Alleged: A Different Kind of Shooting

Nathan West and Ashley Johnson in a scene shot at the Stockton House in Flint. (Photo by Ryan Garza/The Flint Journal)

Brian Dennehy, Fred Thompson, Nathan West and Ashley Johnson are in the Flint area shooting the feature film "Alleged" about the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. Aside from giving Flintoids a chance to mingle with celebrities, Liz Shaw of The Flint Journal reports that the movie is bringing in some cash for the Flint area.

"The film's $4.1-million budget might be small by Hollywood standards, but nearly a quarter of it will go directly into the pockets of businesses right here in Flint and southeast Michigan in less than eight weeks' time -- and that's just for the most obvious, basic expenses."

Shaw gives a nice rundown of the more than $1 million that will be spent in Flint and southeast Michigan:

Housing: $320,000
Caterers' food supplies: $48,000
Set construction materials: $120,000
Antiques and other set dressing and props: $150,000
Dry cleaning: $12,500
Wages for 1,000 locals: $75 per day (20 days shooting total)
Lighting rentals: $40,000
Camera rentals: $88,000
Trucks: $46,000

Let's just hope Fred Thompson's acting is more compelling than his run for the presidency.

Wading into downtown architecture

Photo by Ryan Garza of The Flint Journal

The wonders of Photoshop, courtesy of Randy Gearheart

I'm not thrilled with the look of the new Wade Trim Building — it seems a little soulless to me — but it's hard to complain too much about any upgrades to downtown Flint. And this Ryan Garza photo of the city's incongruous architectural styles makes Flint's emerging hodgepodge of buildings look sort of appealing. Sometimes no planning at all somehow ties together in a weird, unexpected way. Of course, the Genesee Towers aren't long for this world, so this mismatched triumverate will eventually be a duo. And that might not be such a bad thing either.

Update: Here are a few comments on this post from Flint residents:

slick says: My opinion is that to see it up close and personal it's actually not bad.

There is actually green grass in downtown flint. hopefully it will not turn to weeds.

I can't speak from an architectural point of view, but it certainly looks better than the run-down plywood covered edifice which preceded it.

Downtown is starting to come together...seriously....to hear comments from those residing afar doesn't give it justice imho.

Being one in the trenches here in the good old vehicle city, I can see the change.

Scottr says: I don't understand why people expect a city's downtown to 'blend'. It needs buildings of all ages and styles - new, old, and in between. Flint is finally starting to get that mix, yet out comes all the critics who want nothing but art deco or some such design. I love old buildings, but if all of them were from the early 20th century, downtown would be a very boring place, and no better than an aging strip mall in the suburbs.

Personally, I like it. I think it's got a classic look with a modern flair to it. It's honestly one of the most attractive new builds downtown has seen in 3 decades, including most anything at UM-Flint. And I'm very interested in seeing what the CFGF and Health Plus may do.


Correction: The original version of this post described the Wade Trim as a "refurbished" building. It is an entirely new structure. Thanks to Scott for catching this mistake.