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Following the production of “Ghostbusters” last spring at the SouthField development at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, more major Hollywood movie business is coming to the area.
While Weymouth and SouthField developer LStar Communities signed non-disclosure agreements and cannot comment on what productions will be filming at SouthField, news reports indicate the two movies are “Patriots Day” and “Stronger,” the only two projects currently registered with the Massachusetts Film Office for filming in the state. Both films are based on the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
Development plans for the Naval Air Station had been delayed for years due to legislative hold-ups, the economic downturn in 2008 and a lack of funding, before LStar came on to the project just under a year ago, according to Weymouth Councillor Michael Smart.
An old runway and stripped airplane hanger were originally slated for demolition last spring. But when the Ghostbuster’s team came calling shortly after LStar took over, they saw potential in a building with 50-foot ceilings and quickly transformed it into a production studio and soundstage. The runway provides additional space for outdoor sets to be built.
This time around, with two movies filming simultaneously, Smart said an estimated 2,500 temporary employees would be coming to SouthField. The productions have been going to local businesses for services and asking local residents to serve as extras. Smart said “the trickle down effect” should be “pretty big and continue to grow” as the entire development does.
Smart said “it’s awesome” to see SouthField come to fruition and approach its potential after so many years of planning.
The town of Weymouth handles zoning and bylaw management for SouthField. Municipal Licenses and Inspections Director Jeffrey Richards said the town also handles the permitting for the film sets, noting that the process is “labor intensive from a municipal perspective.” Permits are issued separately for each film and for “temporary use of facilities.” Weymouth also provides fire and police services to the productions.
Smart said the town has been supportive of the new residential and commercial growth at SouthField, on top of the movie business.
A film production brings a cast and crew to the area for two to three months at a time – and brings attention to the SouthField development, a 1,400-acre site less than 20 miles from Boston that includes parts of Rockland and Abington as well and is still growing its residential and commercial segments. Matthew Barry, LStar’s New England Division President told The Quincy Patriot Ledger that the developer “will invest all the [film production] income into continuing to improve the movie studio space.”
Massachusetts has become a hotbed for film production, and nearly three-quarters of filming in the past few years has occurred outside of Boston, according to the Massachusetts Film Office. Facilities like SouthField provide more options for the types of films that can come to the state.
The state’s film crew base has tripled in recent years, according to Film Office Director Lisa Strout.
“We have quite a diverse location base, which is very important,” Strout said. “We double for New York City a lot.”
Other communities have also seen film productions recently. New England Studios officially opened in Devens in 2014, and the Quincy shipyards have also been used for production purposes.