Since teenagers make up a significant majority of moviegoers, flicks about high school often light up the silver screen.
Some of our favorite films set in secondary schools include comedies such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Clueless” “and “Napoleon Dynamite” as well as dramas like “Dead Poets’ Society,” “Blackboard Jungle,” “Stand and Deliver” and “Goodbye Mr. Chips.” There are also musicals like “Rock ’n’ Roll High School” and “Grease,” and horror films such as “Carrie.”
And we can’t overlook director John Hughes’ high-school handful, from “16 Candles” to “The Breakfast Club,” from “Pretty in Pink” to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
L’pool School of Cinema
Now, if screenwriter-director Jeremy Garelick gets his way, future films could be shot right here at the site of the former Liverpool High School. Also known as the Zogg Building, at 800 Fourth St., the 97,287-square-foot structure was built in 1928 to house Liverpool’s junior and senior high schools. The building’s adjacent ball fields stretch two blocks north to Sixth Street.
Last week, Garelick — a native of New York City — announced his intention to house the Liverpool School of Cinema at the 89-year-old, brick building.
Garelick’s Facebook page (facebook.com/pg/liverpoolschoolofcinema), stated that the Liverpool School of Cinema (LSC) “will educate aspiring filmmakers and integrate the community on many levels.” Garelick thinks LSC could bolster the local economy.
“We’ll exclusively utilize local vendors such as florists, set decorators, catering, transportation, accommodations, painting and carpentry, security, furniture, wardrobe, etc.,” the announcement said. “The anticipated use of community labor and local business will funnel millions [of dollars] into the Liverpool/Syracuse community.”
Impressive film credits
Although he’s just 41 years old, Garelick boasts impressive credentials. He began as an assistant in Creative Artists Agency’s Motion Picture Literary department before assisting director Joel Schumacher on the critically acclaimed “Tigerland” in 2000, and Jerry’s Bruckheimer’s “Bad Company” (Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins) and “Phone Booth” (Colin Farrell, Katie Holmes and Forrest Whitaker), both in 2002.
While serving as second unit director and associate producer on Schumacher’s “Veronica Guerin” (Cate Blanchett), Garelick co-wrote and sold “The Golden Tux” with Todd Phillips gaining the attention of actor Vince Vaughn who brought Garelick in to co-write and co-produce “The Break Up” starring Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston in 2006.
Garelick continued his work with director Todd Phillips, on the uncredited re-write for “The Hangover” (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis), which became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy film of all time.
In 2013, Garelick was hired by Screen Gems to direct the original project he sold in 2002, “The Golden Tux,” starring Kevin Hart and Josh Gad, under its final title, “The Wedding Ringer” (2015). That year, Variety magazine named Garelick one of the top 10 directors to watch.
Liverpool landmark
So Jeremy Garelick is a Hollywood heavy hitter, an up-and-coming talent who clearly knows the ropes, and he knows the Zogg Building will fulfill his film-making needs. “This particular building couldn’t be better suited for our venture,” the Facebook announcement said, and he promises to respect the building’s landmark status. “The preservation of the historic architecture is paramount as it will be ‘picture perfect’ for our films.”
New York State’s promised 40 percent tax credit and a 45 percent post-production credit certainly sweetened the deal.
The building has been for sale for about a year. Its last tenant — the Liverpool Community Church — relocated sold the place in August 2014 to Dr. Pramote Nakornthab, a professor of political science retired from Cornell University.
Nakornthab decided to sell the building last year, according to Joyce Mawhinney MacKnight, a senior executive advisor with Pyramid Brokerage Co., representing Cushman & Wakefield, a New York City real-estate firm. His asking price? A cool $1,295,000.
Garelick, who has apparently not yet made a firm purchase offer, planned to host a forum to at the Zogg auditorium on Tuesday evening, March 7.
Quaint village character
The director pledged “to maintain the quaint and quiet character of the local neighborhood. We will prioritize respect for the surrounding residents and take daily measures to ensure that the peace and quiet is not disrupted. The majority of filming will take place indoors and is anticipated to occur approximately 100 days out of the year. We will limit the filming to normal school hours.
“Furthermore we can confidently say that any and all vehicles involved with the films will be parked in the school’s garages, therefore not blocking any walkways or sidewalks, nor disrupting the flow of local traffic. Unlike most films sets, there will not be a need for large equipment trucks as all equipment will be housed in the building.”
The LSC will offer the community continued free access to the Zogg Building’s playing fields, auditorium, gyms and classrooms, and part of the building will remain dedicated to BOCES.
Last week, Garelick told a reporter he’s considering relocating his family from downstate to lovely Liverpool.
“We’re looking at houses, and I really want to move close to a lake,” he said. “I love that Liverpool is close to a lake.”
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