New Movie Being Shot in Johnston County

Film crews and actors will be popping up in locations all around Johnston County during the next two months, working on two new productions for Clayton-based Webster Falls Films, maker of the recent film Blaire's Bridge.

The production company is working on a feature film and a TV pilot.

The film, Whistling Pines, will be the second feature released by the studio, following Blaire’s Bridge which debuted last year and is now in DVD release. The new film is expected to be completed by October.

“We’re really excited about this new movie for a number of reasons,” Writer/director Mark Grady said. “The local success of Blaire’s Bridge got us the attention and interest we needed to put together a slightly better budget for this film. As a result, I am looking forward to the more technically- advanced look this film will have. It will simply look better.”

Whistling Pines is described as a southern comedy that takes place in a fictional town named after the film’s title. In the script, the town gets really excited when they learn a famous TV anchor is coming to town to do a story on the community. They roll out the red carpet only to later learn, by accident, that the anchor is actually focused on making fun of the town. When they learn what he’s up to, the town ends up having the last laugh.

“There are some pretty wacky characters in this one,” Grady said. “One guy believes that all stories he reads in the paper are linked, secret warnings about conspiracies. Another character keeps getting in trouble for trying to achieve his goal of eliminating what he believes are the culprits behind the loss of everybody’s quality of life in town – squirrels.”

Whistling Pines will be filmed primarily around Clayton and Smithfield, with one scene taking place in New York. The premiere will be held at the Clayton Center this fall.

Just as pre-production was ramping up for the new film, Webster Falls Films received another challenge – the opportunity to produce a pilot for a TV program.

“A close friend and industry insider called and asked if I had any ideas for a weekly TV show,” Grady said. “I shared with him an idea I have had for a few years about a small town police department. He liked the concept and that opened up the opportunity to write and produce a pilot to shop around to a few cable networks. It’s going to be a busy summer for us, but we’re looking forward to it."

To track progress on the new productions, please visit the company website at www.websterfallsfilms.com