Don't be surprised at the sight of a low-flying helicopter over downtown Buffalo on Election Day.
The black Eurocopter AS355 Twin Star with blue striping is here today with the crew of a Mark Wahlberg feature film to shoot overhead scenes of downtown Buffalo, the waterfront and Skyway.
"Repetitive flyover patterns at low altitude are expected," according to an email that went to law enforcement and other pertinent officials. The aircraft will be flying between 500 and 7,000 feet high and may have a large camera mount attached to it. Filming was set to start around 8 a.m. and will take place only during daylight hours.
Filming under the working title of "Holiday Road," the action-comedy stars the actor and namesake of the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch as a father who takes his family on the run over the holidays when bad people from his past catch up to him. Michelle Monaghan co-stars in the feature made for Apple Original Films and Skydance Media. This is the only day of filming planned so far for Buffalo; casting calls for extras have gone out recently in Atlanta.
People are also reading…
Buffalo is becoming a growing presence in the film industry thanks to its unique architecture and locations, a growing base of acting and behind-the-scenes talent, and the New York State film tax credit.
The 828-foot-long Stage 4, which took two years and $3 million to build, is longer than any in the movie-making mecca of Hollywood.
In 2021, a full backlot was created in South Buffalo for the "Untitled Cabrini Film." Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro shot some scenes for "Nightmare Alley" here in 2020. The blockbuster "A Quiet Place Part II" was filmed in its entirety in Western New York during the summer of 2019.
Director Fred Olen Ray has made multiple Christmas TV movies here including "A Royal Christmas on Ice," currently part of the new holiday programming on Great American Family. Other locally made films are "Marshall," "The First Purge," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" and "Cold Brook" from actor and former Cheektowaga resident William Fichtner.
There's also been growth with local film studios and sound stages. Buffalo FilmWorks recently completed a fourth sound stage at its Babcock Street complex which, at 828 feet long, is reported to be one of the longest in North America. London-based Great Point Media has started work on a Niagara Street film production facility with a projected opening of 2023.
The 828-foot-long Stage 4, which took two years and $3 million to build, is longer than any in the movie-making mecca of Hollywood.
