Moviemaking in South Dakota (Sioux Falls, Aberdeen: crime, hotel, houses) - (SD) - City-Data Forum

Jim Stokes · 12-26-2006, 10:04 PM

SoDak is a great place to make movies. We camp just about every year at the Palisades near Garretson. When we do, we always shoot some footage, if not, entire scenes. In fact, our NaturaLite Pictures release "Terror At Outlaw Creek" was based on Split Rock Creek, which flows through the gorgeous, mysterious Palisades. It was there that our two principals in the movie encounter "spirits of the land," which aim to chase all idle sightseers away. Although we shot everything in color, we rendered the movie in black & white for a sort of westernish/horror film look. However it's not a serious movie. We labelled it an "action/adventure/comedy." Although the movie is set in the "Outlaw Creek" area, there are cutaways to New York City as the couple travel from Minnesota to South Dakota. Those scenes were from another movie we did called "There's Danger In Romance," which was shot in New York City.

Otherwise, Garretson itself is a nice town. We love the coffee shop, grocery store and bars we encountered in downtown Garretson. There's also an awesome shot of the grain elevator we plan to use in a sequel movie. There's one particular bar that I recommend for people-watching. It's next to the newspaper office, as I recall. There were several tough-looking, hard-drinking Annie Oakley type gals there. Most people like to sit and sip and watch TV.

Nicest thing about all of South Dakota is that you don't' need no steeekeeng film permits. Just set up and shoot! Thank goodness also for the videocams nowadays. It's great that our expensive digital cameras look the same as cheaper amateur cameras, so people don't pay any attention to you. They figure you're just out having fun with family and friends. We used to shoot with the well-known Panasonic 456 news camera, which had the stigma of TV news, since it was for many years the defacto TV news camera. Nowadays, we leave it back in our studio in Minneapolis. And just mount our Sony digital videocamera on our big tripod.

Another great location is downtown Sioux Falls during Halloween. It has the greatest Halloween and autumn display we've ever seen. We've included some of those shots from the Phillips Avenue displays.

And of course, we have lots of VHS and S-VHS footage of the Badlands and Black Hills that we can incorporate in our movies.

Jim Stokes · 12-26-2006, 10:08 PM

Ohmygosh! Add three other great towns and locales for moviemaking locales in SoDak. They are Aberdeen with its storybook park, Britton and Newark. In fact, we are working on "Journey Home," which features scenes from those locales.

Jim Stokes · 12-27-2006, 10:39 AM

We had shot the last on-location shot in Newark, South Dakota. It was a chilly night in autumn. The scenario was that someone would drive up from off-camera to center frame on Main Street. The actress honked the car's horn and got out and walked into the headlights, which was only illumination on this practical (real-life) set. Then she greeted the pair of lost travelers.

So we got that scene shot in several takes. We ran the scene back on the monitor. And we were fantastically lucky. We could just about use the mic off the camera for most of the scenes. The rest would be cut-to close-ups.

So now we were all going back to our hotel in Britton. Why? Because Newark is just a skeleton of a town that it once was back in the 20s and 30s. It's a ghost town full of wonderful memories for me, the writer of this movie "Journey Home." Okay. So we turned off Main Street and headed south toward Britton. In our path just outside of town were a herd of deer! They were stunned by the headlights. So we all got out and coaxed them off the road!

english_teacher · 12-28-2006, 10:15 AM

My son wants to move to South Dakota after seeing that the temps were 20 degrees. We're currently in Houston and just chomping at the bit to leave but where? If you could pick the top two places to live in South Dakota, where would they be?

Before you answer that, pretend you're a teacher that's moving there cold and would need to find a teaching job FAST!

Jim Stokes · 12-28-2006, 01:58 PM

Hi english-teacher. I just sent you a HUGE email, which bounced back to me. Dang computers! I won't reveal your email here and allude to it directly here on the open board. I do hope the email got to you.

However of the two possibilities. First off, I'd stay east of the Missouri River. Although the west is colorful, there really isn't much great commerce and industry. The old saying apples. The Black Hills are a great place to visit. But I don't suggest living there. Most jobs west of the river are service jobs. Lots of people there are retired.

So it's the east side of the state for you. And my #1 choice IS Sioux Falls! It's got it all! A great road system envelops the city. "SooFoo," as we SoDak-ians call it, is the largest city in the state. It is very pro-arts, music and a live theater. The former block-long downtown high school has been turned into an arts center. It has TWO concert halls. YES! TWO CONCERT HALLS within the same building. And a fantastic art center on the upper floors.

