{"id":281835,"date":"2026-05-23T08:21:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281835\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T08:21:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T08:21:34","slug":"behind-the-scenes-hollywood-comes-to-micanopy-for-a-land-remembered-filming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281835\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind-the-scenes:\u00a0Hollywood\u00a0comes to\u00a0Micanopy\u00a0for \u2018A Land Remembered\u2019\u00a0filming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swarms of lovebugs\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0keep Hollywood out of Micanopy on Wednesday as film crews raked\u00a0in\u00a0red clay,\u00a0dressed up\u00a0extras\u00a0and\u00a0built\u00a0covered wagons\u00a0to\u00a0shoot\u00a0scenes for\u00a0season one of\u00a0\u201cA Land Remembered\u201d TV miniseries.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Written\u00a0and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize\u00a0in 1984,\u00a0\u201cA Land Remembered\u201d\u00a0chronicles three generations of the\u00a0MacIvey\u00a0family from\u00a0the mid-19th to the 20th centuries,\u00a0as they endure\u00a0poverty\u00a0and the\u00a0Florida\u00a0\u201cCracker\u201d\u00a0frontier\u00a0before\u00a0rising\u00a0to wealth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tampa-native director and writer Todd\u00a0Wiseman Jr. said he bought the rights to\u00a0the novel\u00a0in 2021\u00a0and is producing\u00a0season one as a\u00a0four-part miniseries\u2014starring Micanopy<\/a>\u2014through his private company, Tobias LLC, with a goal of more seasons in the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Become A Member<\/p>\n

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.<\/p>\n

See Member Benefits<\/a>Join Our Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

Although\u00a0Wiseman\u00a0declined\u00a0to give a full price tag for the project,\u00a0the series received $500,000 from the state, funding from the\u00a0city of Tampa\u00a0and\u00a0private support\u00a0to\u00a0get\u00a0cameras\u00a0rolling this year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost everybody\u00a0who reads this book is like, \u2018Why isn\u2019t this a movie?\u2019\u00a0Or\u00a0\u2018why isn\u2019t this a\u00a0show?\u2019\u00a0And I was just the last person to do that,\u201d\u00a0Wiseman said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While\u00a0the\u00a0show\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0have a set release date\u00a0yet, co-producer Sean Valdivieso\u00a0said it\u00a0will\u00a0likely air\u00a0next year.\u00a0It\u00a0could\u00a0appear\u00a0on any streaming\u00a0platform,\u00a0but\u00a0it still needs a buyer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Filming for\u00a0episodes one and two\u00a0will finish\u00a0this week, he said,\u00a0and the crew will get back to work in\u00a0the fall for three and four after hurricane season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants their own\u00a0\u2018Yellowstone\u2019, so we feel really good about moving this up,\u201d\u00a0Valdivieso said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cast,\u00a0crew\u00a0and set\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Tampa-based\u00a0crew of around 200 members\u00a0has been\u00a0on the road for the past two weeks, filming \u201conly when the light is perfect,\u201d Wiseman\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Valdivieso\u00a0said the\u00a0first part of this week\u00a0was spent\u00a0shooting\u00a0a cattle drive on Payne\u2019s Prairie. The scene featured\u00a0over\u00a0600 heads of\u00a0Cracker\u00a0Cattle trucked in from Georgia\u00a0and nearby ranches\u00a0and\u00a0local \u201ccow hunters\u201d\u2014not to be confused with cowboys.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TVPhoto by Lillian Hamman TV extra Adrian Cox\u2019s (right) family carries a legacy of cow cavalry like in the novel.<\/p>\n

