Lights, camera, Parksville?

Posted 8/21/12

An unlikely combination of words on the page to be sure, and yet… there they are. Although the Upper Delaware River region is hardly a stranger to filmmaking, I’ve never really considered the …

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Lights, camera, Parksville?

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An unlikely combination of words on the page to be sure, and yet… there they are. Although the Upper Delaware River region is hardly a stranger to filmmaking, I’ve never really considered the Catskills a movie-making Mecca. It’s no secret that there have been films featuring the region, while directors and cinematographers have long considered our neck of the woods an ideal location to shoot their movies because of the natural beauty that abounds and the rich history that reverberates. First and foremost “Dirty Dancing” springs to mind. The cinematic homage to the Borscht Belt and its denizens instantly captures the golden age of resort vacationing, when visitors flocked to the mountains to relax, enjoy everything that the area has to offer, and (for that film, anyhow) dance. Since its debut in 1987, “Dancing” has grossed more than $200 million worldwide and has a special place in the hearts of film buffs across the globe.

Sadly, the resort that inspired “Dirty Dancing” burned to the ground in 2012, in what may have been the “largest fire in Catskills history” (www.gothamist.com), but Kellermans (formerly Browns Hotel) will live on in our hearts forever, thanks to Patrick Swayze romancing Jennifer Grey on the silver screen. There are other examples, including “Manny & Lo,” “Tootsie” and “You Can Count on Me,” to name a few, that have either been filmed here or have plot lines centered on the mountains. But until now, the crews have come and gone, making their mark, but hardly calling the Catskills home. I don’t expect (or desire) Sullivan County to become the next Hollywood, but it’s kind of cool (IMHO) that since 2005 RJ Baker has had a dream to create movie magic here, and as of last weekend, his dream is on its way to becoming a reality (see also story on page 5).

Over the last few months, I have been bombarded with hints that Baker’s vision (www.beaverkillstudio.com) was about to open its doors. Musicians, actors, directors and photographers have been mentioning the place to me, so I have been peripherally aware, but for the most part uninformed. Friend, neighbor, farmer (and musician) Sean Zigmund (www.rootnroost.com) emailed me last week to ask if I would be attending the launch party in Parksville, reminding me that I had (according to him) said that I would be there. “No clue what you are speaking of,” I wrote back, “but if I said I would, I guess I will,” followed by the obligatory “LOL.” Not anxious to explore my memory lapse, I sat down at the computer and let my “fingers do the walking” (exactly how old am I?) and did some research.

“Inspired by nature, fueled by state-of-the-art technology, you can shoot, edit, screen and stay at Beaverkill Studio or rent our equipment for location shoots,” the website said. Intrigued, I read on. “A fully equipped green screen studio in the heart of the Catskills, you can come here to create [and] bring your dream from the mind to the screen.” Failing memory notwithstanding, I still have a rudimentary knowledge of how a film is made, having made my way across a “green screen” once or twice during my youth, so I was even more curious to see what Baker’s studio was all about. I tossed my dog into a River Reporter newspaper sack and headed out to Parksville, NY, a town that RJ enthuses about as part of the allure of the studio itself.

“From our back porch, you can wade up Coddington Creek or swim 15 miles up to Livingston Manor where fly fishing heaven begins,” he shares with those unfamiliar with the region. Baker’s enthusiasm about the studio’s location knows no bounds, and his website entices the uninitiated, encouraging filmmakers to consider creating future masterpieces at Beaverkill, which he describes as “rivers, bald eagles, friendly towns, outdoor adventure and a production studio retreat.”

Citing other films shot in the area, Baker suggests that movies like “Taking Woodstock,” “Camp,” and “You Can Count on Me” featuring our own Mark Ruffalo, all have one thing in common—the Catskills. Echoing my own thoughts, Baker himself asks the question: “Who the heck is RJ Baker?” and answers it by saying that he is “a stage manager and successful film editing assistant and supervisor who bought a 10,000-square-foot building in Parksville, knowing that when the time was ripe, he would open his own studio in the land that mothered the great American art form [known as] stand-up comedy.” From what I’ve seen, this guy is no joke, and I’m pretty excited to see how his film studio develops. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot from this guy, who is clearly in love with our neighborhood. Stay tuned.

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