Film Commission brings Hollywood Lights and Cameras to Local Action

SARATOGA SPRINGS - ‘Rhu-barb. Rhu-barb. Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.”

It’s one of the first things acting students are taught to repeat over and over to create the illusion of conversational chatter.
Linda Toohey, who heads up the Saratoga County Film Commission for the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, has heard the background rumblings before.

The Spa City has hosted a number of cinematic shoots in recent years, including major film productions “Billy Bathgate” in 1990 and “The Horse Whisperer” in 1997.
The rumblings are being heard once again with the film adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction bestseller, “Seabiscuit: An American Legend.”

For Toohey, in fairy-tale fashion, it all began once upon a time more than 20 years ago.
“I came to the chamber in 1980,” said Toohey, executive vice president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. “I got my feet wet when ‘Ghost Story’ was being filmed in Saratoga Springs.”

A handful of Victorian-era area homes on and around North Broadway were selected for inclusion in the 1981 film that starred John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Fred Astaire. The shooting brought in some major stars, notoriety and - for local area businesses - some much-appreciated revenue.

Enter the Saratoga County Film Commission and Toohey as its commissioner.
While she said that the “film” part of her job occupies only about five to 10 percent of her time, Toohey has traveled to California for meetings with top executives at Warner Bros. and Universal Studios, and has developed leads with the help of the governor’s New York City-based film commission.
She is one of approximately a half-dozen film commissioners in the state, which includes the regions of Long Island, Rochester and the Lower Hudson Valley.
Is there a staff?
“Oh, it’s just me,” she said, sitting in her office on Clinton Street.
Opposite her building, a row of pink, green and auburn-tinged Victorian homes
built in 1872 are a daily reminder of the historical significance of this town.
Toohey explained how it all works.

“A major motion picture will have somebody on staff who calls around to every state, and says we’re looking for this or that for a particular scene,” Toohey said.
“I’ll get calls that ask ‘Do you have a bow bridge?’ or ‘I’m looking for a farmhouse with a white picket fence and a long country road lined with trees.’
At other times, it’ll be ‘Do you have a stadium that looks like Pompeii?’ So we get lots of calls, and that creates opportunity,” she said, walking up to a tall metal cabinet labeled “Location Files.”

Inside the folders, a series of photographs are referenced as to the visual scenery of particular areas. Individual snapshots are strung together to produce a panoramic effect, showcasing an entire area from all sides. There are country settings, rural farmhouses and 19th century architecture.
These are used both as reference and to lure film companies.

“I will show them photos of the racecourse and the stables, but then we’ll go and look at other buildings, also. The racecourse is an asset for us, but far and away the biggest asset we have here is the state park,” she said of the 2,100-acre greenery that houses everything from pools and picnic areas to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

When the call comes out for a specific image, Toohey looks for it in the files. She contacts town supervisors who will look for it a particular location in their own neighborhoods, and gets in her car and does some old-fashioned detective work, looking to locate scenic images that resemble what a given film company is looking for.

The seemingly long distance from Hollywood doesn’t appear to be much of a detriment, according to Toohey.

“If they choose to go past L.A., then they’re going on location, and it doesn’t really matter (to them) whether it’s somewhere in Montana or in New York state.”

For studios that have already been sold on the area, Toohey works the art of the add-on sale, investigating other area locales that may hold additional appeal. Having a crew work locally, even for one more day, can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to area businesses and, ultimately, the community.

In the fall of 1990, 3,000 area hopefuls tried out as extras for the filming of “Billy Bathgate.” Approximately one-third were chosen for the three-week shoot at Saratoga Race Course, the Hall of Springs and at the Gideon Putnam Hotel.

While film fans star-snooped for Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis, Nicole Kidman and then-boyfriend Tom Cruise, the economic impact on the county was estimated at $3 million.
After a film is secured, the majority of the work falls into the category of a support and referencing center for the visiting crews.

“It’s about making good contacts and creating relationships,” Toohey said, which goes a long way in securing future projects.

“Our job is one of encouragement,” she added. A positive experience from a director or a film crew film can lead to more opportunities down the road.
“Anyone who works on a film is basically a freelancer, working for different films at different times,” Toohey said. A good experience and a growing familiarity with Saratoga Springs
can lead to big things in the future.

Bringing film companies into the area is an extension of the chamber’s work, according to Toohey, leafing through stacks of proposals, independent film ideas, cable shorts and TV commercial proposals. However, the reality is that the major films bring the most people and money into the area.

“Here’s one proposal” she said, pulling a file from the group. “A crew of six people want to film three days at the police station. They have a budget of $25,000. With this, I can offer some advice, and give them the name of the police chief and let them take it from there,” Toohey said.

“When it’s a major motion picture, I will take them to the police station, and meet with the police chief, or meet with the fire chief, or whoever they need.
“It’s not just that they come in for a week and shoot the film,” Toohey said. “They’re staying at local hotels, eating at area restaurants, getting their clothes dry cleaned and going to stores to buy things.”

As a nonprofit organization, the commission doesn’t earn money for selling of the area or organizing crews. Nor does it get involved in areas like financing films. Its job is an extension
of the chamber, in creating opportunities for the area, working as a conduit between visiting crews and local businesses and their services.

“During the filming of ‘The Horse Whisperer,’ the location manager purchased a mountain bike here,” Toohey said. “And during ‘Billy Bathgate,’ someone bought a horse. So they visit a lot of spots and they spend a lot of money; even the unlikeliest businesses receive benefits from the film making.”

During the seven-day “Seabiscuit” visit, more than 200 people are expected in the area, and an informational resource brochure has been created for the visiting crew, listing everything from area restaurants to dry cleaners.

“They rent computers, they buy office supplies,” Toohey said. “While they’re here, they need lots of stuff.”

About a dozen workers came in earlier this month and began construction in reorganizing the racecourse to look consistent with the films’ 1920s and ‘30s motif, which included removing everything from later 20th century fixtures, such as televisions and vending machines.
The entire crew is expected in town for the commencement of filming on Tuesday.
Shooting will continue through Saturday, with an off-day on Sunday. The departure date is currently scheduled for Monday, Nov. 4, although Toohey added, “These things are always subject to change.”

For the weeklong visit, she expects close to $1 million will be generated in the area, although locals hoping for silver-screen stardom may be disappointed. Similar to the April 1997 filming of “The Horse Whisperer,” few local extras will be needed, and most have been filled by Actor’s Guild members.

Still, celebrity seekers will undoubtedly have their eyes peeled for stars Tobey “Spider-Man” Maguire and Jeff Bridges. Maguire is the film’s star, playing jockey Red Pollard.

Locations here include the barn area of Saratoga Race Course and Canfield Casino. Other locations for “Seabiscuit” are said to include Kentucky’s Keeneland Racecourse and the Santa Anita racetrack in California. The film is scheduled for theater release in the fall of 2003.

Toohey, who started working on the “Seabiscuit” project nearly eight months ago, bringing the project to fruition is another notch in the film commission’s belt.

Behind her desk, a framed poster signed by Robert Redford reads:
“To the People of Saratoga and Washington County” and is essentially a long thank-you letter for the hospitality he and his crew encountered during their stay.
With the lights at the ready to be turned bright once again and the cameras ready to roll, Toohey said just about everything is in place.

“We want to make sure, on our end, that for everyone involved, we make it
a successful visit.”


by Thomas Dimopoulos
published in The Saratogian, Oct. 25, 2002.