound stages and sets are concerned. This bleak situation could soon change. The July 12 opening of the recently completed New Millenium Studios in Petersburg marked a welcome addition to what investors hope will be a burgeoning Virginia film industry. A posh, state-of-the-art complex south of Richmond, New Millenium has positioned itself at the hub of the regional and national filmmaking industry. The brainchild of celebrity couple Tim and Daphne Reid (he made his directorial debut in the resonant and auspicious film Once Upon a Time ... When We Were Colored, while she has gained notoriety as the second Aunt Vivian on TV's Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), New Millenium has undertaken the ambitious task of luring would-be Hollywood enthusiasts to the hills of Virginia. And a fine job they've done, too; three films are set to begin production in Spring 1998. The first is Last Train North, an adaptation of Clifton Taulbert's follow up to Once Upon a Time ... When We Were Colored. The studio has also undertaken production of Asunder, a suspense thriller from an original screenplay by Eric Lee Bowers. The third, Hoochie Coochie Man, is an adaptation of a story by Reid himself and boasts local Tobacco Road as its setting. If these distinctive projects are an indication of the direction of New Millenium's future endeavors, the studio could very well be a windfall for inexperienced but gifted artists. New Millenium has done an admirable job of providing an outlet for lesser-known screenwriters and is composed of a largely African-American staff. In this sense, it has the potential to apply a distinct, visionary edge to the projects which it supports. The crew's adeptness at virtually every aspect of filmmaking is also apparent. The crew (including a general manager, technological firm, music producer, television operations head, construction supervisor, and in-house editor) includes industry veterans who claim ties to everyone from John Hughes to LL Cool J, as well as many experienced directors and producers. New Millenium's strength lies in providing full-service support to filmmakers who would otherwise require several contracting firms to perform a number of disparate tasks. New Millenium is a "one-stop" studio; it provides set construction and design, props and flats, laboratory services for film processing, and on-site creative and technical development from Digital Universe Organization, a cutting-edge digital media company. Three phases of construction have been slated, although Phase I (containing one of the five planned sound stages) is the only area currently operational. At this point the fifteen-acre backlot seems well-suited only to Civil War period pieces and gritty urban scenes. It offers a 75 percent scale replica of the Lincoln White House (which was used in filming of the TNT miniseries, The Day Lincoln Was Shot) and a three block urban street setting including a nightclub and jail. Yet the lot could conceivably be modified to include numerous other scenes, with two other houses suitable for shooting on the premises and four soundstages in the works. Central Virginia is also a particularly versatile filming location, and New Millenium stands to highlight the region's desirability to national filmmakers. Only 25 minutes from an international airport, the studio enjoys close proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the rural countryside, the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic beaches, and the D.C. metro area. Add to that the ability to cut production costs by shooting on location and returning to a mixing studio the same day, (all services are also tax-exempt) and filmmakers should be flocking to capitalize on the benefits of New Millenium. Still, the studio's relevance to U.Va. directors remains to be seen. Though services are extensive and the technology renders most other facilities almost obsolete, the price tag remains a bit too high for most struggling campus filmmakers. New Millenium is making efforts to address the wealth of untapped talent in the Virginia area. The studio is in the process of establishing a film training program to be coordinated with city and state officials, hoping to draw from local artists who possess the vision but lack the experience necessary for qualification in the film industry. Even if this initial project is unsuccessful, what New Millenium draws in publicity alone should be beneficial to local filmmakers. The opening of New Millenium studio presents endless possibilities -- time will tell what its artistic maturation will reap for regional talent.

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