A section of hallway at the Marshall Mall was transformed into a movie set Monday — complete with lights, cameras and action — as scenes from the independent feature film Skateland,” a Texas movie made by Texas people, were shot here.

Skateland is billed as “a nostalgic exploration about coming of age in small-town Texas in the early 1980s,” said Nicholas Jayanty, one of the film’s producers. “It’s basically about a group of friends wrangling with the challenges of growing up and having to deal with the conflict of small-town values and the new influences of the pop culture.”

Lead actors Shiloh Fernandez, standing, and Ashley Greene, seated, rehearse a scene from the movie Skateland Monday morning at the Marshall Mall. The movie, a coming-of-age story set in East Texas in the 1980s, is tentatively set for release in the spring or fall of 2009.

Producer Victor Moyers, left, watches as a stage hand applies sound retardent strips to the heels of one of the ‘extras’ Monday at the Marshall Mall. The mall was the setting for a scene from the independent film Skateland being shot in and around East Texas.

Shiloh Fernandez and Ashley Greene are the “lead” actor and actress in the film and they were the center of attention during Monday’s Marshall “shoot.”

Fernandez’s character, Richie Wheeler, is dealing with unemployment after the local roller-rink — Skateland — shuts down, according to Jayanty. In addition, he faces tough decisions about his future, his parents’ divorce and problematic relationships with his sister Mary, his friends Brent and Kenny, and Brent’s sister Michelle, played by Ms. Greene.

Michelle and Richie are high school friends in the movie, Jayanty explains. “He’s a talented writer and is trying to decide whether to go to the University of Texas or stay in his hometown and hang out with Michelle and his friends.”

Fernandez, 23, has been acting since 2005 and has appeared in a number of television series and feature films, with three of the latter currently in post-production.

Ms. Greene, 21, moved to Los Angeles at 17 to pursue an acting career and also has appeared in various television series. She is featured as Alice Cullen in the upcoming film “Twilight,” to be released on Nov. 21, and has one other film currently in post-production.

“The script for Skateland was written by Anthony Burns, Brandon Freeman and Heath Freeman — all from Longview,” Jayanty said. “Heath also appears in the film as Michelle’s brother Brent Burkham.”

Further cementing the “Texas connection,” Freeman Films is based in Dallas while Reversal Films has its headquarters in Austin.

Joining Jayanty as producers are Justin Gilley and Victor Moyers.

“We’re looking for release sometime in the spring or fall of 2009,” Jayanty said. “It’ll be submitted to the Toronto International Film Festival and all the major independent film festivals.”

Jayanty said Monday was the only day the crew was scheduled to shoot in Marshall, “wrapping” the day’s activities with a dusk shot in the mall parking lot. The remainder of the film will be shot in Shreveport, La., and in other areas of East Texas. About 30 “extras” from the Marshall-Longview area were used in the production.

Source: Marshall News Messnger