Newcastle Tunnel plays key role in new movie

Move over Foresthill Bridge. Here comes the Newcastle Tunnel.The Taylor Road tunnel, which runs under the Union Pacific railroad tracks near downtown Newcastle, is the setting for a key scene in ?Elsa Letterseed,? a locally produced, independent film that its makers have high hopes for.Following a path carved out by ?The Blair Witch Project? ? an independent film that cost $35,000 to make and grossed $248 million worldwide ? ?Elsa Letterseed? will premiere Aug. 20 and 21 at Sacramento?s Crest Theatre. After that, director-writer Sarah Kreutz will be taking a reel to the Sundance Film Festival in October in hopes of attracting a distribution deal to bring the film to wider audiences at art house theaters.While the 730-foot-high Foresthill Bridge across the north fork of the American River canyon dwarfs other nearby locations cinematically, the Newcastle Tunnel provides a focal point for a key ?Elsa Letterseed? scene.?It?s one of the more suspenseful scenes and involves an unexpected twist,? Kreutz said.Although Kreutz declined to divulge details of the tunnel scene, she did say it is one of the best in the two-hour movie. Filming in Newcastle took place in June 2002 over a day. The film itself took 11 months to complete at a cost of $125,000.The ?Elsa Letterseed? story surrounds a former child violin prodigy?s efforts to exist in the real world after a lengthy stay in a mental institution. Landy Hardy, the film?s director of photography, lives in Loomis and approached Kreutz and producer Mark Wells with the idea of using the tunnel.?He said he?d always loved the tunnel and wanted to shoot in it,? Kreutz said.Wells said the film found a community willing to put up with the film shoot in their backyard. Contractor Jim Dobbas was particularly helpful, providing parking on his lot.Wells said confidence is high as final post-production work takes place, sound effects are added and a musical score is finalized.?It?s not like any movie you?re going to see at a theater these days,? he said. ?It?s unique and interesting and very well told. And it doesn?t look like an independent film ? it has high production values.?The debut showing will be at 7:30 p.m. August 20 at The Crest. Doors open at 6 p.m. A second showing will take place Aug. 21, again at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. The production is described by its makers as a family film, though some images may be too intense for small children.The Journal?s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.