City Film Productions Documentary Film "Charleston - The Soul of a City"

PR Log (Press Release) – Jun 21, 2009 – City Film Productions, a studio specializing in documentaries on America’s 13 original colonies, has chosen Charleston for it’s next documentary film.  
“Charleston – The Soul of a City” tells the story of the city against an architecturally authentic backdrop rarely available to a filmmaker bringing to life the city’s illustrious and sometimes notorious past in a way few documentaries have managed to capture.
The studio’s Director of Photography Randy Jarvis says the production team’s goal is for the film to be “an emotional archaeology” unearthing the very heart of Charleston’s past.”  “Over the past year we’ve culled stories and images that are beautiful, amusing, curious, compelling and eloquent to convey the drama and grief as well as the horrors and victories of the city’s past, the film’s director says.  “The studio’s goal is to produce a film that’s comprehensive and accurate and no matter race, culture or age, keep all captivated,” he says. “We expect the Charleston’s story to be in heavy demand throughout the country.  People that love US history combined with the growing interest of travelers both here and abroad choosing the city as a vacation destination gives us a pretty good indication the film will have a strong viewership over the years.” Jarvis says.
The studio began pre-production approximately a year ago. “There were quite a few meetings with organizations I thought important to get on board to ensure we have open access to materials and historic structures,” Jarvis says.   To tell this story it was important to have a strong working relationship with the Mayor, houses of worship, the Charleston Historic Foundation, the South Carolina Historic Society and other groups.  These individuals and group have been wonderful custodians in preserving the city’s history and superb reference points in ensuring we meet the level of production quality we’re aiming for.”
Through 3D architectural renderings, the studio will re-create Charleston’s streets, homes and businesses as they appeared in the late 1800s. Archival and private image collections and vintage broadcast footage will be blended with ground and aerial cinematography.  Filming will be done in Charleston, throughout South Carolina and Barbados and Washington, D.C.
The studio’s goal is to have more than half of the images coming from collections that have never been seen by the public before.  “We believe there to be a significant cache of images sitting in people’s attics and chests so the studio will have an ongoing campaign to get the word out about our search for portraits, photographs and 16-millimeter home film footage,” says Pat Anderson, the film’s publicist.  “In exchange for their use in the film we not only provide a duplicate copy of the image or footage restored on DVD to the owner but also provide a restored copy to the South Carolina Historic Society for their collection.”  
Accompanying the story will be music from dozens of renowned artists, including Yitzhak Perlman, singer/songwriter Edwin McCain and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  A portion of the soundtrack will also come from many of the churches and choirs. “This is a beautiful and moving story and I felt that a percentage of the music we score for it should come from within the city’s musicians and churches,” says Jarvis.
The documentary features on-camera appearances from noted historians, authors, politicians, architects and religious leaders as well as individuals representing families who have called Charleston home for generations and played a role in its history.  “Important in this film is ensuring that we include individuals with big Charleston personalities telling great stories that the audience will love listening to “Jarvis says.
Also included are an ensemble of acclaimed actors and actresses, including James Cromwell and Dianne Wiest who bring to life the dramatic voices of generations past from personal diaries and journals.
Premiering April 2011 the film will be submitted to approximately 150 film festivals throughout the US and abroad as well as tour 4000 colleges through the United States. Commercial distribution includes 848 Barnes & Noble Stores, 260 boutique bookstores,  Amazon.com’s eight international websites, Netflix and a multitude of retailers throughout South Carolina.  “On the local release we expect upwards of 8-10,000 throughout the community to see the film.  We’re working with both the City of Charleston and Charleston County to use the Gilliard Auditorium and the North Charleston Performance Center for the premier.” Pat Anderson, the film’s publicist  says. “High on the studio’s list is that this film be experienced by the community.   This is a moving story we’re going to do right and the impact we believe will be a powerful one nationally .  
To ensure the cost of a ticket doesn’t stand in the way of attending the premier, tickets will be priced in the $3-5 range.  The studio is also making arrangements with a local theater so those with hearing disabilities can enjoy the film.  
The documentary will also include two bonus tracks. The first, “Charleston – The Soul of a City – Classroom Edition,” will be specifically designed for educators and broken down into chapter-by-chapter episodes with online lesson plans, activity ideas, a unique search interface with the Library of Congress and archival sites, and other resources to help students delve more deeply into Charleston’s rich history. The classroom edition will be designed by 18 teachers throughout the state and made available to school systems throughout South Carolina.
The second bonus track, “Charleston, SC Today,” will be an 8- to 10-minute presentation featuring dozens of people describing, in their own words, what it’s like to live, work and play in the Holy City.
Throughout production the studio will present three community events:  
The Charleston Historic Lecture Series
The Angels in Flight Concert
The Charleston Kids History Scavenger Hunt.
To see the trailer, make a tax-deductible contribution or learn how to submit materials for use in the film, visit the website at  www.TheCharlestonFilm.org. or contact Pat Anderson at 843.270.6168
About City Film Productions
City Film Productions is a Charleston, SC based 501(c)(3) nonprofit studio developing and producing dynamic biographies of cities within the United States with a special emphasis on the 13 original colonies. Since 2001 CFPs founder Randy Jarvis had headed the Pinnacle Studios (Pinnaclerealestatefilms.com) specializing in the production of filmed presentations of multimillion dollar estates, historic properties, resorts and luxury master planned communities throughout the US and abroad.  Considered one of the top architectural filmmakers in the country his established client list includes Sotheby International, Christie’s Great Estates,  The Ritz Carlton, The Centex Corporation, and Sandals Resorts.  Since 2002 the studio has produced films on over $15 billion in real estate holdings throughout the US and abroad.

Contact: Patty Anderson/843.270.6168
Studio: City Film Productions
Website: Thecharlestonfilm.org