{"id":98206,"date":"2018-08-30T17:19:53","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T23:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/film-about-hunter-s-thompson-to-start-shooting-next-week-in-silverton\/"},"modified":"2018-08-30T17:19:53","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T23:19:53","slug":"film-about-hunter-s-thompson-to-start-shooting-next-week-in-silverton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/film-about-hunter-s-thompson-to-start-shooting-next-week-in-silverton\/","title":{"rendered":"Film about Hunter S. Thompson to start shooting next week in Silverton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=8c3ccaf3-9b11-42ac-aa6e-d2e0e8ca1cbf&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=8c3ccaf3-9b11-42ac-aa6e-d2e0e8ca1cbf&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=8c3ccaf3-9b11-42ac-aa6e-d2e0e8ca1cbf&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=8c3ccaf3-9b11-42ac-aa6e-d2e0e8ca1cbf&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" width=\"788\" height=\"539\" alt=\"Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson sips from a bottle of Chivas Regal scotch during his sold-out lecture April 5, 1991, at Fort Lewis College. A provision in Thompson\u2019s contract allowing him to drink on stage sparked controversy after the city of Durango issued the journalist a special liquor license.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson sips from a bottle of Chivas Regal scotch during his sold-out lecture April 5, 1991, at Fort Lewis College. A provision in Thompson\u2019s contract allowing him to drink on stage sparked controversy after the city of Durango issued the journalist a special liquor license.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Crew members working on a film about author and counterculturist Hunter S. Thompson\u2019s run for Pitkin County sheriff are starting to arrive in Silverton, and filming is expected to start next week.<\/p>\n<p>Silverton is the primary filming location for \u201cFreak Power,\u201d the story of Thompson\u2019s bizarre campaign for office in the 1970s. Known as the founder of the \u201cgonzo journalist\u201d movement, which claims no objectivity, Thompson wanted to be sheriff in a mostly conservative county \u2013 where Aspen is the county seat \u2013 that he felt needed to be transformed into a place that welcomed rebels and activists. One of his platforms, for instance, was to \u201csavagely \u2026 harass all those engaged in any form of land-rape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2014\/06\/when-hunter-s-thompson-ran-for-sheriff-of-aspen\/372949\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thompson narrowly lost his bid<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Silverton will stand in for Aspen in the 1970s after several hotels in the area vied to be the filming location. Jay Bulger will play Hunter S. Thompson. Don Johnson and Susan Sarandon also will star in the movie.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2bGR0Jlo3Po\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThey (the film\u2019s production team) specifically had asked for a hotel that would look like the Hotel Jerome in the 1970s that is located in Aspen,\u201d Stephani Burditt, office manager for Region 9 Economic Development of Southwest Colorado, told The Durango Herald in December 2016. Ultimately, Silverton fit the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Hotel Jerome was a dive bar in Aspen in the \u201970s, but it has undergone so many renovations over the years it no longer resembles the interior during the time Thompson lived in the area.<\/p>\n<p>Silverton will be home to about 90 members of the film\u2019s crew for about six weeks, said DeAnne Gallegos, executive director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n<p>Director Bobby Kennedy III, grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, received a $300,000 rebate from Colorado\u2019s Economic Development Commission to shoot the film. Kennedy settled on shooting in Silverton after interviewing those who knew Thompson, said Rebecca Bertot, costume designer for the film.<\/p>\n<p>Silverton has made a concerted effort to recruit films to help diversify the local economy, and it seems to be paying off, Gallegos said.<\/p>\n<p>It is the latest in a series of movies to be filmed in Silverton. Gallegos expects there will be many more because the town has so much to offer film crews.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are still raw and real and true,\u201d Gallegos said.<\/p>\n<p>The town offers great value for filmmakers because of its natural beauty, Bertot said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can shoot a movie with a smaller budget and make it look like you spent 10 times the amount,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=adc6a95d-53e2-4549-9476-70b7f802fad1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=adc6a95d-53e2-4549-9476-70b7f802fad1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=adc6a95d-53e2-4549-9476-70b7f802fad1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=adc6a95d-53e2-4549-9476-70b7f802fad1&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" alt=\"A movie about Hunter S. Thompson\u2019s bid to be sheriff of Pitkin County in the 1970s will start filming in Silverton next week.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A movie about Hunter S. Thompson\u2019s bid to be sheriff of Pitkin County in the 1970s will start filming in Silverton next week.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>But its remoteness also creates some challenges for the costume designer. Bertot has spent the last 2\u00bd weeks chasing down props in local thrift stores. She found some needed items in the Silverton theater group\u2019s storage container parked in the woods.<\/p>\n<p>One of the biggest challenges with any movie is finding uniforms from the correct era because law enforcement departments tend not to keep them. But for this film, Sheriff Bruce Conrad, who is working as a co-producer on the film, provided 1970s uniforms kept in the San Juan County Courthouse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has an eye for design and an eye for a vintage things,\u201d Bertot said.<\/p>\n<p>There are some items, such as a medallion Thompson wore constantly, that might have to be made for the film, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Bertot moved to Silverton after working on a film last year. She said there is a lot of potential for the town to attract more films.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am hoping this is the beginning of a trend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Familiar Silverton landmarks such as the American Legion, Grand Imperial Hotel, Silverton Town Hall and the San Juan County Courthouse may make appearances in \u201cFreak Power,\u201d Gallegos said. Familiar faces are also likely to pop up because the film is recruiting more than 100 extras, Bertot said.<\/p>\n<p>Those interested in appearing as an extra can email <a href=\"mailto:pcfreakpower@gmail.com\">pcfreakpower@gmail.com<\/a> and include a snapshot of themselves.<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\"><a href=\"mailto:mshinn@durangoherald.com\">mshinn@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mountain town standing in for 1970s Aspen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[431,1167,13,327],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-98206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-business-general","tag-exclude-homepage-video","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-silverton"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98206"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=98206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}