How Pittsburgh Really Will Be Hollywood on the Mon In A Couple of Years

In the shadow of the historical Carrie Furnace complex, film studios are on the rise.

by Maria Sciullo

Start with a sea of mud near the bank of a river. It’s hardly inspiring — not yet. But add some tax-credit magic and a dash of pixie dust. Voila: Pittsburgh really will be Hollywood on the Mon by 2024.

Ground was broken late last year on the construction of film studios at RIDC Carrie Furnace along the Monongahela River in Rankin, right next to the historical blast furnaces.

It will begin with a 52,000-square-foot structure to house at least two sound stages at a cost of $20 million, the vision of the Pittsburgh Film Office.

Next to this will be a 60,000-square-foot “tech flex” multipurpose building (a $15 million project). Once the latter is leased, a second, similar tech flex building will follow.

And all involved say there is room to grow.

This venture between the Regional Industrial Development Corporation and Allegheny County is “sort of the missing piece in our Mon Valley charm bracelet,” says Timothy White, RIDC’s senior vice president, business and development strategy.

The film office has assisted in more than 200 films and TV productions in southwestern Pennsylvania since it was established in 1990. And although the region has been home to major productions — ranging from “The Dark Knight Rises” to two projects about Fred Rogers — film crews on those projects have had to use retrofitted studios that began life as vastly different structures.

“We’ve made do with repurposed warehouses,” says Dawn Keezer, the director of the film office for 28 years. “We’re fortunate to have 31st Street Studios, fortunate we have the [former] American Eagle distribution clothing place out in Warrendale.”

Other local facilities have been used as sound stages, including spaces in Carnegie, Churchill, an airport hangar and the WQED studios in Oakland.

“But the industry has changed, the need has changed,” Keezer says. “The amount of technology that’s needed for these facilities to operate effectively and efficiently? People have different requests now.”

Silver Screen Gold Rush

MovieMaker magazine recently bumped Pittsburgh into the big leagues, naming it one of the top 10 big cities for filmmaking with its 2023 “Best Places to Live and Work.” (Atlanta was No. 1.) The magazine had previously ranked Pittsburgh a “small town,” based on its population.

But now “it can hold its own against much bigger cities,” MovieMaker editor Tim Molloy wrote about Pittsburgh. “Shockingly affordable, especially given its beautiful housing stock, it boasts architecture that begs to be filmed, rolling hills, countless bridges crossing its three rivers, and world-class museums, music and food.

“People who visit from elsewhere often wonder why no one’s ever told them how cool Pittsburgh is, so folks: We’re telling you now.”

Attracting film and TV projects is more competitive than ever. No one can compete with the likes of Los Angeles and New York City — and much more recently the state of Georgia, which has unlimited film tax credits to offset production costs. Then there’s the Great White North powerhouses of Toronto and Vancouver.

Yet other cities have jumped in. Louisville, Kentucky, for example, recently announced its intent to construct a $65 million studio. According to the proposal, the historic Louisville Gardens will be renovated to include 40,000 square feet of studio space in addition to retail, office and museum space. Groundbreaking is expected later this year with completion expected in 2025.

Kentucky has reinstated its film tax credit program, with 30%-35% of what is spent returned to the visiting projects. It’s capped at $75 million per year.

The greater Pittsburgh region, with a rich history bolstered by the story of George A. Romero and his “Night of the Living Dead” franchise, has done well for itself. It often stands in for other cities, such as New York — or Gotham — in “The Dark Knight Rises,” Washington, D.C., in some scenes of the series “Mindhunter,” Indianapolis in “The Fault in Our Stars” and, currently, Kingstown, Michigan, in the Paramount+ series “The Mayor of Kingstown.”

It’s even played itself on occasion — including in acclaimed films such as “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “Fences.”

When the Cinemax series “Banshee” moved production for its final season — from North Carolina to Vandergrift — producers say they were thrilled to find locations that actually were fitting backgrounds for the story set in a small Western Pennsylvania town.

