Movie Maker, Terry McCullough, of Reilly Springs, gets everything right with the camera, on location
near Running Creek, for his recent shoot in Reilly Springs.

 

Movie Making in Reilly Springs

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Local production and make-up assistant, Brittany Harry, designs some
grain for an "in studio" shoot, for making the commercial.

 

 

"Lights, Action, Camera!" That's the sounds that were being heard, where? Running Creek Bottom? You've got to be kidding! Who would make a movie in the remote stretches of a tiny little creek, down a back road, in Southern Hopkins County?

Well, that's exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago, when Terry McCullough Productions made the decision to "come home" and make a movie, using local locations and local actors. The project involved a food commercial for Pepsico and now that Terry and his wife, Leslie, have moved to Reilly Springs, they decided to use local talent and local scenery to film the international movie. "We've known for a long, long time just how beautiful it is in Hopkins County, and the longer we lived here, the more we realized that it made sense to use some of the beautiful scenery in our work," expressed Terry. "And, the Pepsico Project came along, and it was the perfect project to start the process. We plan on making more, here in Hopkins County, simply for the convenience it is to us to produce, and when you  have all of these gorgeous locations, right in your back yard, it wouldn't make sense to travel somewhere else!"

 

Local young model, Hannah Morrill, poses prettily for this shoot
on the banks of Running Creek.

 

 

"And, of course, you wonder about the talent," inserted Leslie. "But, with the help of friends, neighbors, and local connections, we were able to find plenty of people to use in the movie. Granted, some of them had to be coaxed into doing it, but Pepsico loved the results and we were really proud to use the people we know and give them the international exposure!"

 

Besides serving as the make-up artist, Brittany Harry managed to be the model in this shoot
on the Running Creek Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm past 70 years old and never thought I'd be appearing in a commercial!" expressed Dorothy Thomas, of the Sanfield Community. "But, when Miss Vera Harrington and Leslie McCullough came to my church and asked me if I'd consider being in a movie, I decided it was something I wanted to do! And, it wasn't near as hard as I though it was going to be!"

 

Leslie McCullough visits with Dorothy Thomas about her segment
of the filming, from location in Reilly Springs.

And, the shoot that international consumers will see from Reilly Springs.

 

 

 

Thomas' part involved holding a handful of Brussel sprouts in the early morning sunlight and being photographed with spacious pine trees behind her, from a location in Vera Harrington's pasture. "We were right out there in the middle of the pasture, with Miss Vera's dairy cows grazing beside us," continued Thomas. "There really wasn't anything to be scared of and Terry made you feel like you had done it all of your life!"

Then, Sulphur Springs High School student, Alex Burney, was the next to lend his talent, and his involvement required just a little bit more preparation. Alex had to stand still while the make-up artist "dirtied-up" his shirt, and then just as he got ready to have his shot made, she sprayed him in the face with a mist of water. "I knew the water was coming, but your really can't prepare for it," advised Alex. "However, it was kinda fun to do the shoot and I'd definitely do it again. I'm excited about seeing the results on film, when the commercial is completed!"

 

Local high school student, Alex Burney, as he appeared in the commercial.

 

Make-up artist, Brittany Harry, gets Alex and the props ready for the shoot.

 

 

"Alex was a natural blonde and lent well to a Norweigian look," advised Terry McCullough. "We had him holding a basket of apples and had a rusty old barn in the background that added the flavor of possibly being in the Pacific Northwest or a New England setting, where autumn apples are being harvested. And, the water mist made it look like Alex had been picking apples all day long, and was bringing in the harvest."

 

 

 

"We used models from 9 to almost 90, in these shoots and got some great, great shots!" advised Terry. "They absolutely did great and we got just what we wanted. Pepsico has a quality commercial and we filmed it right here in rural Hopkins County!"

 

Terry McCullough demonstrates to this local model what he wants
in the shoot, near Running Creek, east of Reilly Springs.

 

And, the desired shot......

 

McCullough and his technicians also did several still shots from the studio, to add to the commercial, using grains, seeds, and other props, as well as using some other footage from location in other parts of the country, from their extensive library. "We've shot all over the world, so we have footage that we can add where it is needed to complement the local locations," advised Leslie.

