The familiar train tracks of Boone were the focus of Cornfield Productions' film crew, Friday morning on West 15th Street, as the crew completed shots that will be part of the upcoming thriller, "Peacock."
Though the crew shot footage for four hours, the overall duration of the clip will be approximately 10-15 seconds.
Line producer Brian Bell explained that the scene the group was working on is a "visual effects" shot. The character of John Skillpa, played by Cillian Murphy (from "Batman Begins" and "Redeye") has a train that frequently runs through his backyard.
After several takes from a number of specific camera heights and angles and through the use of computer editing, Skillpa's backyard will appear to have a train passing through it, though the train isn't physically there.
"It's movie magic," said Bell.
The train that was used in the film is one belonging to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, 225 10th St.
Fenner Stevenson, B&SVR general manager, was contacted by the Iowa Film Office in prior months and brought the two parties together, giving Boone its opportunity to appear on the big screen.
Stevenson also explained that the Iowa Legislature passed legislation within the past year that created greater tax incentives for the movie industry when filming in Iowa.
Stevenson was on hand during the shoot and was also present when a caboose owned by B&SVR was used for a scene filmed in Lorimor, Iowa, which is approximately 15 miles south of Winterset.
Stevenson, who has worked with film crews during a number of movie shoots, said that many people don't realize how much time and effort goes into filming a movie.
When it comes to the filming process, everything has to be specific. Camera angles, the height of the lens in relation to the railroad tracks, and even the speed of the train as it passed by were all key factors that the New York-based crew had to consider.
As if all of the nitty-gritty aspects of filming weren't enough, the crew also had to deal with the recent troublesome weather, which caused Thursday's film session to be postponed.
"They've fought this (the weather) the whole movie," Stevenson said.
Bell said the film crew began shooting the movie on May 6, and they will conclude the process on Monday. However, with video editing being essential to the film's overall success, Bell said the movie will not hit the big screen until 2009.
According to the entertainment Web site IMDb.com, "Peacock" is a thriller filmed in the fictitious setting of Peacock, Neb. and tells the story of John Skillpa, a soft-spoken bank employee (Murphy). When a train crashes into Skillpa's backyard, his split personalities - a husband and a wife - are thrown into turmoil.
Other members of the cast include Ellen Page from the recent comedic success, "Juno," and Susan Surandon, who appeared in "Speed Racer" and "Elizabethtown." The film was directed by Michael Lander and was written by Lander and Ryan O Roy.