Many of the horses on set are blood-verified\u00a0descendants of the\u00a0original\u00a0breeds\u00a0introduced to\u00a0Florida\u00a0by the Spanish in the 1500s.\u00a0Extras include\u00a0trained reenactors\u00a0from\u00a0The Amaranth\u00a0Society,\u00a0some having\u00a0personal connections to\u00a0\u201cA Land Remembered.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Adrian Cox is a teacher whose family carries a legacy of cow\u00a0cavalry, as\u00a0Patrick\u00a0Smith\u00a0writes about in the\u00a0novel.\u00a0She said\u00a0she can relate to everything in it and will\u00a0play\u00a0the show\u00a0in her classroom\u00a0if\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0still teaching by the\u00a0time\u00a0it\u00a0releases\u00a0in a few years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This week, the crew transformed\u00a0Micanopy\u00a0into an 1850s town\u00a0in Georgia,\u00a0aiming to create a\u00a0flashback scene of Tobias and Emma MacIvey leaving their home\u00a0for\u00a0the rural\u00a0hammocks of\u00a0Florida.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u00a0raked\u00a0six truckloads of red clay\u00a0across\u00a0NE 1st\u00a0Street\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0golf cart-pulled covered wagon to travel\u00a0down\u00a0and\u00a0dressed\u00a0businesses\u00a0up\u00a0with\u00a0props\u00a0rented\u00a0from a\u00a0supplier\u00a0or borrowed from\u00a0museums\u00a0in Florida and Virginia.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Viewers can\u00a0watch\u00a0for an \u201cEaster egg\u201d in the shot as set designers decided to leave in a\u00a0green\u00a0elixir wagon built by a resident that reads \u201cMicanopy, Florida\u201d on the side.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some crewmembers\u00a0called\u00a0Micanopy\u00a0the\u00a0most\u00a0civilized place\u00a0they\u2019d\u00a0been on the shoot so far\u00a0after enduring the prairie and swarms of\u00a0bugs, just like in the book.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0went\u00a0to this place called Brahma Island\u00a0a month and a half ago\u00a0and\u00a0there\u00a0was a swarm,\u00a0like\u00a0everybody was enveloped by\u00a0them.\u00a0It was\u00a0absolutely insane,\u201d Valdivieso said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether each detail in the show is\u00a0historically\u00a0correct\u00a0is up to\u00a0University of Florida graduate\u00a0and\u00a0historian\u00a0Donald Saba. Saba wrote\u00a0\u201cFlorida Cracker History, A History of the Celtic Frontier Culture in Pre-1840 Florida,\u201d which aims to expound\u00a0on\u00a0the state\u2019s\u00a0history\u00a0illustrated in\u00a0\u201cA Land Remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PropsPhoto by Lillian Hamman Props borrowed from area museums transformed Micanopy into an 1850s Georgia town.<\/p>\n

Some key\u00a0distinctions\u00a0according to\u00a0Saba\u00a0are that\u00a0the story is not in the Western\u00a0genre, but\u00a0is\u00a0a Florida Southern\u00a0because Florida cattle culture predates Western culture.\u00a0The cowhands\u00a0are\u00a0cowhunters\u00a0because they use whips and Catahoula dogs to herd cattle\u00a0instead\u00a0of\u00a0lassos and\u00a0saddles.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat cutter set you guys did at the Civil War battle, I looked at it, and you know how picky I am,\u201d Saba said to the set designer. \u201cI\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0find one thing wrong. Gold star.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

After cleaning up the clay\u00a0on Thursday, the crew\u00a0will\u00a0spend the rest of the week in\u00a0Dade City.\u00a0Wiseman said wrapping\u00a0actors on Payne\u2019s Prairie has been the most special moment\u00a0of the project\u00a0for him\u00a0so far.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u00a0wrap an actor,\u00a0everybody claps,\u00a0they give\u00a0a\u00a0little speech, it\u2019s\u00a0an\u00a0emotional end\u00a0to\u00a0the roles for these actors who are either dying in the show or just\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0come back,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were all\u00a0great\u00a0people\u00a0that\u00a0have just really felt like\u00a0they\u2019ve been totally\u00a0immersed in the role and it\u2019s sad to say goodbye.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Costumes,\u00a0hair\u00a0and makeup\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Micanopy\u00a0fire station turned into a makeshift costume shop and studio for makeup and hair, surrounded by trailers for the cast members to escape the heat and lovebugs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

