Collinwood in the new Depp/Burton DS film

[Selby_D._Pearson]

Hi Everyone,

Please excuse me if this has already been brought up here in a different thread. I looked back over the current Calendar Events and don't believe I saw a subject suggesting it has been previously discussed, at least recently. (I'm ashamed to say I don't visit this wonderful DS site as often as I should. ) Anyway, if this has already been discussed, the moderators can feel free to delete or merge or point me in another direction. 

After the Fest this year a rather large group of us visited Seaview Terrace in Newport. As always, I stood in awe before our majestic icon. I asked myself (with all due respect to Greystone, the Doheny Mansion in Beverly Hills) how any other house could represent our beloved Collinwood? I also began to wonder about the new DS film. Who will make the decision, who will choose, the mansion to play the part of Collinwood? Will it be an actual physical house or a CGI? Will it be a chintzy looking model or a mansion with palm trees in the background? Will there be a real effort to search for the "right" house?

For me, I would love to see Seaview be the representation of Collinwood. I imagine it would need some computer embellishing to make it look spooky. But, hey, why not keep this iconic image in our new DS film?

How do you all feel? Should we find something else or keep this familiar, majestic structure as the home of our favorite TV family?

If, as I suspect, DS fans are overwhelmingly in favor of using Seaview, perhaps we could convince Jim Pierson to pass this message along to Depp, Burton and company? If Johnny wants to keep something as simple as the "Barnabas spider bangs" perhaps he would want to keep the image of the mansion as it was on the original DS?

I enjoyed seeing many of you last week. I also very much missed you guys who couldn't attend! You were in my thoughts!

SDP (Guy)

[Zahir]

The director and production designer will probably work together to decide on what their vision of Collinwood should look like, as well as what locations (if any) should be used.

Yeah, Seaview would be great but methinks that is largely up to the current owners.

[Selby_D._Pearson]

The current owners would LOVE to have their home be featured as Collinwood in the film!  

SDP (Guy)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Considering that the Depp/DS film will be shot in England, chances aren't very good that any house that's located in the US will be used for the exteriors of Collinwood. And as much as I love Seaview (and I LOVE it!), and as much as I love its use as Collinwood in the daytime series, with its architectural style leaning more toward French than English, it's really all wrong. It made more sense for Collinwood's original backstory in the show's first year (that Jeremiah built Collinwood for Josette). But once that backstory was tossed out during the 1795/76 storyline, the style of house that Seaview is was very weird indeed for an English family to have built.  

Actually, a year ago I was researching what types of houses in England might make for a good Collinwood if they decide to use an actual house. I never had a chance to get back to that. But by posting this topic, you've given me the incentive, so I should get my act together and get back to it sooner rather than later...

[frank b]

I want to follow up on Guy’s remarks because I was part of the group that spent two days at our beloved Collinwood. Right now, the current owners of Seaview, the Carey family, are living in a wing of the mansion. For years, the house was a dorm for a girls’ school, but the lease is not being renewed. So for the most part, the mansion was empty and Mr. and Mrs. Carey gave us the run of the house. We spent all day Tuesday at the mansion before having dinner at the Black Pearl (Blue Whale), then went back that night for a party in Collinwood. Having spent all that time with the Careys, they expressed to us how much they would love the house to be used for Collinwood in the Depp movie. All of us greeted this with great enthusiasm.

I am certainly no expert on what is a French or English style house, but I think Guy’s point is that the Seaview mansion is now, and will always be, Collinwood in the hearts and minds of Dark Shadows fans. Therefore, we would like to start some kind of movement to get Depp and Burton to use it for the movie.

Frank Borzellieri

[jimbo]

I also would love to have Seaview as Collinwood once again in the new movie. The only thing is that we don't know how far into development the movie is at. They may have already picked a mansion and booked it for filming unless they will just use CGI for the exterior shots and then Seaview would then be perfect. I have a feeling that they will be filming parts of the movie in a real house but who really knows at this point. JP may know but he probably would not be able to share these details.

[Zahir]

I think a very different scenario for using Seaview would be if the movie proved such a success that a new t.v. version of Dark Shadows was authorized.  Especially if the new series were on cable, a la True Blood, then the production company could plan on specific times to go shoot the exteriors at Seaview.

Keep in mind I'm not suggesting a new DS copy the style of TB, but rather that with blocks of twelve episodes or so it would be easier to plan the use of that location (as well as possibly giving a higher standard of show, simply because of a less frenzied production schedule).

[borgosi]

I would have to with Seaview also, be it a new series or movie, Seaview will always be Collinwood to me.

