A Visit to the Set of '25 Hill'

From the set of '25 Hill'.
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to visit the set of 25 Hill, producer/writer/ director/actor Corbin Bernsen's tribute to the All American Soap Box Derby.

The film tells the tale of 12-year-old Trey Caldwell, who loses both his Army father to the Afghanistan War and the dream his father had for Trey, to race in a soap box derby. Trey eventually meets fellow lost soul Roy Gibbs, who has lost a lot himself: a son to 9/11 and the hope he once had for a bright future. Add to that a Soap Box Derby Championship cancelled because of financial problems, and you have a lot of uphill battles for Trey and Roy to overcome. 

You could argue, though, that the story behind the story of 25 Hill is more fascinating than the fictional story Bernsen's created. Reading a story about the real Soap Box Derby's financial troubles, Bernsen was inspired to write the story, make the film - and save the Derby in the process.

Bernsen, along with fellow 25 Hill producers, including Akron-area journalist turned movie producer Mary Etheridge, raised close to $1 million for the film locally in the Akron and Northeast Ohio region. The reason? To remove any reservations L.A.-based producers might have regarding shooting the film in Akron and allowing a portion of the movie's budget and eventual revenue to be donated to the Derby.

Add to that Bernsen's dedication to cultivating independent film in Akron and Northeast Ohio (rumor has it Bernsen met with Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic about ways to increase independent filmmaking in the region), and you have a great story about how an outside artist sees the potential of our region - and is doing something about it.

But more about that in a later post. Today, I want to share with you some great photos from on location work in Green, Ohio. Green, a small suburb on the south side of Akron, doubled this day for Seattle, Wash., and the Western Regional Soap Box Championship.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS HERE!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marvel Studios' 'Blade' coming to Cleveland

Image
Marvel Studios Blade  is about to take a bite out of Cleveland. Featuring Academy Award winner Mahershala Al i in the title role, the film will be the fourth Marvel project and third Marvel Studios movie to shoot in Cleveland. Ali previously played Cottonmouth Stokes in Marvel's Luke Cage  Netflix series. Previous films include Sony's  Spider-Man 3 , Marvel Studios' The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier . Marvel almost shot exteriors for Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in Cleveland , but changed plans when the coronavirus pandemic struck. While Marvel has made no official announcement about the film’s Cleveland connection, the Greater Cleveland Film Commission announced via an Aug. 18 newsletter that the film Perfect Imprints was accepting applications for local crew, providing an @mcustudios.com email contact. Perfect Imprints is Blade ’s alleged working title, first reported in April. The GCFC couldn’t comment on whether Perfect Imprints
Read more

Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh crowned ‘Best Places to Live and Work' for filmmakers

Image
Filmming 'Fast 8' in downtown Cleveland Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were recently named three of the best cities to pursue filmmaking as a career by MovieMaker . Pittsburgh ranked the highest at No. 10, followed closely by Cincinnati at No. 11. Cleveland came in at No. 18. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati topped Austin, Texas, and Boston, in the results, and Orlando fell far below Cleveland in the annual list. When researching its list, the online publication focuses on livable cities that support filmmaking on every level. “We don’t believe people should have to be rich or well-connected to make movies,” the publication writes. “We think the best place to live is one you can afford — a place where you can be happy, inspired, and financially free to pursue your art.” Netflix's 'White Noise' shot in Cleveland, Oberlin, and several NEO locations Filmed in the CLE Cleveland is a “cinematic powerhouse with Midwestern charm,” writes the pub, adding that Cleveland has
Read more

Paused 'Blade' still shooting in Cleveland

Image
Marvel Studios recently paused production on its vampire superhero flick, Blade , after director Bassam Turiq stepped down in late September. He remains attached to the film as an executive producer. Cleveland was set to host Blade ’s production crew in November. Some local cast and crew hoping to work on the picture wondered via social media if the change in director and reported script updates might see a change in Blade’s on-location plans. “There is no indication that the Cleveland portion of the script is likely to be omitted,” says Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commissio n . “We look forward to the project spending and creating jobs in Northeast Ohio sometime next year.” No official word from either camp has explained why Bassam left the film, though scheduling conflicts are the most likely culprit. Marvel has pushed back production on the reboot several times over the last few years. The movie, featuring Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali in the title
Read more