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Little disturbance expected from canyon film shoot

Carrie ClickPost Independent Staff

GLENWOOD SPRINGS Glenwood Canyon, get ready for your close-up again.Its been 78 years since legendary film star Tom Mix rappelled down Glenwood Canyons walls, with cameras rolling, shooting scenes for The Great K&A Train Robbery. But once again, the canyons sheer rock faces will welcome film crews as they shoot edge-of-your-seat climbing scenes for a major motion picture. This time, filmmakers are scheduled to shoot action scenes of climbers scaling rock at the Hanging Lake tunnels in Glenwood Canyon for an upcoming spy thriller, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Shooting is scheduled for late February or early March. The film stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, though its still unknown if the actors will be filming on site like Mr. Mix. A duplicate set of the tunnels is currently being used for filming in California. According to Marianne Virgili, executive director of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, film location manager Rick Schuler is planning to meet in Glenwood Springs on Feb. 7 with representatives from the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado State Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, and Union Pacific Railroad to coordinate logistics for the shoot. The highway patrol has said it should be very easy to work around the shoot, and the railroad has been real positive about working with film crews, said Virgili. Virgili said road closures on Interstate 70 during the shoot will be minimal, since the filming will focus on climbing scenes on the cliffs above the tunnels.Schuler said local climbers Brian and Brad Long did some exploratory climbing for camera viewpoints. Filmmakers are now working with two Boulder-based climbers, Mike Weiss and Douglas Neithercut.They are experts in this field and work in the movie industry, Schuler said. Virgili said her office has received calls from locals interested in being extras on the shoot, but said its too early to know if any will be used.From what Ive seen, the scenes involve very technical climbing, so I doubt that extras will be needed, Virgili said. She said people should wait to call the chamber until she announces a call for extras.Virgili added that whenever possible, Schuler wants to use local resources.To that end, Virgili recommends any local companies or individuals interested in working on the film such as contractors, make-up artists and caterers contact her at the chamber. The Glenwood Film Commission has an online resource guide, she said. Its a free listing and is an excellent source for locals to provide information directly to filmmakers shooting commercials and films in the area. Contact Virgili at marianne@glenwood chamber.com, or call the chamber at 945-6589. Contact Carrie Click: 945-8515, ext. 518cclick@postindependent.com


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