10 w 2016–2017
Powhatan
REdiscover
Powhatan
in film
By Laura McFarland
U
nspoiled, authentic, rural landscapes are essential to certain film and television projects, and fortunately, parts of Powhatan County fit that bill exactly. Some of the great rural landscapes in Powhatan have lent themselves to creating a super palette for the artistic needs of films and television shows such as “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Lincoln,” “John Adams” and “Field of Lost Shoes,” said Andy Edmunds, director of the Virginia Film Office. Most of the filming done in the county is consistently done at the State Farm property owned by the Virginia Department of Correction, which cooperates with the Virginia Film Office to make it possible. There is a historic, vacant prison (James River Correctional Center), 3,000 acres of varied farmland, and a backlot with sets from the HBO series, “John Adams.” The “TURN” TV series is the biggest project recently to use Powhatan County for filming, with three seasons shot at the State Farm and the fourth and final season to start production in late 2016/early 2017. Having a television series is like having a content manufacturing operation – it touches all parts of the economy, Edmunds said. “ ‘TURN’ in particular has an economic impact over a single season north of $55 million for the entire region,” he said. “It is not just about their great production experience. They have had a great personal experience being here, so much so that many of them have decided to stay here in the off season.”
Photo Credit: Antony Platt/AMC © 2016 AMC Film Holdings LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Samuel Roukin as Captain Simcoe and Burn Gorman as Major Hewlett are shown in a scene from Season 3 of ‘TURN: Washington’s Spies.’
TURN: Washington’s Spies http://www.amc.com/shows/turn
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A character-driven drama set during the Revolutionary War, “TURN” takes viewers behind the battlefront, to a shadow war fought by everyday heroes who vowed to keep their heroics a secret. Based on Alexander Rose’s book “Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring,” “TURN” centers on Abe Woodhull (Jamie Bell), a farmer living in Britishoccupied Long Island, who bands together with a disparate group of childhood friends to form the Culper Ring. Photo by Antony Platt/AMC AMC Film Holdings LLC. All Rights Reserved. Together they risked their lives Red© 2016 Coats march through the forest in a and honor, and turned against scene from Season 3 of ‘TURN.’ family and King, for a fight they believed in passionately, ultimately helping George Washington turn the tide of the Revolutionary War in favor of the rebels. “TURN” has filmed on location at the State Farm property and the Michaux-St. James Chapel. The State Farm property is the center piece of the show’s story, where crew built Setauket village and church, Abe’s Farm, and the wharf set which played as New York harbor, said Tom Trigo, location manager. The property also provided locations for woodlands, creeks, river, lakes, fields, and country roads. “It is one of the best period ‘backlots’ in the country,” Trigo said. The greatest challenge of filming is finding locations free of modern clutter that also contain enough historical elements that allow crew to film scenes with a minimum of disguise or having to erase things digitally, which is no small task these days, Trigo said. The State Farm site gives crew the freedom to do that, he added. More than 75 percent of the TV series’ crew are Richmond area locals, more than a few live in Powhatan County, and the rest have stayed in Richmond, he said. The fourth and final season will film in late 2016/early 2017 and air in 2017.