Decades ago, the CharlesTown outlet center on Turner Street was a thriving shopping destination. Now, with vines creeping up the discolored bricks, weeds growing and litter floating on the surface of the property’s pond, it almost feels abandoned. And that’s perfect for film student George Hamilton of London. To him, the crumbling multi-story complex has it all. Hamilton and six other film students from the New York Film Academy have been in Utica for weeks, shooting films all over the city – at the Polish Community Center, on Bleecker Street and in West Utica. “Utica has fantastic locations for many different movies,” Hamilton said. “It’s so welcoming.” The city hopes to build on its slowly growing reputation as an affordable place for independent filmmakers to work, the city’s Development Administrator Paul Buckley said. Several independent films have been shot here in recent years, and in October, the city hosted its first film festival. “Utica offers a multitude of different locations ranging from urban to rural, decadence to opulence, post apocalyptic to modern day all within a 10-mile radius,” he said. Buckley assists such filmmakers in finding locations where they can shoot in the city. In a way, these “working tourists” are helping the local economy, too, he said. They shop in the area, stay in area hotels and sometimes even hire local talent. But this is just the beginning — Buckley has bigger plans. “As the de ...
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Decades ago, the CharlesTown outlet center on Turner Street was a thriving shopping destination. Now, with vines creeping up the discolored bricks, weeds growing and litter floating on the surface of the property’s pond, it almost feels abandoned. And that’s perfect for film student George Hamilton of London. To him, the crumbling multi-story complex has it all. Hamilton and six other film students from the New York Film Academy have been in Utica for weeks, shooting films all over the city – at the Polish Community Center, on Bleecker Street and in West Utica. “Utica has fantastic locations for many different movies,” Hamilton said. “It’s so welcoming.” The city hopes to build on its slowly growing reputation as an affordable place for independent filmmakers to work, the city’s Development Administrator Paul Buckley said. Several independent films have been shot here in recent years, and in October, the city hosted its first film festival. “Utica offers a multitude of different locations ranging from urban to rural, decadence to opulence, post apocalyptic to modern day all within a 10-mile radius,” he said. Buckley assists such filmmakers in finding locations where they can shoot in the city. In a way, these “working tourists” are helping the local economy, too, he said. They shop in the area, stay in area hotels and sometimes even hire local talent. But this is just the beginning — Buckley has bigger plans. “As the de ...