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Film producer Brad Wilson likened the historic Square to a scene straight out of a fairy tale or a storybook.
Knowing that Harry Truman walked the streets of Independence and worked inside the historic Truman Courthouse, “It almost gives you goose bumps,” Wilson said of where the feature film “Three Blind Saints” filmed several scenes on Tuesday and Wednesday. “It has just exceeded my expectations on shooting here – people have been terrific and have just rolled out the red carpet for us.”
“Three Blind Saints” represents the Lee’s Summit-based Attaboy Media Productions’ first feature film. Wilson has worked with actors Robert Duvall, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock and Matt Damon. The film’s director, John Eschenbaum, was the producer and director of “The Steve & Kathy Show” and also is managing director of Attaboy Media Productions. Emmy Award winner Steve Gray wrote “Three Blind Saints” and is executive producer.
Geared toward a family-friendly audience, the movie includes three men – Sam, Jamal and Frankie – who agree to serve as ministers at a local church instead of serving jail time. The men discover a plot to steal from the church as they are fulfilling their roles.
The movie includes a cast of professional actors from Los Angeles and the Kansas City area. With a projected release date sometime in 2011, Wilson said he would like “Three Blind Saints” to reach theaters in major U.S. cities and then expand its showing.
The 18-day filming schedule for “Three Blind Saints” will conclude on Saturday. Other scenes were filmed throughout Lee’s Summit at Attaboy Media Production’s warehouse studio, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and along the city’s Main Street. Today’s and Friday’s scenes will be shot at Pappy’s Pizzeria in Lee’s Summit, which will be converted into Rusty’s Sports Bar. Veteran actor Barry Corbin, who had roles in “No Country for Old Men,” “Northern Exposure” and “Lonesome Dove,” portrays Rusty, the film’s villain who owns the local bar.
“Being in Hollywood, we could re-create all of that stuff, but why do that when you can come to the real thing?” Wilson said of the scenes filmed inside the courtroom. “It’s really been a blessing to come here and shoot in an actual courtroom that was (Truman’s). It’s always great to get out into America like this anyway. You shoot films in Hollywood, and they tend to be a little jaded because they see films all the time. When you get out into America like this, people are, I think, more appreciative of what we do as filmmakers.”
Film producer Brad Wilson likened the historic Square to a scene straight out of a fairy tale or a storybook.
Knowing that Harry Truman walked the streets of Independence and worked inside the historic Truman Courthouse, “It almost gives you goose bumps,” Wilson said of where the feature film “Three Blind Saints” filmed several scenes on Tuesday and Wednesday. “It has just exceeded my expectations on shooting here – people have been terrific and have just rolled out the red carpet for us.”
“Three Blind Saints” represents the Lee’s Summit-based Attaboy Media Productions’ first feature film. Wilson has worked with actors Robert Duvall, Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock and Matt Damon. The film’s director, John Eschenbaum, was the producer and director of “The Steve & Kathy Show” and also is managing director of Attaboy Media Productions. Emmy Award winner Steve Gray wrote “Three Blind Saints” and is executive producer.
Geared toward a family-friendly audience, the movie includes three men – Sam, Jamal and Frankie – who agree to serve as ministers at a local church instead of serving jail time. The men discover a plot to steal from the church as they are fulfilling their roles.
The movie includes a cast of professional actors from Los Angeles and the Kansas City area. With a projected release date sometime in 2011, Wilson said he would like “Three Blind Saints” to reach theaters in major U.S. cities and then expand its showing.
The 18-day filming schedule for “Three Blind Saints” will conclude on Saturday. Other scenes were filmed throughout Lee’s Summit at Attaboy Media Production’s warehouse studio, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and along the city’s Main Street. Today’s and Friday’s scenes will be shot at Pappy’s Pizzeria in Lee’s Summit, which will be converted into Rusty’s Sports Bar. Veteran actor Barry Corbin, who had roles in “No Country for Old Men,” “Northern Exposure” and “Lonesome Dove,” portrays Rusty, the film’s villain who owns the local bar.
“Being in Hollywood, we could re-create all of that stuff, but why do that when you can come to the real thing?” Wilson said of the scenes filmed inside the courtroom. “It’s really been a blessing to come here and shoot in an actual courtroom that was (Truman’s). It’s always great to get out into America like this anyway. You shoot films in Hollywood, and they tend to be a little jaded because they see films all the time. When you get out into America like this, people are, I think, more appreciative of what we do as filmmakers.”
Originally from South Africa, professional actor Stelio Savante said he knew Independence as “Harry Truman country” and added that the courthouse included strong acoustics for actors. Savante plays Frankie, a “lighthearted character who is more of a follower than a leader and who brings a childlike innocence” to the movie (visit www.facebook.com/ThreeBlindSaints for more information).
“It’s very helpful to the actor when there’s some level of authenticity involved,” Savante said of the Truman Courthouse. “For us, especially for me, it’s more interesting because a lot of my projects are obviously mainstream in Hollywood, shooting on studio sets where they try to re-create what you already have here. It’s intimidating, yet enchanting and charming at the same time.”
Savante, 40, has acted professionally since his mid-20s, though he originally moved to the United States on a tennis scholarship. He lived in Alabama for several years before relocating to New York, where he acted in off-Broadway plays. He later secured a recurring role in the popular ABC show “Ugly Betty.” He also was a guest lead actor in a 2005 episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” with fellow guest actors Alfred Molina, Angela Lansbury and Bradley Cooper.
The movie also features actor and singer Elijah Rock and veteran TV actor Richard Speught Jr. Speight was a regular on the shows “Jericho” and “The Agency” and played Warren “Skip” Muck in HBO’s “Band of Brothers” mini-series.
Tapping into his love for American history, Savante said he wants to eventually visit the Truman Presidential Library & Museum on U.S. 24. Savante said the welcoming nature of the Independence community made the filming easier, adding that “the people are what makes everything.” In late 2008, several scenes of the 2010 movie “Last Will” were filmed at the historic courthouse.
“It’s great that we’re in a part of the world where you don’t shoot that many films,” he said. “It’s been fantastic.”
