By Moses Leos III
Picture a world where technology as we know it no longer exists. Electricity is gone. The Internet is history.
Factions of those left in the wake of such disaster fight for survival. In the midst of it all, a family tries to reconnect, all the while trying to find out why the world suddenly stopped turning.
This is the premise of the hit NBC television show, “Revolution,” which relocated filming to Austin over the summer.
On Monday, Aug. 26, the show’s bevy of trailers, equipment and personnel descended onto City Park in Buda.
Hollywood made its way on to Garison Road near the low water crossing. For a four-hour span, the cast and crew filmed what will soon hit the airwaves this fall.
However, the news of their impending venture was just that for Director of Tourism Lysa Gonzales. She was notified on Aug. 19 that the show was going to film.
Even so, Gonzales was not fazed by the time crunch. Having worked with an indie film earlier this year, she had an idea of how to help the crew set up.
Gonzales said the crew had scanned locations around Austin, and felt Garison Road was the best place. The lack of traffic, along with a nearby train trestle provided the right setting.
“It fit the look and feel they were going for,” Gonzales said.
Earning notice from film and television companies is not new for Buda. In 2009, the Texas Film Commission (TFC) designated the city as a “Film Friendly Texas City.” It is one of only 64 cities in the state to have such designation. Buda is also the only city in Hays County certified by the TFC.
According to Mayor Todd Ruge, the commission is not currently accepting applications for future city designations now or in the near future.
“[Becoming a Film Friendly Texas City] is a valuable commodity for [Buda],” Ruge said.
Revolution is not the first hit TV show or film to shoot in Buda. The acclaimed football melodrama “Friday Night Lights,” also filmed in town.
The cast and crew of Revolution set up shop at around 4 a.m. on Monday. They began shooting at 7 a.m. and finished by 1 p.m.
Yet, before a camera was unloaded and a star stepped in the park, Warner Brothers had to settle several fees with the city.
According to Gonzales, the company paid $550 total to film near City Park. $50 was an application-processing fee. The reminder was levied for “disruptive use of a public park.”
Gaining revenue from a large production as Revolution makes it all worthwhile.
“I think it’s a good deal,” Ruge said. “To be a Film Friendly City is paying dividends.”
