Lights, camera, Mountain Brook: The city is becoming a popular filming destination with hopes of more to come

Over the past year and a half, Mountain Brook has been the spot of several filming locations that will soon make their way to the big screen.

“The Tutor” stars Garrett Hedlund, Noah Schnapp and Victoria Justice and was filmed at two different homes in Mountain Brook. The mystery/thriller follows a tutor (Hedlund) who, after being assigned an unexpected task at a mansion, finds himself struggling with the obsessions of his student (Schnapp), who threatens to expose his darkest secrets. The movie is set to release later this month.

‘A fun, cool experience’

Sara McDonald owns one of the homes where scenes were filmed. When her neighbor, Mayor Stuart Welch, asked if she would be interested in the possibility and she initially said no. But once her daughter found out that Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on “Stranger Things,” was one of the actors, she reconsidered. 

The cast and 50-person crew of “The Tutor” were at the McDonald home for three days of filming. The crew initially wanted to use her driveway (which curves and goes up a hill) for filming, but ended up shooting inside her home as well. McDonald was there during the filming, and she enjoyed watching everything and how the schedule changed minute to minute. 

“They really involved our family,” she said. “It was a fun, cool experience hanging out and watching behind the scenes and seeing how much effort goes into a 15-second time slot in the movie. They gave me a headset to listen in and watch, and the producer was asking my kids what they should do.”

McDonald said her children were able to see how many jobs there are on a movie set and the experience definitely “opened their eyes.” Her 18-year-old son even has plans to shadow one of the producers. 

She described the cast as “so friendly” and continues to keep up with some of them. 

“A lot of the cast would end up staying [at my home] during lunch breaks,” she said. “They found spots to hang out. Everyone was loving on my dogs and at one point, they were all jumping on the trampoline. It was a really fun experience for my family.”

The Hallmark Channel also spent several days filming a movie for their network at the McDonald home, where the crew turned her living room into a studio executive’s office. 

McDonald said she enjoyed getting to know people from all walks of life. As for whether she would have more films done at her home, she said it depends on what’s going on with her children and how long the shoot would be. The experience did, however, introduce her to the film industry in the Birmingham area and the opportunities and jobs it brings. 

“We've got such an opportunity to put Birmingham on the map,” McDonald said. “The producers and executives who came here loved it.”

Part of “The Tutor” was also filmed at Dr. Mark Clark’s homes in Mountain Brook and on Lake Martin. 

Kim Anthony, who manages rentals for Clark, was approached by Eric Napier, the location scout for the movie, about filming at Clark’s home. 

“We started talking about it and decided to use the [Mountain Brook] house to film the opening scene of the movie,” Anthony said. “The crew at the lake house was there for 22 days, where they filmed murder scenes and chase scenes.” 

At the lake home, which is around 16,000 square feet, Anthony said there was a crew of around 70 to 80 people, and some of the producers and directors stayed in the house while the rest of the crew went to hotels in Alexander City. A smaller crew of around 40 to 50 worked at Clark’s Mountain Brook home. 

“The gardens in the back of the house were critical to the filming, and the moldings and architectural features of the house gave an upscale feel,” Anthony said. 

She said one thing that keeps more movies being filmed in the area is the logistics of having equipment nearby. In Atlanta, for example, there are large warehouses of equipment that crews can pull from. She said the people from Hollywood thought the locations here were great. 

Although Clark was only able to be on-set for one day of filming, he said it was pretty exciting. 

Film Birmingham

Meghann Bridgeman took over as president and CEO of Create Birmingham in 2021, which works across all creative industries, including film. Create Birmingham serves as the film office for the greater Birmingham region.

“We work closely with all the municipalities in our region to make sure that we have a film-friendly culture that also protects our municipalities, our business owners and our crew members who staff these films,” Bridgeman said. “We really want to build opportunities for everyone in the film ecosystem, to make sure that Alabamians really do benefit from filming activity in our region.” 

Film Birmingham works with filmmakers coming from out of state and out of town, the Alabama film office and local filmmakers, city leaders and business leaders, Bridgeman said. They serve as a neutral body that tries to serve the region well so that everyone thrives.

What is it that attracts filmmakers to Mountain Brook? Bridgeman said it’s the unique and beautiful houses on estate lots that make it really film-friendly, and the villages also present unique opportunities. There are a ton of assets that she said she’s always proud to show them off to incoming filmmakers.

“The state of Alabama, and our region specifically, can become a movie mecca for small to midsize films,” Bridgeman said. “We are rich in talent, locations and resources. The film industry creates local jobs and revenue that have the power to spark transformational economic growth. Alabamians across our region and state should be the beneficiaries of that growth.”

Another film, “The Shift,” which is currently in production, also had recent filming days in Mountain Brook and other surrounding cities. The aforementioned Hallmark movie filmed on location at Slim’s Pizzeria in Crestline Village.

Economic effects

According to Greg Canfield, secretary of the state Department of Commerce, Alabama offers about $20 million in incentives annually, which makes the state an attractive destination for smaller film projects. One dollar of incentives typically returns $7 of spending within the state. 

Bridgeman said that movies typically film for five weeks and hire 60% of the crews locally. She added that not only is the economic impact of the local hires very important for the region, but there is a tourism impact as well. 

“They stay in hotels for five weeks, eat in our restaurants, rent trucks and equipment, so there's a big ripple effect,” she said. “When that happens more frequently, the more sustainable the impact will be. We want a healthy rhythm and reliable cadence of filmmaking in this region so that people could start counting on that bubble of opportunity.”

Welch and others are working with state legislative leaders to increase incentive packages because once the incentives run out, producers will move to another state.

Bridgeman said that Welch has been a huge advocate for film and has been “a wonderful influence and advocate in the Mountain Brook community trying to encourage filmmakers and supporting Film Birmingham and helping shape policy.”

Mountain Brook Chamber Director Emily Jensen said that the economic impact of the film industry is significant for local communities, and Mountain Brook has benefitted from the production of several films recently. 

“Not only does this create opportunity for location owners and our local businesses, but it also generates jobs for our workforce,” she said.