A long awaited movie about the life of Neil Armstrong, the other astronauts and the NASA team that achieved the first landing on the moon is premiering in theaters on October 12. It is especially anticipated in our community, because parts of First Man were filmed in our neighborhood. What is it like to have a movie filmed nearby? It is very cool yet, at the same time annoying.
It was this time last year that movie crews were rapidly building a new house on an extra-large lot on our street as well as modifying homeowners permanent homes that they contracted to use. Not only did the house have all appearances of being a fully functioning house, but there was a pool in a fenced in back yard. Although, the production crew used a few other homes to film other scenes, the movie house, as it was affectionately named, was built for some specific scenes that could cause damage to someone’s personal home. The movie house has since been removed and very little evidence remains that it ever existed.
During the month they were here, we learned that weather and seasons can significantly impact filming. The movie filmed in late fall, but much of the movie was set in the summer. We watched in curiosity as movie crews picked leaves off of trees and put up fake green leaves. Details such as the grass were also considered as they planted fescue grass due to its ability to remain green during the south’s winter months. We had an unusual seven inches of snow right before the movie’s last day of filming. Filming had to be delayed since snow does not occur in the summer, and snow was shoveled and carried away in trucks to give the appearance of a warmer season.
Although movie stars were on our street, we rarely saw them. Most of the filming occurred in doors and throughout the night. Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed around three in the morning when most of us were asleep snug in our beds. Even though many scenes were filmed at night, they likely will have the appearance of daylight since they used large bright lights.
While it was certainly fun and unique to have a movie filmed in our neighborhood, I was not upset to see the movie crews gone. Traffic was impacted, and movie crews often parked on both sides of the streets. In addition, our streets were often closed to traffic at inconvenient times. Using movie filming as an excuse for being late was certainly a first for me.
Although there has been some controversy surrounding the film, my husband and I will be at the movies to see for ourselves what is and what is not included. We are very much interested to see how well the producers can make us see summer instead of winter, day instead of night and how much of our beloved neighborhood made the big screen. See you at the movies!
Writer Bio: Summer Bolte
I spend most of my time and days with my three kids, husband and dog. My kids frequently play near me as I garden, cook, DIY and volunteer. My most unusual paying job has to be feeding fruit flies in a research lab, and my most fulfilling job was being an oncology nurse for seven years.