Phillips Avenue IS the "Fifth Avenue on the Prairie" with charming shops and local statues adorning the avenue. Not just good art, but great art! And the former largest movie theater downtown has been turned into a live theater. That theater has great sentimental value. I saw my last movie show there before I got shipped out to basic training. Those were the draft days. And the movie? "Breakfast At Tiffanies." So where did I wind up? Stationed in New York City. First place I visited was Tiffanies.

Back to where to live in SF. I'd say south and west of downtown. You should also check out the "suburban" towns. Garretson has a brand new high school. It might even be K-12. It is HUGE. I've known people who have rented farm houses with an option to buy as well. Garretson celebrates outlaw Jesse James' famous 20 foot leap over Devil's Gulch. Had he missed, he would have plunged into a bottomless watery grave of Split Rock Creek far below. They've dropped a plumb line down into the water there and the plumb line didn't hit bottom.

Check out also Brandon, SoDak, which is an upscale town just east of SF on the Interstate and just over the South Dakota/Minnesota state line.

Another town to check out is Vermillion, the home of the University of South Dakota. It's south of SF. Take the charming road that goes straight to Vermillion from SF. It follows the Yankton/Sioux Falls old trail for most of the way. USD had fantastic English and music departments when I attended there.

I hesitate to recommend Aberdeen and Watertown, which are up in the northeast part of the state. Aberdeen does have an excellent college. I went there my freshman year. Not much in the way of commerce and industry. Many retirees.

So the cultural, intellectual and commerce/industry hub IS Sioux Falls. SF doesn't get as cold as the northeastern part of the state.

Oh then there's Brookings, the home of the South Dakota State College. Brookings is also a commercial/industrial hub as well.

english_teacher · 12-28-2006, 04:34 PM

Wow! I'm printing out all that fabulous information and beginning a job search in those areas. Outstanding Stokes, thank you.

Jim Stokes · 12-28-2006, 10:06 PM

Glad to help out! One more item. Britton has a new consolidated Britton/Hecla school. So you might also want to look into that. Industry is on the rise in the city also.

Living is cheap in the area. You can buy a nice house for $10K or less. No kidding. However there are no art museums, symphony halls or literary societies. You'll have to go to the Sioux Falls/Vermillion area for that.

However I just got something in the mail today from friends in nearby Aberdeen. That's just up the road 40 miles. The arts are BOOMING in Aberdeen! There's a cute little publication printed in Abdn that tells all about it. There's a revue of the new Britton Bistro, which features a reuben sandwich. I wonder if they serve a knish and matzo ball soup?

ElkHunter · 12-30-2006, 01:07 AM

First off. Welcome to South Dakota. Now, when you hit the state line, set your watch back 30 years. I don't mean that in a bad way. I lived in Dallas/Ft worth area and know what the life is like down there. I've also lived in South Dakota and there is a huge difference. First off, what you call the guy down the street, we call a neighbor and friend.

What I'm saying is that the way people acted 30 years ago in TX is the way people act up here now. We watch out for our children, we expect everybody else to watch them also. We take care of one another. Folks up here, after no power for 25 days never heard of something called FEMA. We take care of each other. We don't call and blame the GOV because we got 8 inches of rain or 30 inches of snow. We dig out or sop up and then go next door to see if they need help. It's a different environment. A friendly environment. A caring environment. If the power is out in your house. Get your butt over to mine. We'll put you up, and no, it's no burden at all. I might need it next week.

Also, when you hit the state line, shed your coat. Take the ideas of your state and throw them in the ditch. We not only don't operate that way, but we don't want to operate that way. Again, I'm not saying that in a bad way. It's just that we really kind of like the way things are. Course, I guess that why there's so many people wanting to move up here. hahaha

Jim

english_teacher · 12-30-2006, 04:53 AM

Sounds fantastic. Twenty years ago, I would've simply packed my car and been there by next week and inviting everyone over for coffee. Now, I've got more "stuff" and am thinking I need to find a teaching job before I go anywhere.

I've also been researching the Knoxville, TN area. Sioux Falls or Knoxville? My son just wants snow, I need more. Having good neighbors though is priceless.

Jammie · 12-30-2006, 11:38 AM

Gussler, I love your post. It's also very accurate.

Teacher, I'd say you have a big decision ahead of you. Sioux Falls is a nice place, but I understand that Knoxville is, too. If you haven't done this already, you may want to do a comparison of the two cities on Sperlings. You can compare so many things like cost of living, cost of housing, income, crime rate, weather, etc. The only thing I don't like about So. Dak. is the weather. I despise cold and snow.