Meeting Demand

But locations and come-as-you-are converted soundstages are not actual studios, and the RIDC project aims to attract even more projects.

“In 2021, we had 11 [major] projects shoot in southwestern Pennsylvania, a record-breaking year. They spent $338 million while they were here,” Keezer says.

Admitting she sounds “like a broken record,” she adds that there could have been even more projects. “We are getting an additional $30 million this year,” she says, referring to the film tax credits — shared throughout the state — that state lawmakers raised from $70 million to $100 million.

“Which is great, but understand, we had $250 million worth of applications. The program is still woefully underfunded and oversubscribed.”

There is no blueprint for what makes a city or region a shoo-in for production. In Nevada, where a total of 415 projects were shot between June 2021 and June 2022, the tax credit cap is $10 million per fiscal year, with any unused rolled over.

But the Nevada Film Office is part of the state government, which leads to “synergies with other state agencies and municipalities — and our services are offered free of charge to our clients,” says Danette Tull, production and communications manager.

Obviously, the Strip in Las Vegas is a huge draw. But many other sites are popular locations, including the Mob Museum (also in Vegas), ghost towns, Virginia City and the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, near the California border.

One of Pittsburgh’s most filmed backdrops is the Carrie Furnace itself, which has been used for numerous productions including the Christian Bale feature film “Out of the Furnace,” the series “One Dollar” and “Hemlock Grove” and even “Antiques Roadshow” and “American Ninja Warrior.” For the Showtime TV series “American Rust” — currently in production for its second season on Amazon Freevee — Carrie Furnace was the site of a key murder.

Building Stages and Partnerships

Recycling former brownfield sites such as Carrie Furnace — a remnant of the former U.S. Steel Homestead Works — has been aided by the commonwealth’s Act II of 1995, a law that “creates a realistic framework for setting cleanup standards, provides special incentives for developing abandoned sites, releases responsible parties from liability when cleanup standards are met, sets deadline for Department of Environmental Protection action and provides funding for environmental studies and cleanups,” according to the Department of Environmental Protection’s website.

For RIDC and the four municipalities (Rankin, Swissvale, the City of Pittsburgh and Braddock) involved, teaming up with the Pittsburgh Film Office was a logical next step.

“It really is a critical partnership to have that industry insight, combined with the real estate development knowledge that RIDC brings,” says Don Smith, RIDC president.

“We would be delighted to build out the whole site in the next year but the reality is, it’s an incremental process,” he says. “We will get the first set of soundstages up, the first tech flex building, and the market will respond to that.”

“We haven’t had neighbors for a long time but it is an opportunity to bring a lot of dollars into this region … [The Film Office has] proven time and again they can bring a lot of economic power and provide an awful lot of jobs,” said Ron Baraff, director of historic resources and facilities at Rivers of Steel. The nonprofit oversees the former furnace site, located in Swissvale.

To that end, the new facility will house a training center where some technical trades of filmmaking will be taught, such as electricians, hairstyle, grips and makeup.

This Pittsburgh Film Works program already has trained a group of grips and electricians, with hairstylists following last January. Funding for this comes from the film office, the state, Richard King Mellon Foundation and various economic development funds.

Unions such as IATSE 52, which represents motion picture studio mechanics and Local 489 (production technicians) and IATSE Local 798 (makeup and hair), help bolster the local workforce that will be needed for multiple productions.

“We want young people ready to go to work,” Keezer says, adding that the first classes have been inclusive of women and have BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation.

Georgia on Their Minds

Keezer and an RIDC delegation traveled to Georgia in November to get an idea of what one member called “the Goldilocks tour” — the high-end facility, the low-end and the midstream.

“We drove more than 250 miles in less than 30 hours, and I never made it to Downtown [Atlanta],” Keezer says.

They toured EUE/Screen Gems, where the Netflix hit “Stranger Things” is shot. They went to the massive Trilith Studios just south of Atlanta, where Marvel Cinematic Universe films such as “Black Panther” and multiple “Avengers” installments were shot.

