'Black Sky' forming as tornado movie films around Oakland County

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A scene on North Saginaw in Pontiac for a movie being filmed there. The movie, thought to be call "Category 6", is set in a small town named Silverton, Oklahoma. Wednesday, August 22, 2012. The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON

By DUSTIN BLITCHOK
Of The Oakland Press

A worker works on the set on North Saginaw in Pontiac for a movie being filmed there. The movie, thought to be call "Category 6", is set in a small town named Silverton, Oklahoma. Wednesday, August 22, 2012. The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON

This week, there?s a Carhartt store, a family hardware store, a barbecue joint and copies of the Tulsa World in newspaper boxes on North Saginaw Street in Pontiac.

That?s because the north end of downtown has been temporarily transformed into the fictional town of Silverton, Okla.

Scenes for ?Black Sky,? a tornado thriller movie, are being shot in various Oakland County locations, including Pontiac two days this week and two days next week. The film?s production office is located at Michigan Motion Picture Studios in Pontiac, and scenes have already been shot locally at Oakview Middle School in Oakland Township, Oakland University and in Armada.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation approved tax incentives for the film project in June. The New Line Cinema production, distributed by Warner Bros., has been given a tax break of $12,105,139 on $40,730,908 of projected spending in Michigan.

Productions must spend at least $100,000 in Michigan to qualify for state film tax incentives. The incentives once averaged about 35 percent of spending during the administration of former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, but have been cut to 27 percent, with the state?s maximum payout capped at $25 million for all films during 2012.

The production of ?Black Sky? is expected to employ 461 Michigan residents, according to the state film office. The movie is being filmed entirely in Michigan.

The film?s plot centers on ?a group of high school students (documenting) the events and aftermath of a devastating tornado,? according to the Internet Movie Database. The official synopsis for ?Black Sky? said, ?the film throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme.?

The movie is being directed by Steven Quale, who was behind the camera for ?Final Destination 5.?

Stars in the tornado flick include British television and ?Captain America: The First Avenger? actor Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, known for her role in the television series ?The Walking Dead,? Nathan Kress of the show ?iCarly,? Matt Walsh of the film ?Ted? and Jeremy Sumpter, who played the character J.D. McCoy in the television series ?Friday Night Lights.?

Pontiac?s North Saginaw Street is closed to vehicle traffic during shooting, but area businesses remain open. Continued...

Source: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/22/entertainment/doc503551018218f921865198.txt

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