Area kids get tour of movie setatSun Center Studios
Chester kids get behind scenes look at movie biz on set of Kevin Hart flick
CHESTER TOWNSHIP >> The students gathered in the welcoming room at the start of their Sun Center Studios tour and the electricity of their excitement was palpable.
But what began as anticipation for catching a glimpse of a Hollywood star quickly transformed into the enormity of all the career possibilities attached to making a movie – for any position, in many capacities.
The students’ lesson for the day was they could, in fact, be a part of it all.
“We want you to see something other than Kevin Hart,” said Allen Lane, Sun Center Studios Operations manager. “We want you to see the background. There’s two actors out there that have 300 people supporting him.
“We want you to see that there are jobs that you never see before or even heard about that you can still be in this particular business,” Lane continued.
And, on that day, the business was unfolding at the Sun Center Studios in Chester Township as filming of the Weinstein Company’s ‘Untouchable’ film, starring Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman was underway with hundreds and hundreds of workers scurrying about like bees around a hive.
It was a scene the site had hosted previously – with movies such as “After Earth,” “Paranoia,” “Split” and “Creed.” The latter required 1,500 personnel just for the final fight scene.
In welcoming the students, Jeff Rotwitt, president of Sun Center Studios, told them, “We … want to expose you to the world of the creative industries. Everybody wants to be a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, a fireman, a mayor…”
“We create a lot of jobs,” he explained. “We’re an economic engine for the future in the terms of being able to bring a lot of jobs to this area of Delaware County and Pennsylvania,” Rotwitt said of his facility tucked into a business part in Chester Township.
As Lane explained, the movie “Split” had a budget of $8-9 million. It has grossed over $250 million.
That might just be one part of Sun Center Studios, as Rotwitt is planning to break ground on an expansion later this year that would bring a hotel, restaurants, specialty themed retail stores and a water feature like those seen in Las Vegas and in Europe.
It would also include a backlot alley and an indoor theme park complete with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, cutting edge technology and dark rides, just to name a few.
Construction is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2019.
Yet, the large focus last week was the vast number of potential careers available in the movies.
“Another thing we wanted to expose you to is it’s all fun to be a Kevin Hart but it’s nice to know about the full range of other professions that are in this industry,” Rotwitt underscored.
Lane agreed. “The guys on the screen, they’re fortunate to be there, they’re making a lot of money but the people who make it happen are the people who have taken the time to start from the ground and work their way up,” he said. “Those are the people who make it happen. Those are the people that make the magic happen.”
People like himself, who started out at Tri-State Sports Center and had to learn how movies are made. That learning process eventually took him to sites in New Mexico and Mexico on the sets of the initial “Avengers” movie and of scenes for Cranston’s monstrously pop-
“We create a lot of jobs. We’re an economic engine for the future in the terms of being able to bring a lot of jobs to this area of Delaware County and Pennsylvania.” — Jeff Rotwitt, president of Sun Center Studios
ular “Breaking Bad” TV show.
Or people like Jason Blumenthal, one of the Weinstein producers, who took the time to share with the students what his job is and how the production works.
Certainly, there are many, many other jobs as well – such as the gaffer and the grip, who handle aspects of lighting on the set.
There’s the transportation workers who are responsible for any driving needs that must be met.
Props work with their namesake, even up to sleek Ferraris.
Greens tend to any shrubbery or plants on scene and must keep them thriving for when the camera rolls.
On the tour, Lane stopped in front of what looked like an elaborate elevator.
“This was just a piece of plywood to start off with,” he said. “Literally, just a piece of plywood and Scenic was able to put all of this together. The attention to detail is really unheard of.”
The caterers for this crew came from California, Lane explained, and begin their day at 3 a.m. to make sure that hundreds of workers have breakfast by 7 a.m. Their day ends about 12 hours later, after lunch.
The experience gave all in attendance a new look – and appreciation – for the immense effort of so many placed into this industry.
“We’re used to watching the movies – at the end of the movies, at the very end with the credits, those are the opportunities,” Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland said as he spoke to the students. “They’re career opportunities for each and every one of you.”
That’s what he was hoping the day’s experience would provide for these students – exposure to the multitude of professions all involved in the industry.
“It also gives them an opportunity to see how creative they can be if they put their minds to it,” Kirkland said.
The Sun Center Studios president also hoped the students would see the incredible opportunities there.
“Some people have the looks and the personality to be in front of the camera , but there are hundreds of people that are all necessary to make a movie,” Rotwitt said. “Spielberg couldn’t make it by himself.”
That was a message and experience that left an indelible mark on the students.
Delighted by the chance of having gotten to see Kevin Hart, perhaps even more enthusiasm rested with the students with having a chance to come back and be a part of it.
“I liked everything – just to come here, the whole thing, just to even walk through and see the sets,” Chester Charter School for the Arts sophomore Jaelin Pickett said. “
Dah’keem Williams, a student with the Chester Upland School District, was impressed by how much the crew members put their heart into their job from the dedication of being on call to working 12-hour days or longer to finishing the job well – and on time.
The student minced no words in his goal of joining the production process.
“I’m hoping to intern here in the summer,” Williams said.
The students acknowledged that prior to their visit, they had no idea the gargantuan amount of work involved in creating a film.
“When you think about making a movie,” CCSA eighth grader Dikya Freeman said, “you don’t really think about everything that’s being put into it.”
Fellow CCSA eighth grader Ca’Nazha Young agreed.
“It opens your eyes,” she said.
CCSA seventh grader Skyy Brooks who’s starred in the school’s production of the Little Mermaid as Ariel and who’s preparing to be Jafar in this year’s show of Aladdin grew a great appreciation for behind the screens, too.
“My favorite part was seeing the sets,” she said. “It was amazing to see the people who spend months working on this and there’s so much time and dedication that goes into it.”
Brooks like her fellow students were quick to say they’d love to get one of the hundreds of jobs created as a result of a film being made.
“Probably,” she said, “just to get your name at the end of the credits, that’s probably the best part.”