Trilith is one of the places in the country with what’s known as a “volume” soundstage. Imagine a capsule of screens (ceiling included) that can place the actors in otherworldly locations, such as those featured in Disney’s “The Mandalorian” or just down a country road. It represents something else that Keezer says Pittsburgh can aspire to, albeit on a physically smaller scale: working studios, facilities for scenery and costume fabrication and also a village complex including retail and housing.

For the Rankin project, the two new sound stages would be capable of being sectioned into smaller, multiple studios.

“It doesn’t have to be that big,” Keezer says, comparing RIDC Carrie Furnace’s potential to Trilith. “We have 54 acres down at Rankin, right? Six stages would be 300,000 square feet of stage space.

“This is a start. I don’t expect this to be the only soundstage facility in Western Pennsylvania, but I think what this does is, it gets us moving in the right direction to keep the work coming.”

Maria Sciullo is a Pittsburgh-based journalist whose coverage of arts and entertainment found her scrambling around the old Carrie Furnace site on numerous occasions. It remains an awe-inspiring location.
This article appears in the April 2023 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.

Young Pittsburgh filmmakers say they have more opportunities than ever in the local scene

90.5 WESA | By Zoe Fuller
Published March 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM EDT

On a recent February Friday, in the warm GRW Theater of Point Park’s University Center, sit a couple dozen undergraduate filmmakers. One by one, they pitch their project to the room, scouting for crew, talent and funding.

This is Pitch-Burgh, a networking event for film students in the Pittsburgh area where attendees pitch film projects and seek collaboration from peers.

Aditi Sridhar is an undergraduate film student at the University of Pittsburgh, and preparing to pitch her own upcoming short film “Aloo Poori.” It’s her senior thesis project, a film she will have to write, fundraise for, direct, edit, and submit by the end of the semester.

Sridhar said she hopes Pitch-Burgh might be where she casts the remaining roles in her films, and where she can start some buzz about her project.

“I’m just worried about, you know, keeping people engaged and keeping under the time limit and also not really being able to bring people into the world of the script to engage them,” said Sridhar.

Pitch-Burgh is attended by 11 local universities, from the larger state-related schools like Pitt and Community College of Allegheny County, to smaller private colleges like Chatham University and recent addition Westminster College. The event was put on by the Pittsburgh Film Office, and is the brainchild of director Dawn Keezer.

“It was probably three or four years ago [when] I met with some of the heads of the film departments at various universities and had found that they all didn’t know each other,” Keezer said. “There was no way for them to all be able to collaborate and communicate effectively.”

Events like this, Keezer hopes, can help to build the local film industry and accommodate those entering into the workforce. Pittsburgh has become an increasingly popular location for filmmakers, especially with recent productions including “A Man Called Otto” and “American Rust: Season Two.”

Online magazine MovieMaker ranked Pittsburgh in the top 10 cities to live and work in as a filmmaker for 2023, competing against institutions like Chicago, Il. and Montreal, Quebec. Pennsylvania’s 25% tax credit on projects primarily shot in the state is drawing productions nationwide, and Keezer hopes to see the incentives grow so the state can stay competitive.

“Gov. [Josh] Shapiro has already signaled that he’s going to support this industry. He’s planning on dramatically increasing the film tax credit program,” Keezer said. ”We’re currently at $100 million. Any increase is welcome because the program is always oversubscribed and under-funded at this moment in time, because we always have more work than we have credits.”

As production increases in Pittsburgh, education in film and media is finding itself in high-demand. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the number of Bachelor’s degrees awarded in visual and performing arts have risen 50% since 2010. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a Bachelor’s degree as the typically entry-level education for producers and directors.

In 2018, media arts center Pittsburgh Filmmakers closed their filmmaking classes that helped to supplement local colleges like Pitt and La Roche University in McCandless. Since then, these universities have been developing their own programs to meet the growing film industry. La Roche has expanded their program by adding a filmmaker-in-residence position and internship positions for students at local production studios.

Carnegie Mellon University began offering a bachelor’s degree in film and visual media in 2019. Programs are even beginning at the high school level, with WQED Film Academy and Point Park’s Camp Hollywood teaching teenagers filmmaking basics.

