Park officials urge studio to look elsewhere for movie sites

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK — Park officials have found 20th Century Fox’s third proposal to film segments of a movie in Acadia incomplete and have recommended the studio drop its plans to film in the park.

In a written response to the film studio at the end of this week, park officials said the latest proposal lacked sufficient details on which they could evaluate the request.

“In fact, we don’t consider this a real proposal. It is maybe a point of discussion, a way for them to ask whether there is any reason to pursue this any further,” Len Bobinchock, the park’s deputy superintendent, said.

According to Bobinchock, no timetable was given in the two-page letter from 20th Century Fox. The absence of that information, the paucity of details on other points, and public sentiment running against the project make park acceptance of the plan unlikely, he added.

“In our letter we told them … they might be better looking out of the park for another location. And I think they have,” the deputy superintendent said. He added that the film studio is apparently seriously considering other sights on Mount Desert Island outside of park boundaries.

Park officials turned down on Monday two other proposals made by the film studio to stage segments of a movie at Great Head, a cliff-bound peninsula adjacent to Sand Beach. Those proposals were rejected because of the project’s potential to negatively affect both scenic and wildlife resources in the park.

Plans for shooting segments for the movie “The Good Son,” starring child actor Macaulay Culkin, would have required drilling rock bolts into the granite cliffs, construction of a temporary cliff, and erection of wooden decks and tent platforms.

Park officials objected to the alterations required, claiming such construction would make a long-term impact on the area. Plans to transport props and crew via helicopter also were rejected because of the noise, potential impact on nesting and migrating birds, and negative impact on visitor experience.

The third proposal that arrived this week suggested limited filming in the Great Head area, with only a small “edge structure” required. No details were given about the size or construction required for the structure. Apparently, no rock bolts would be needed, but cables and slings would be. The proposal indicated several weeks would be needed for construction.

Other filming was proposed in the Otter Cliffs area, a section off the Loop Road that is typically closed to automobile traffic during February and March. No details were given on how many trailers or trucks would be required, although the studio apparently has asked to use the parking lot as a staging area.

Bobinchock said that even if the studio comes back with a detailed outline of its latest proposal, the park would have to hold a public hearing. Public sentiment this week, in the form of at least three dozen letters and even more telephone calls to park headquarters, has run decidedly against the proposed film project.

The park must initially judge the merits of any film company’s proposal based on its potential to affect park resources and users. If a project could be done without an impact to the resources, park policy is to hold a public hearing for those projects that have generated or are likely to generate public comment or controversy, Bobinchock explained.

Because no timetable was given in this latest proposal and because the film studio has not contacted the park this week about its decision, Bobinchock said park officials are predicting the company is actively looking elsewhere.