Taylor Corley, Campus Carrier arts and living editor
Filming for the fourth season of the hit TV series “Stranger Things” has begun in Rome. Photos from fans hoping to catch a glimpse of cast members or props from the set were posted on blogging websites. REDDIT POST BY ChihuahuawithBoombox
Rome is on its way to becoming a hub for Hollywood filming locations. After this weekend, it can add two more productions to its resume. Romanoff Productions LLC and 21 Laps Entertainment were in Rome filming the new Marvel movie “Blue Bayou” and the hit TV series “Stranger Things.”
“Blue Bayou” is the working title for the upcoming Black Widow movie and its production trucks were seen filming downtown Friday through Sunday. Andrew Kirk, Key Assistant Location Manager for Romanoff Productions, sent a notice to several restaurants on Broad Street letting them know that filming would take place all three days from approximately 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. The letter states that the studio’s main concern is to ensure the safety of pedestrians and eliminate impact on local business.
Their shots consisted of road-side scenes filmed with a camera car that was driven at a moderate speed. There were no full or partial lane closures and all local businesses remained open. The intermediate traffic control took place on North 2nd Ave. from Broad Street to West 3rd St. on Oct. 4 and on Myrtle St SW to East 5th Ave. on Oct. 6.
According to the Rome News-Tribune, a camera car was seen waiting for traffic to clear at Chuck’s Corner as well as heading down South Broad Street near the Etowah Terrace on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. The production base camp was also located behind the levee.
21 Laps Entertainment was also spotted filming the fourth season of “Stranger Things” behind the levee, off 2nd Ave. according to a blog post on Reddit.com. Users posted pictures of recognizable cars from the show, including Hopper’s Bronco, causing a discussion in the comments about how filming would be taking place and whether the cars on scene revealed any spoilers for the upcoming season.
Casting TaylorMade, a casting agency who hires extras, posted a casting call for local Rome patrons, male and female, with vintage vans (‘80 – ‘96) who could attend filming on Oct. 4 at 4:30. The post included that filming would only last about four hours because the scene being shot takes place at dusk and needed certain lighting.
The production studio was also seen filming at the Rome High School football game on Friday night and they contacted Berry as well, but did not have enough time to film on campus.
“They did contact us about wanting to film shots of our football stadium from the street, but unfortunately they ran out of time and were not able to film here,” said Chris Kozelle. “We get a lot of inquiries about filming on our campus. Movie producers love our school and think it’s very pretty.”
Several movies have been shot in and around Rome, such as “The Divergent Series: Allegiant – Part 1,” and on Berry’s campus, including “Remember the Titans” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” It’s no surprise that even more Hollywood films are considering this area for filming seeing as though it offers a variety of locations for filmmakers to take advantage of the Victorian-era district in the city of Rome, rolling hills and rivers and urban and rural buildings.
Filming for both movies ended on Sunday Oct. 6. Marvel’s “Black Widow” movie is expected to hit theaters in May 2020, and on Sept. 30, Netflix officially confirmed “Stranger Things” will be returning for a fourth season, but they have not provided a release date.