Teachers like Associate Professor Helena Vanhala of Robert Morris University are seeing the changes both in and out of the school halls, and how the film climate might be opening up new doors.

“I think Pittsburgh is a film city. Filmmakers come here because there are so many commercial films coming to town,” Vanhala said. “So there’s a big industry here, both for those who are commercially interested, but those who are also independent filmmakers. So this is a film city.”

Now more than ever, film students like Sridhar say they feel like they have a reason to live and work in Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh in general as a city is just such a small town energy with kind and caring people who want to help and not receive anything in return, which I think is rare to find when you enter the entertainment industry in bigger cities like Los Angeles or New York. So I do like that’s what excites me about possibly being in a place like Pittsburgh post-graduation, is that that community is a given.”

Come this April, the projects Sridhar and her peers pitched will be completed and submitted before graduation. Come next fall, Pitch-Burgh and the Pittsburgh Film Office will screen a selection of these works where interested audiences can see what kind of stories the next generation of filmmakers are telling.

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR WORKSHOP – 3/14 and 3/16

On behalf of Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh

Presented by Jennifer Carriere, Local 161 Script Supervisor and Women in Film & TV-Atlanta member. In the last few weeks, Jennifer has done live online interactive workshops for New York Women in Film & TV, Women in Film & TV-Atlanta, Women in Film & Video-DC, and Women in Film & TV-Louisiana, on the topic: “How to Become a Script Supervisor and Get Jobs in 2023”. This free, online, live interactive workshop provides an enormous amount of education, covers the Script Supervisor’s responsibilities & Daily Steps A-Z, includes a live Continuity Breakdown workshop with a short script (everyone’s favorite), plus plenty of discussion and Q&A.
 

This is a free learning opportunity. There is no cost to you for this high-value 90 minute presentation on what it takes to be a successful Script Supervisor. 

In 90 minutes, we cover:

-What does a script supervisor do?

-Why should you consider becoming one?

-Script Supervisor Daily Steps A-Z

-(and everyone’s favorite part) We do a Continuity Breakdown TOGETHER using a short script – tons of fun and really helps people see they can handle this job!

-Ask Me Anything Q&A + Discussion

As of now, we have presentations scheduled for Tuesday, March 14th @ 7:00pm ET and Thursday, March 16th @ 7:00pm ET that we would love for you to attend.

Tuesday March 14 @ 7:00 PM -CLICK THIS LINK:  
https://www.scriptsupervisorceo.com/live-webinar/become-script-supervisor-get-film-tv-jobs/register

Thursday March 16 @ 7:00 PM – CLICK THIS LINK:
https://www.scriptsupervisorceo.com/live-webinar/become-a-script-supervisor/register

*  This program is not being conducted by Women In Film Pittsburgh.  There is no expectation of a job offering and the group conducting this workshop is not directly affiliated with Women In Film Pittsburgh – we are providing a resource which the user should conduct their own due diligence prior to making any financial commitment.

HAIR MODELS NEEDED

Saturday 3/11 – Toupee Consultation & Application 

• Date/Time: Saturday 3/11 11-5pm (times subject to change) 
• We’re in need of a Standby model 
• Model: Must have receding hairline, short brown (chestnut) hair is preferred
• Note: No permanent changes (ex: dyeing/cutting) will be taking place to the models hair

Tuesday 3/14 – Barbering (See attached)

• Date/Time: Tuesday 3/14 4-8pm (times subject to change) 
• Model: Short / low shaved hair. Must have shaggy/outgrown hair, so be willing and in need of a haircut
• Note: Models will have a say in their haircut 

If interested, send an email with subject line: “Model: Hair Styling Training” to [email protected].

Pittsburgh Business Times: Construction underway at historic Carrie Furnace site

By Regional Industrial Development Corporation
Mar 3, 2023

Construction is finally underway at the historic Carrie Furnace site.

