Seraphim
09-23-2003, 12:46 PM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030923/tv_nm/leisure_lynch_dc_3
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030923/i/1064335230.2684764275.jpg
The streets of Dallas, shown in this undated image, are transformed into a set depicting a street scene in the Iraqi city of Nassiriya in order to film an NBC made-for-TV movie called 'Saving Jessica Lynch.' The movie will air in early November, with large sections of the movie filmed in the shadow of the Dallas skyline. *******/NBC/Handout
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS (*******) - U.S. Army hero Jessica Lynch is Canadian, snipers loyal to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) crouch on a roof flanked by the skyscraper that was home to television's J.R. Ewing and the streets of the Iraqi city of Nassiriya are near downtown Dallas.
Welcome to the world of NBC's made-for-television movie "Saving Jessica Lynch" where Iraq (news - web sites) meets Texas in the telling of the 20-year-old Army private's ordeal in Iraq.
"That is the magic of movies that we are selling Nassiriya right below the Dallas sky line. We brought Iraq to Texas, and we made it work," said Dan Paulson, the movie's executive producer.
Lynch, a supply clerk, was captured by Iraqi forces on March 23 near Nassiriya. Eleven other U.S. soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the incident. Lynch was rescued by U.S. commandos on April 1 from a hospital where she had received care from Iraqi medical personnel.
Lynch, who was badly injured, was honorably discharged from the Army last month, a move that freed her to sign a $1 million book deal. Paulson said he had not discussed the NBC movie project with Lynch.
When production officials looked at what they quickly needed to do to get the movie on TV in time for its November airing, Texas emerged as the best locale.
To create the illusion of Iraq, several blocks of warehouses in south Dallas were transformed into Nassiriya by spraying sand-color concrete onto buildings destined to be condemned and creating removable facades for other buildings.
The area had once been used by a Japanese television network to film a television show about a notorious U.S. crime that involved the hijacking of a Kripsy Kreme doughnut truck.
Several tons of dirt were laid on the roads to give the impression of dusty streets. Markets were built in alleys and a bombed-out building was created next to a strip of land the Dallas school district uses to test its lawn mowers.
The Dallas set is a recreation of an Iraqi street scene based on numerous photographs and technical advice from a resident of the city who is a consultant on the set. Five weeks of filming were due to end this week.
J.R. AND JESSICA
But the folks in the editing room will have to work hard to cut out the Dallas skyline that looms in the background on some shots, including the downtown skyscraper that was the home of "Dallas"' evil oil tycoon J.R. Ewing.
Paulson said the film commissions of Dallas and Texas put together a strong proposal to lure the movie to the state -- as opposed to popular and cheaper locales such as Mexico or Canada. Shooting in the United States made it is easier for the film's producers to obtain the use of military equipment such as helicopters, tanks and other vehicles.
"I felt this movie should be shot on American soil because the film is about an American icon," Paulson said.
The American icon is played by Canadian actor Laura Regan, who said it is an honor for her to portray Lynch.
Paulson said Texas offered the appropriate topography for recreating scenes of action in Iraq.
The scenes of Lynch's hometown of Palestine, West Virginia, were shot in the small Texas town of Pilot Point. A dirt farm outside of Dallas was used to shoot close-up scenes of Lynch's convoy crossing the desert and a location near El Paso will be used for a broad shot of the convoy in the desert.
IRAQ FOR RENT IN DALLAS
When camels were needed for a scene, they were found at a farm less than an hour from Dallas.
Locals did not take kindly to a two-story-tall poster of Saddam Hussein that was placed on a hospital wall outside of Dallas that was used for the movie. The poster was attacked in a drive-by paintball shooting in which only one of 20 shots actually hit the enormous target.
The full details of Lynch's story have yet to be told since Lynch said she suffered a loss of memory after her capture.
One early media report quoted unnamed U.S. officials saying she fought fiercely before being captured. But Army investigators later concluded that Lynch was injured when her Humvee crashed into another vehicle in the convoy after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The NBC movie is based on accounts of the story found in the media and on the Pentagon (news - web sites) report on the ambush. Mohammed Al Rehaief, the Iraqi citizen who risked his own life to aid Lynch, helped in its production.
The movie is scheduled to air a few days before rival network ABC shows the first exclusive interview with Lynch, and Lynch's book on her experiences in Iraq will hit store shelves at about the same time.
