Virginia is known as the state for lovers, the location of many historic sites and a national park. This year, it adds another credit - the place where a new and edgy version of MacBeth is played out on film.
Angus McFadyen is a Scottish actor and a cast member for TURN, the AMC series about American Revolutionary spies. That brought him and his ambition to Richmond.
“I’d been thinking about playing MacBeth for some time, and was trying to find a way to make it with not much money, since there isn’t that much money for low budget films these days and plenty of money for hundred million dollar movies with super heroes in tights.”
And as it turned out, he and his fellow cast members had a little spare time.
“They’re not in every episode, and they’re not in every scene, so many times like even Angus will shoot three or four days straight, and then he’ll have down weeks before they need him for the next episode.”
That’s Julian Pozzi, a professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s film program and a producer of the modern-day MacBeth that McFadyen decided to shoot in his new neighborhood - downtown Richmond.
“Used to walk around a lot and look at the buildings and places and just go, “God, this is so beautiful. Somebody ought to put it in a movie.”
He also recruited dozens of film students to light, shoot and edit the movie - at no charge, and he set many scenes on a very small stage - the inside of a limosine. Julian Pozzi and his wife had been shopping for a second car, and when McFadden said he really needed the vehicle, Pozzi made a purchase.
“I never expected in all my days that I would own a thirty-foot stretch limo. My five-year-old loves it. I’ve driven him once, and he’s 30 feet behind me, and he talks to me through the partition.”
In this modern adaptation of MacBeth, the 1997 black town car represents the kingdom and the castles where financiers commit murder.
For the students, it was a remarkable educational experience. Assistant director Bennington Grant’s been amazed at how much communication is needed before anyone shouts Action.
“I have gotten seriously about 200 e-mails this week just trying to plan where we’re going to be and end up.”
And Nicholas Atanasio, who’s served as script supervisor, says good organization is critical when you’re shooting scene after scene.
"We might shoot 51 on one weekend and then shoot 52 on the next weekend, and I have to make sure things match up, and then also to keep detailed notes on everything we shoot so that the editor can put all of the shots together.”
While some crew members were mere freshmen, McFadyen found they worked quickly, and fellow actor Samuel Roukin was impressed.
“Just because people are learning on the job doesn’t mean the finished product isn’t going to end up looking like a professional job. In fact, it will do.”
And students like Monica Woolsey hope this experience will pave the way for a career in film.
“I’m a first year cinema student here, and I’m already a second assistant director working on a feature film - it’s incredible.”
This could be the first time that a university acted as a production company for a feature length film, which also draws from the theater, music, fashion design, at and communication programs.
The university acquired the rights to this $600,000 production, and its executive producer is Rob Tregenza, head of the Cinema Program at VCU. They hope to show at film festivals later this year and will likely host a premiere in Richmond, with the stars arriving in that ’97 Limo with plates that read Lady McB.