“Pittsburgh was the Silicon Valley of the world,” said August Carlino, Rivers of Steel CEO. “And that’s what’s so critically important about the development that RIDC is advancing here. Because that development represents the new stage of Pittsburgh’s industry.”

Apart from the existing steel structures preserved by Rivers of Steel and repurposed as a popular arts and entertainment venue, the adjacent site has sat vacant for years.

“When I grew up here, years ago when this mill was thriving, a lot of local residents worked here,” said William Price, Rankin Borough Council president. “There was a lot of local small businesses in Rankin. But that all died when the mill shut down.”

The phased development will have portions for various commercial uses, including flex-tech, R&D, biotech, film production, workforce education and training life sciences, light manufacturing and assembly, and other similar uses. In February, RIDC engaged PJ Dick, one of the region’s largest construction companies, as construction manager for the first phase of construction.

Phase one

Phase one, which consists of more than 13 acres, includes the main access road into the site and utility extensions (water, sanitary, electric, gas, fiber, storm, lighting and traffic signalization). The road infrastructure and utility work, which is expected to be complete summer of 2023, is currently being performed by Mele, Mele, & Sons.

“This will be RIDC’s sixth major development in the Mon Valley,” said Donald F. Smith, Jr., RIDC president, “which was the critical industrial valley in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the cradle of the American Industrial Revolution.”

RIDC’s other Mon Valley investments include Keystone Commons, City Center of Duquesne, The Pittsburgh Technology Center, Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green and the Industrial Center of McKeesport.

“You’re going to see an evolution of this site over time that’s transformational,” said Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County executive. “Robotics, life sciences, artificial intelligence and next generation manufacturing will be a big part of it.”

Film studio underway

At the same time, plans are also being developed and design work is underway for a film studio at the site. RIDC is working with the Pittsburgh Film Office and other interested parties on creating The Film Furnace — a film studio campus with purpose built sound stages and other amenities.

“What we’ve seen throughout the country and throughout the world is that when new sound stage facilities are built, other businesses come and surround it,” said Dawn Keezer, Pittsburgh Film Office director.

The entire site — 55 acres of developable land which would accommodate an estimated 550,000 to 600,000 square feet of construction — has as a backdrop the existing furnace structures, managed by Rivers of Steel as a national historic site.

Leading the region into the future while paying homage to its past

“You’re going start to see new modern buildings come out of the ground,” Smith says. “These flexible buildings that can accommodate technology companies, light assembly and manufacturing companies, all the sectors of the economy that are growing here in the Pittsburgh region. We’re building the new homes for them right here at Carrie Furnace.”

Also, the county plans to create a riverside pedestrian and bike trail along the Monongahela River and connect the Carrie Furnace Hot Metal Bridge to the Great Allegheny Passage, as well as to the Westmoreland Heritage Trail via the Turtle Creek Valley.

Just as RIDC’s project at Mill 19 leads the region into the future while paying homage to its past, the Carrie Furnace redevelopment project will serve as both a historic landmark and a present-day node of economic activity and asset to the community.

Price adds, “Redeveloping the Carrie Furnace site is very important to the Rankin Borough because of the revenues needed. There are benefits that we think we would get from this as far as bringing more people back into our community. We can’t wait until this property is developed.”

Learn more about the Pittsburgh region’s economic development agenda, as the region increasingly becomes a leading player on the national stage.

The mission of the Regional Industrial Development Corporation is to catalyze and support economic growth and high-quality job creation through public policy advocacy, real estate development and finance of projects that advance the public interest. A not-for-profit entity, RIDC has developed over 2,800 acres in 14 industrial and innovation parks and manages over 7 million square feet.

Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2023/03/03/construction-underway-at-carrie-furnace-site.html

Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Festival 2023

Filmmaking opportunity! 
Get Ready for An Amazing Challenge!

The weekend? May 5 – 7, 2023

The challenge? To make a film in only 48 hours!

o  Filmmakers from all over the Pittsburgh, PA area will compete to see who can make the best short film in only 48 hours.
o  Write, shoot, and edit a short film over the weekend and see it PREMIERE on the BIG SCREEN!
o  All Welcome! First-timer to Hobbyists to Amateurs to Professionals!
o  Take your filmmaking to the NEXT LEVEL!