The Iraqi street scene in Dallas will remain intact after the movie is aired, and some country music stars indicated they may use it for patriotic music videos that celebrate the war.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030923/i/1064335230.2684764275.jpg
The streets of Dallas, shown in this undated image, are transformed into a set depicting a street scene in the Iraqi city of Nassiriya in order to film an NBC made-for-TV movie called 'Saving Jessica Lynch.' The movie will air in early November, with large sections of the movie filmed in the shadow of the Dallas skyline. *******/NBC/Handout
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS (*******) - U.S. Army hero Jessica Lynch is Canadian, snipers loyal to Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) crouch on a roof flanked by the skyscraper that was home to television's J.R. Ewing and the streets of the Iraqi city of Nassiriya are near downtown Dallas.
Welcome to the world of NBC's made-for-television movie "Saving Jessica Lynch" where Iraq (news - web sites) meets Texas in the telling of the 20-year-old Army private's ordeal in Iraq.
"That is the magic of movies that we are selling Nassiriya right below the Dallas sky line. We brought Iraq to Texas, and we made it work," said Dan Paulson, the movie's executive producer.
Lynch, a supply clerk, was captured by Iraqi forces on March 23 near Nassiriya. Eleven other U.S. soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the incident. Lynch was rescued by U.S. commandos on April 1 from a hospital where she had received care from Iraqi medical personnel.
Lynch, who was badly injured, was honorably discharged from the Army last month, a move that freed her to sign a $1 million book deal. Paulson said he had not discussed the NBC movie project with Lynch.
When production officials looked at what they quickly needed to do to get the movie on TV in time for its November airing, Texas emerged as the best locale.
To create the illusion of Iraq, several blocks of warehouses in south Dallas were transformed into Nassiriya by spraying sand-color concrete onto buildings destined to be condemned and creating removable facades for other buildings.
The area had once been used by a Japanese television network to film a television show about a notorious U.S. crime that involved the hijacking of a Kripsy Kreme doughnut truck.
Several tons of dirt were laid on the roads to give the impression of dusty streets. Markets were built in alleys and a bombed-out building was created next to a strip of land the Dallas school district uses to test its lawn mowers.
The Dallas set is a recreation of an Iraqi street scene based on numerous photographs and technical advice from a resident of the city who is a consultant on the set. Five weeks of filming were due to end this week.
J.R. AND JESSICA
But the folks in the editing room will have to work hard to cut out the Dallas skyline that looms in the background on some shots, including the downtown skyscraper that was the home of "Dallas"' evil oil tycoon J.R. Ewing.
Paulson said the film commissions of Dallas and Texas put together a strong proposal to lure the movie to the state -- as opposed to popular and cheaper locales such as Mexico or Canada. Shooting in the United States made it is easier for the film's producers to obtain the use of military equipment such as helicopters, tanks and other vehicles.
"I felt this movie should be shot on American soil because the film is about an American icon," Paulson said.
The American icon is played by Canadian actor Laura Regan, who said it is an honor for her to portray Lynch.
Paulson said Texas offered the appropriate topography for recreating scenes of action in Iraq.
The scenes of Lynch's hometown of Palestine, West Virginia, were shot in the small Texas town of Pilot Point. A dirt farm outside of Dallas was used to shoot close-up scenes of Lynch's convoy crossing the desert and a location near El Paso will be used for a broad shot of the convoy in the desert.
IRAQ FOR RENT IN DALLAS
When camels were needed for a scene, they were found at a farm less than an hour from Dallas.
Locals did not take kindly to a two-story-tall poster of Saddam Hussein that was placed on a hospital wall outside of Dallas that was used for the movie. The poster was attacked in a drive-by paintball shooting in which only one of 20 shots actually hit the enormous target.
The full details of Lynch's story have yet to be told since Lynch said she suffered a loss of memory after her capture.
One early media report quoted unnamed U.S. officials saying she fought fiercely before being captured. But Army investigators later concluded that Lynch was injured when her Humvee crashed into another vehicle in the convoy after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The NBC movie is based on accounts of the story found in the media and on the Pentagon (news - web sites) report on the ambush. Mohammed Al Rehaief, the Iraqi citizen who risked his own life to aid Lynch, helped in its production.
The movie is scheduled to air a few days before rival network ABC shows the first exclusive interview with Lynch, and Lynch's book on her experiences in Iraq will hit store shelves at about the same time.
The Iraqi street scene in Dallas will remain intact after the movie is aired, and some country music stars indicated they may use it for patriotic music videos that celebrate the war.