COLUMBUS, Ohio — Filming for the major independent motion picture "Down to the Felt" has begun in Columbus.
The film is set to bring nearly $2 million to the central Ohio economy and employ nearly 200 local filmmakers in front of and behind the cameras for the duration of its shoot.
"It truly is an embarrassment of riches," said Cullen Douglas, one of the producers of film as well as one of its supporting cast members. "We have assembled a cast of 31 and, out of that 31, 25 of the actors that are going to be in this film, call Columbus home."
The writers of the film - Ralph Scott, Dino Tripodis, and director Jon Osbeck - have emphasized from the beginning their commitment to working with as much local talent as possible both in front of and behind the camera. However, to give the film the best opportunity for success, the producers attached well-known actors to the characters at the top of the call sheet.
Leading the cast is Michael Stahl-David who is best known for this role in the 2008 sci-fi blockbuster "Cloverfield" as well as "Narcos" and has appeared on CBS shows such as "Person of Interest" and "Good Sam."
Also joining the cast is Scottie Thompson who may be familiar to 10TV viewers from her recurring role as Dr. Benoit on "NCIS" and appeared most recently in the film "Murder at Yellowstone City" alongside Thomas Jane, Gabriel Byrne and Richard Dreyfuss.
"She's truly loved within the indie film world," said Douglas of Thompson.
Rounding out the main cast is Michael Weston who has appeared in films such as "Garden State" and "State of Play" as well as a number of TV series including "Home Before Dark," "Houdini and Doyle," "House" and "Six Feet Under."
"Truly incredible actors who are just coming together to work with the local talent here in front of and behind the cameras," said Douglas, who has appeared in numerous films and television series like HBO's "Barry," "Twin Peaks" and "Castle."
"People have literally opened up their doors to allow us to film at certain locations," said Douglas of the reception the film has received from the central Ohio community. "They're making themselves available to help plant our flag here in Columbus and say, 'You know what, Columbus could be - and should be - a hub for film production here in the state of Ohio.'"