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An inconvenience, yes, but worth it.
That seemed the University's sentiment on the academic merits of having the
movie Patch Adams shot in part on campus this summer.
The film's cast and crew spent about a month here filming the movie, a
Universal Pictures release about an unorthodox doctor who uses humor to help
his patients. Robin Williams stars in the title role.
Filming lead to parking reassignments, a road closing, altered walking routes
and other measures to make way for the trucks, sets and equipment that
accompanied production. But the benefits of bringing a major motion picture to
campus outweighed the downside, said Bill Balthrop, chair of the communications
studies department.
"I think the inconveniences have to be balanced against the academic benefits,
and I think it was a clear positive," he said.
According to Balthrop, 15 to 20 communication studies students signed on with
Patch, filling positions such as production assistant.
"I think it's provided some extraordinary opportunities that would have been
unavailable otherwise," Balthop said. "They [students] were able to see the
making of a movie up close and personal."
Students in two communications studies summer school classes also enjoyed a
firsthand lesson, he added.
"You can talk about technique, you can talk about theory, but seeing what's
talked about in the classroom and how that gets translated into real-world
experience enriched the academic experience and intellectual climate on
campus," Balthrop said.
Pam O'Connor, press and marketing director in the Department of Dramatic Art,
said students there also benefited from Patch, as MFA acting students and
undergraduate drama students worked on the production.
"It's summer work in their field, which is great," she said.
O'Connor, herself an extra in Patch, said lessons weren't limited to
students.
"It's demystified the whole film-making process for a lot of people," she
said.
Summer School Dean Jim Murphy agreed the movie enriched the academic
experience of some students, but said the University needs to keep in mind that
such undertakings can compromise summer school's atmosphere by adding to
already-existing distractions such as building construction.
"They [Universal] were about as cooperative as you could anticipate this type
of organization being, but anything of that scale is going to be a
distraction," he said.
University officials noted that filming took place between Spring 1998
Commencement and the start of classes this fall, leaving the regular academic
year unaffected.
Universal cooperative
Mike Martin, University archivist, said movie-making is "incompatible with a
University setting" but added that Universal went out of its way to make as few
waves as possible.
"I was quite pleased with them," said Martin, who works in Wilson Library
where a scene was shot in the Rare Book Reading Room. "I thought it went very
smoothly."
Library staff accommodated the shoot--which involved about 3 1/2 days--by
isolating the film's crew and re-routing staff and the public. Martin said the
moves kept disruption at a minimum.
"It [the shoot] was a positive experience," he said.
Filming took place on main campus, and equipment and foot traffic wore on
grass and brick walkways.
Kirk Pelland, grounds director, said none of the damage is irreparable but
added, "We have a ways to go to reclaim it [the campus]."
Crews now are fixing brick walkways and reviving grass through irrigation
supplied by well water. Pelland said he plans to have repairs--paid for by
Universal--completed before the fall semester begins.
"We hope people can be patient with us," he said.
University crews helped the movie studio's production efforts by preparing
grounds for shoots, coming in from 6 to 9 a.m. to mow, irrigate and clear
debris.
"We had to come in early and get out of their way early," Pelland said.
As for helping with indoor shoots, crews mainly performed prep work, according
to Stanley Young, plant maintenance supervisor. His staff removed ceiling fans
and window shutters from Graham Memorial and seats from Gerrard Hall, among
other chores.
Young said campus maintenance will benefit in some ways from the movie and
pointed to painting Universal did in Gerrard Hall as an example.
Young and Pelland said they found the film's cast and crew cooperative.
"The people we worked with were very nice about it," Pelland said.
The real Patch helped
Patch is based on the true story of Hunter "Patch" Adams. Feeling on the verge
of a nervous breakdown, Adams checks himself into a psychiatric hospital, where
he mingles with other patients diagnosed with severe mental illness. Using
humor, Adams endears himself to them and discovers his life calling: to become
a doctor and help others.
The real Patch Adams visited the set of the movie, and he hopes the film will
generate exposure for Gesundheit Institute, a medical project based in
Arlington, Va. Adams established the institute 28 years ago with the aim of
integrating all the healing arts into a no-cost acute care hospital.
"The consequences of the movie will build our hospital," said Adams, a 1971
graduate of the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.
Adams' medical philosophy stresses the healing power of love, joy and humor.
He described his practice as "joyful and relentless service with humor as a
context to prevent burn-out and provoke the celebration of life."
"My story isn't important to tell--it's the ideas that we're talking about
that are important to tell," Adams said.
Adams met several University employees on the set and found them supportive of
his cause, some even donating to his hospital.
"The people behind the yellow stripe have been wonderful," he said.
As for the tree-dotted Carolina campus standing in for Medical College of
Virginia, Adams--who described his alma mater as "concrete and ugly"--said the
change of scene was appropriate.
"It's beautiful," he said of the University. "The oak tree is symbolic of our
28-year effort to deliver health care. From an acorn grows a mighty oak."
Patch Adams was the first major motion picture to be filmed at Carolina. The
University won't be identified in the movie but is expected to receive a credit
line. Other filming at Carolina in recent years includes part of a Young
Indiana Jones segment for network television, as well as a TV pilot called
Rough Cuts shot in Forest Theatre last September. Rough Cuts attracted about
400 students.
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