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Movie-Making Collection
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Movie-Making Collection
Studio clears venerable back lot for new 'Knights' set
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Studio clears venerable back lot for new 'Knights' set
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296.pdf
Description
Collection
Movie-Making
Collection
Title
Studio
clears
venerable
back
lot
for
new
'
Knights
'
set
Subject
actors
;
Wilmington
,
NC
;
Screen
Gem
Studios
;
construction
;
movie
sets
;
filmmakers
;
Description
The
back
lot
at
Screen
Gems
Studios
, a
fixture
since
the
days
of
Dino
De
Laurentiis
, has been
torn
down
to
build
a
new
set
for the
upcoming
feature
film
Black
Knight
,
starring
Martin
Lawrence
. The
back
lot
was
constructed
in
1984
for
Year
of the
Dragon
,
only
a
year
after
Mr
.
De
Laurentiis
announced
the
beginning
of a
studio
complex
in
Wilmington
. The
set
was
built
to
replicate
a
street
in
Chinatown
in
New
York
City
.
Since
then, the
680-foot
strip
lined
with
facades
of
buildings
45
feet
high
has been
used
for
city
scenes
in
more
than
30
feature
films
,
including
29th
Street
, with
Danny
Aiello
and
Anthony
LaPaglia
, The
Hudsucker
Proxy
, with
Tim
Robbins
and
Paul
Newman
,
Billy
Bathgate
, with
Dustin
Hoffman
and
Nicole
Kidman
, The
Crow
and
Teenage
Mutant
Ninja
Turtles
.
Over
the
years
,
more
than
$6
million
has been
spent
on
construction
at the
back
lot
,
including
the
$1.25
million
it
took
to
build
the
set
,
said
Gerald
Waller
,
vice
president
of
studio
operations
. For the
last
three
years
,
though
, the
set
has been
empty
. The
last
projects
to
film
there were
Waterproof
and The
Cutoff
,
both
filmed
in
1997
. The
set
has
suffered
hurricane
damage
over
the
years
and
caused
additional
problems
for the
studio
recently
when
young
boys
attempted
to
set
fire
to
it
. "
It
was
never
really
built
to
last
"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. "
What's
done
with this
is
strictly
up
to the
filmmakers
. With the
lack
of
production
,
it
has
continued
to
deteriorate.
" The
back
lot
sits
on
part
of the
eight
acres
the
studio
offers
for
production
companies
to
construct
outdoor
sets
. "
We
offer
this
space
for them to
build
whatever
they
want
or to
change
whatever
they
want
"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. And
producers
for
Black
Knight
have
decided
they'd
like
to
build
a
1380s
castle
,
complete
with
towers
,
gates
and a
moat
. But
New
Regency
and
20th
Century
Fox
are
keeping
details
under
wraps
.
Construction
has
already
started
for the
castle
,
which
will be the
largest
single
set
constructed
at the
studios
. The
set
will
soon
be
closed
to the
public
until
Black
Knight
is
released
,
Mr
.
Waller
said
.
Filming
is
scheduled
to
begin
in
November
. The
movie
is
billed
as a
time-travel
comedy
where
a
worker
in a
medieval-theme
miniature
golf
course
is
suddenly
transported
back
to the
Middle
Ages
.
Road
Builders
,
Inc.
, a
company
that
helped
build
the
studio
,
is
in
charge
of the
demolition
of the
set."I'm
glad
to
see
this
going
on"
Mr
.
Waller
said
. "
Everybody
is
.
It's
just
great
to
see
some
action
back
here
after
all
this
time.
" The
back
lot
at
Screen
Gems
Studios
is
now
just
a
framework
of
poles
(above
,
left)
that were the
support
for the
city
scene
built
there in
1984
. The
city
scene
had been
used
in
more
than
30
feature
films
. The
set
(above
,
right)
is
shown
to
spectators
on a
tour
in
1997
. The
set
was
torn
down
to
build
a
new
set
for the
upcoming
film
'
Black
Knight,
'
starring
Martin
Lawrence
.
Creator
Ballard
,
Allison
;
Courtney
,
Mark
Publisher
Wilmington Star-News
Date
2000-09-13
Type
text
Format
pdf
Rights
New
Hanover
County
Public
Library
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.
Unless
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