Wherever you are currently in your filmmaking journey, the 48 Hour Film Project is a valuable next step!

o  Make your FIRST film… the first of many!
o  Create a film (or another film!) for your reel
o  Practice new techniques — in a low-risk setting
o  Find new filmmaking partners to work with, beginning on a (very!) short-term basis
o  Create work to help show off your skills to find that next job!
The winning film will go up against films from around the world at Filmapalooza 2024 for a chance at the grand prize and an opportunity to screen at the Cannes Film Festival 2024 Short Film Corner!

Visit the 48 Hour Film Festival Pittsburgh’s website ( www.48hourfilm.com/pittsburgh ) for more details. 

* The Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project Events are sponsored by The Pittsburgh Film Office, The Oaks Theater, StudioME, Lightbulb Rentals, Spotlight Costumes, Ensemble Actors Studio, Construction Junction, Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh, WQED Film Academy, Pop District / The Warhol: Academy , The Cinema Psychos Show, Cavo Night Club, Riley’s Pour House and Goat Milk Fudge Productions!

PITTSBURGH HAS BEEN NAMED ONE OF MOVIEMAKER’S BEST PLACES TO LIVE AND WORK AS A MOVIEMAKER IN 2023!

Previously ranked No. 4 in Smaller Cities and Towns, Pittsburgh has joined the Big Cities list this year at No. 10!

The Pale Blue Eye, filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of MovieMaker Magazine‘s Best Places to Live and Work as a MovieMaker, 2023. Photo by Nate Patterson.

10.PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

We used to list Pittsburgh as one of our best small towns, but it can hold its own against much bigger cities. Shockingly affordable, especially given its beautiful housing stock, it boasts architecture that begs to be filmed, rolling hills, countless bridges crossing its three rivers, and world-class museums, music and food. People who visit from elsewhere often wonder why no one’s ever told them how cool Pittsburgh is, so folks: We’re telling you now. Plenty of movie people get it, though. Last year Pittsburgh welcomed back Dark Knight Rises star Christian Bale for The Pale Blue Eye, one of many productions wisely seizing on the atmosphere and tax incentives that make the Steel City so inviting. Others include the new Tom Hanks drama The Man Called Otto and Season 2 of Mayor of Kingstown. The tax incentives are great: 25% percent for eligible projects, with an extra 5% if you use Pennsylvania-qualified production studios or post-production facilities. Of the $100 million available through the program, $5 million is carved out specifically for independent films.

‘A Man Called Otto’ director Marc Forster on Pittsburgh shoot, Tom Hanks and movie cats

by Joshua Axelrod January 11, 2023

Director Marc Forster, left, and Tom Hanks on the set of the Pittsburgh-shot film “A Man Called Otto.” (Niko Tavernise/Sony Pictures)

Marc Forster knew exactly what kind of city would provide the perfect backdrop for his new feature, “A Man Called Otto.”

“I didn’t feel it should be on either coast,” Forster told the Union Progress. “It felt like it should be in the middle of the country, but somewhere where there’s still a lot of culture.”

Naturally, those parameters led Forster to Pittsburgh. He and his production team spent parts of winter and spring 2022 shooting “A Man Called Otto” in Western Pennsylvania. The second film adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s 2012 novel, “A Man Called Ove,” about an old grump gaining a new lease in life, was finally released in Pittsburgh theaters last week.

The Union Progress recently caught up with Forster to discuss shooting “A Man Called Otto” in the Pittsburgh area, making a movie about neighborliness with the man who once played Mister Rogers, working with Schmagel the cat and more.

Forster is a Swiss filmmaker with an eclectic directorial filmography that includes 2001’s “Monster’s Ball,” 2004’s “Finding Neverland,” 2008’s “Quantum of Solace” and 2013’s “World War Z.” After reading Backman’s novel and watching its 2015 Swedish film adaptation, Forster realized this story would work in any language because “we’re all familiar with Ottos” and decided he wanted to direct a version for American audiences.