"We want to thank all of the models and property owners who offered their services and talents in making this first production such a success," continued Terry and Leslie. "It was great to shoot it here at home and great to possibly shoot the first international commercial project, ever made in Hopkins County!"

 

Reilly Springs dairywoman, Vera Harrington, allowed her property to
be used for the shoots, but "declined" to be in the movie!

 

 

Reilly Springs resident, Artie Mae Bailey, posed for this shot in
Reilly Springs.

 

 

 

Terry McCullough Productions, Inc. (TMP) is a full service production company from concept, script, and shoot to screen finish. They are in their 30th year of business and are delighted to announce that they have consolidated offices in Dallas and Tyler to one single location in Reilly Springs, Texas, Hopkins County.

 

They have produced films that have taken them all over the world...from the tea and rice plantations of Jakarta and East Java...the exotic beaches of Bali.... filming off the Sampan boats in Hong Kong.... metropolitan Melbourne, Australia to the Great Barrier Reefs...the lush jungles of South America from Rio to Sao Paulo...the volcanoes and interesting animals of Costa Rica. And, they have had the pleasure of filming in most large cities in the US.

 

Recent projects have included the reveal of two full size helicopter and a Cirque Productions aerial act for Bell Helicopter...International films for L’Oreal USA in NYC...Tourism films for Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau...commercials for Cavender’s Boot City and Overhead Door...medical films for Baylor, Good Shepherd, and East Texas Medical...marketing films for The Ritz-Carlton, Verizon, and West Palm Beach.

 

Documentaries for the Galt Archeological Site in Bell County...The SPCA of Texas, Lisa Landry Childress Foundation.

 

Museum projects included Rameses, Soviet Space, and Catherine-the-Great, The Institute of Texan Cultures and The Science Place, Dallas.

 

This most recent project included an international film for Pepsico’s international summit meeting, and was presented last week at the Westin in Dallas to 100 of Pepsico’s top national and internatiuonal executives. The films concept, created by Terry McCullough was titled “The Art of the Harvest”. The film had original music and many of the fall scenes we filmed in the Reilly Springs Community using Hopkins County talent. Other scenes came from TMP’s extensive film library from wheat being harvested in the Heartland, to the terraced rice fields of Asia. The films debut was a great success.

 

 

 

TMP has been graced with over 60 industry awards including the prestigious Gold and Silver Medals from the New York Festivals.

 

 

And, it's gorgeous scenes like these that attracted Terry McCullough Productions to film the commercial
in the local Reilly Springs area.

 

 

 

 

Production Staff and Crew include:

 

Terry McCullough—

Creative Director / Cinematographer

He attended college at The University of Texas at Arlington and Visuals Studies (SUNY, Southern University of New York at Stony Brook---Rochester, NY). He is a ward winning cinematographer and abstract expressionistic painter. Terry is the lead creative on all TMP projects.

 

 

Leslie McCullough—

Vice-President Executive Producer / Line Producer

Leslie attended SMU and was one of the top commercial music producers in Dallas. Her extensive background includes music jingles, producing TV Commercials, and has been leading the TMP team since 1998. Her client includes Tony Roma’s, Chili’s, Power Aid, Fina, NASCAR, Clint Black, Coca Cola, and Pepsi. She is able to control films crew from four people to sixty.

 

Susan Leonard

Senior Art Director---Effects Animator

Susan has worked for TMP for 22 years. Her technical skill sets allow her to produce all of the motion graphics and film special effects on the screen.

 

 

Pat Blackard

Director of Photography / Gaffer / Cinematographer

Pat, Leslie, and Terry have traveled the world together from Sweden to Canada...South America to Asia. Pat functions as lighting director and as second camera on all TMP shoots. He has worked on such blockbuster movies as The Alamo, Friday Night Lights movie and series, The Fourth of July, JFK, Any Given Sunday and many others.

 

"We're already looking forward to a new project, working again with NASA, and have hopes of bringing another shoot and project to Hopkins County, in the near future," advised Terry McCullough. "We're excited about being in Hopkins County and use the local resources to make movies!"

 

Make-up, the movie board, and all the props.....it's moviemaking in Reilly Springs!!!

 

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