[Bobubas]

I have to agree that any architectural discrepancy's that may exist are irrelevant to not only the majority of Dark Shadows fans, but movie goers in general.  Seaview is, and will always be, Collinwood for me and thousands of other fans. Even though most of the filming will take place abroad, there is no reason they can't spend a couple weeks doing location shooting in Newport.

[madscntst]

I wish they would use Seaview, as well.  It'll be interesting to see what they decide.  With regard to Tim's history of films he's done, my understanding is that both Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd were done ENTIRELY on a soundstage at Pinewood Studios in/near London (Tim's preferred studio).  Even houses, shops, streets, etc. were all recreated in the studio.  Sleepy Hollow was (mostly) rural and Sweeney Todd was urban, so I would envision the look to more closely resemble Sleepy Hollow.  However, I do think there were some location shots done for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, and I know that some were done for Alice In Wonderland.  So doing some location shooting doesn't seem out of the question.  The other big question is if they intend to set the film in Maine (it'd be a darn crime if they didn't!!) and in that case, I would expect them to do at least some filming at/near the ocean, and I don't think that can be done in a studio!  So, here's hoping. 

I'm so glad that the Seaview owners are amenable to the idea, now all we have to do is convince Johnny, Tim, and everyone else involved in the film.  If someone wouldn't mind giving me Johnny's phone number, I'd be glad to make a phone call     

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, as I said, I love Seaview. I always have since first laying eyes on it - and I probably always will - and my love goes way beyond the house's association with DS. And I wish the proposal great good luck. But I won't be holding out much hope.    (For one, unless shots of the actual area were used sparingly and judiciously in the film, a sad reality is that the sort of CGI embellishment the location would need would go way beyond simply needing to make it look spooky.) But I'd love to be proved wrong, though.  

[borgosi]

If I remember right, on the commentary track for Sleepy Hollow they say that were some location shots done for it. The question is how do we get word to Tim And Johnny?

[JosettebyCandlelight]

The other thing to keep in mind is.... what sort of market is there for this film? The money that we can put in the production company's wallets by going to the movies to see this film and getting others to go and see this film is what the production companies/distributors care about most.

How VOCAL "Dark Shadows" fans are about how BADLY they expect Seaview to be in this film is much more a powerful tool than some of you might think. If we are vocal here, and on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.COM) and other areas that those who keep the Depps and Burtons informed as to what might "DRAW audiences in" then we might be able to make it happen. The key is to be extremely vocal on as many levels as possible and keep spreading the word.

We have to convince those that produce the films that filming at this house is what is going to make the audiences pay more money at the box office and that it will sell film merchandising. For example: "I'm so excited Seaview is the Collinwood in the film, I think I will buy that t-shirt after all....".

That is the only way to communicate with such entities. That's the only way they'll really listen, most likely.

What other avenues are there for the word to be spread on-line and elsewhere? What other channels?

[borgosi]

I don't think of myself as a good writer but if someone wants to write an on line petition I would be more than happy to sign it. To get the ball rolling here's a couple of places to start.

http://www.ipetitions.com/start-petition/

http://www.petitiononline.com/

http://www.petitionspot.com/

If someone, anyone would write one, we could post links and every DS site that we can find and on our "MySpace", "Facebook", and other pages then send them to Warner Brothers, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton, or at least their web-sites.

[darkshadowsrick]

It is a wonderful idea I think, to get a petition going, to try and persuade the powers that be in making this new D/S movie, to use Seaview Terrace for filming.  If we can just manage to get one petition going, and have hundreds of the fans sign it, get it sent to the right person, it might be considered.  After all, I would say that this is the time to do it, while such a location has perhaps not been decided on as yet.  I had read somewhere that Tim Burton wanted to try and make it as much like the old TV series as possible, and only this location would give it that authenticity.  I don't think hard-core fans of the original series would be too upset if the house did not meet the style requirements historically.  There was much imagination and overlooking of details in the original series!   That was part of it's charm.  One of the reasons I don't like remakes is that very often they do not resemble the original at all.  To me, there's 'nothing like the real thing baby', but of course any version would be welcomed to bring Dark Shadows back into the mainstream of public awareness.  And, I am sure that any movie that Johnny Depp would star in would be a hit.  That is one great factor in our favor.  Then I will not have to keep explaining to so many people 'what's Dark Shadows?' when I'm going to the festivals each year!  I hope the movie really does get made next year--it has been put off long enough-- and that Seaview Terrace will be the filming location.  I've heard from the fans that just attended the tour/party at the mansion, that the Carey's are very nice people, what a great tribute to them and the show, if the movie would be filmed there!  ~~Rick H.