He had always wanted to make a movie in Pittsburgh thanks to friends who had done so and came back raving about the city’s film, food and art scenes. So, he decided to set up shop here for “A Man Called Otto,” which follows the titular Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) as his attempts to commit suicide are continuously foiled by his oddball neighbors who slowly chip away at his crusty exterior and remind him that life is still worth living.

Production designer Barbara Ling stumbled upon the Bellevue cul-de-sac that served as the film’s primary setting on Google Earth, Forster said. The opening scene of “A Man Called Otto” takes place inside the Busy Beaver of Lawrenceville, and another prominent moment occurs at Stangl’s Bakery in Ambridge. Forster explained that a scene where Otto contemplates suicide by train was shot in Lawrenceville on artificially created tracks because the railway they wanted to use was closed for construction.

Forster had nothing but admiration for Pittsburgh as a city and place to shoot a Hollywood movie.

“I loved it,” he said of his time in Pittsburgh. “I would come back any day again. I thought the crew was terrific, the people were amazing. I loved the food. The whole experience was amazing.”

Toward the end of his Monday interview with the Union Progress, producer Renee Wolfe hopped on the line to share her equally glowing review of Pittsburgh. She appreciated the “kindness and sense of community” here, as shown by the neighbors who brought over housewarming gifts during her temporary stay in Shadyside.

“We’re all trying to figure out who we are in America,” Wolfe said. “As we move forward into the next chapter, there’s something about Pittsburgh that has all the right elements. It’s going to be one of the most important cities in the next dialogue we have as Americans.”

“A Man Called Otto” is an unapologetic tearjerker that had me in a glass case of emotions by the time its end credits began rolling. Most of the heavy lifting is done by Hanks, who made his triumphant return to Western Pennsylvania following his Oscar-nominated turn as Fred Rogers in 2019’s Pittsburgh-shot “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Forster credited Hanks for so vividly portraying “all the different shades of grumpiness in Otto.”

“When you work with an actor like this, I think it matters a lot that we both have very similar sensibilities of what we’re going after,” he said. “He has such great talent. As a director, it’s like talking to a great violinist. ‘Play a little faster, play a little slower.’ I gave him direction, and he just did it.”

Just as key to the cinematic alchemy of “A Man Called Otto” was the supporting cast, particularly Mariana Treviño’s Marisol, Otto’s new neighbor who refuses to let him languish in his misery. Forster said that he was blown away by Treviño’s audition tape, which she filmed herself from a hotel room in Spain while playing multiple characters. She was “so good and brilliant” that he no longer had any desire to see anyone else for that role.

Another critical piece of the puzzle was the stray cat that Otto reluctantly adopts. Though some of Otto’s furry companion was crafted via effects and dummies, Forster said that 90% of what viewers see on film was performed by Schmagel, a feline hailing from Columbia County in northeastern Pennsylvania.

“Sometimes he really performed and did things, and sometimes he didn’t,” Forster said. “I’m just relieved that the cat worked out so well.”

The film walks a tonal tightrope between Otto’s very real depression and lighthearted high jinks, a dichotomy Forster thought was important to display on screen “because that’s what life is often like.” He didn’t have Mister Rogers on his mind while shooting a movie about what it means to be a good neighbor in Pittsburgh, but the theme is still prevalent throughout “A Man Called Otto.”

“We live in a very divided world right now,” Forster said. “One of the things that I thought was interesting about this book was that it became so much more relevant in this day and age after the pandemic when loneliness became so much more acute. It’s about this man who has given up on life, and ultimately it becomes this life-affirming journey of this community coming together.”

His final message to the Western Pennsylvania community that helped him bring “A Man Called Otto” to life: “It was just an amazing time there. We’ll never forget it.”

Joshua Axelrod

Joshua covers pop culture, media and more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Contact him at [email protected]

Read the original: https://www.unionprogress.com/2023/01/11/a-man-called-otto-director-marc-forster-on-pittsburgh-shoot-tom-hanks-and-movie-cats/