All morning and afternoon,\u00a0assistant costume designer\u00a0M.L. Hart sifted through a long rack\u00a0filled with\u00a0antebellum\u00a0dresses and\u00a0suits\u00a0and\u00a0bins\u00a0stacked\u00a0with\u00a0laced boots and cobbled shoes\u00a0to\u00a0fit\u00a0each\u00a0extra\u00a0and cast member\u00a0with an outfit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA Land Remembered\u201d\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0the first\u00a0film rodeo\u00a0for Hart, who\u00a0also\u00a0helped with costumes for\u00a0\u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u00a0said\u00a0a period piece like\u00a0\u201cA Land Remembered\u201d\u00a0comes with\u00a0specific challenges to conquer, starting with\u00a0accuracy to the book and\u00a0time period\u00a0itself.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"DirectorPhoto by Lillian Hamman Director and writer Todd Wiseman Jr. (left) bought rights to \u2018A Land Remembered\u2019 in 2021 for a TV series.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0costumes\u00a0for the show are a combination of\u00a0purchased\u00a0and rented.\u00a0The\u00a0rented\u00a0outfits\u00a0come\u00a0from\u00a0warehouses in Los Angeles and Atlanta, including Western Costume Rental, a company Hart said\u00a0does clothing for most of the period shows seen on streaming sites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hart\u00a0said\u00a0she\u00a0and\u00a0costume designer Elizabeth Bourgeois\u00a0tried to\u00a0utilize\u00a0as much of the local economy as they could. Numerous pieces\u00a0were\u00a0purchased\u00a0from estate sales and period clothing \u201csutlers,\u201d who specialize in historic clothing made in the style and\u00a0fabric it would have been\u00a0originally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used one [sutler] in particular called Rum Creek, and we\u00a0purchased\u00a0about $27,000 worth of cobbled shoes from the time period,\u201d Hart said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said using clothing\u00a0made during\u00a0historic\u00a0time periods\u00a0can be\u00a0challenging\u00a0because bodies were smaller and thinner than they are\u00a0today,\u00a0and people had much narrower feet.\u00a0Buttons\u00a0are the most\u00a0difficult detail to\u00a0perfect\u00a0because\u00a0new\u00a0plastic\u00a0ones differ from\u00a0originals,\u00a0usually carved out of bone and\u00a0wood\u00a0or\u00a0poured from lead and pewter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe primarily focus on our main characters, making them look the most\u00a0accurate, and everybody else we get as\u00a0accurate\u00a0as we can,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hart said tackling\u00a0the\u00a0scale of \u201cA Land Remembered\u201d with bustling towns\u00a0and\u00a0vast\u00a0cattle drives\u00a0is a hefty task.\u00a0Although Wednesday called for dressing up\u00a0roughly\u00a030\u00a0extras, Hart said she\u00a0clothed around 500\u00a0a few weeks ago\u00a0for a scene recreating\u00a0the\u00a0Civil\u00a0War Battle of\u00a0Olustee.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Various Hollywood hacks\u00a0can help make alterations on the day of\u00a0filming, but pre-fitting characters at the crew\u2019s offices in Tampa\u00a0are\u00a0the most efficient route, Hart said.\u00a0Ultimately, every\u00a0decision aims to create the exact vision Wiseman\u00a0has.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to give a distinction between the different classes of people,\u201d Hart said. \u201cSome people might have things that are older or newer, and so that kind of helps you understand the storyline.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once\u00a0fitted by Hart, cast members head over to\u00a0vanity mirrors\u00a0where\u00a0a team of\u00a0artists painted and brushed their skin with makeup\u2014alcohol based\u00a0to\u00a0combat sweat in the Florida heat\u2014and hairdressers styled updos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Makeup head Anthony Brooks said\u00a0the\u00a0facial hair\u00a0research board for the show included lots of\u00a0sideburns\u00a0and mutton chops, long\u00a0and\u00a0dirty\u00a0enough to\u00a0indicate\u00a0someone\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0been herding cattle for months\u00a0at a time.\u00a0Makeup and\u00a0hair\u00a0also\u00a0factor in\u00a0regional differences, such as Union versus Confederate soldiers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hair department head Rita Parillo\u00a0has worked\u00a0on\u00a0films ranging from\u00a0vampire features\u00a0to \u201cThe\u00a0Last of the Mohicans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"RitaPhoto by Lillian Hamman Rita Parillo (left) and Anthony Brooks set up a hair and makeup studio for filming in Micanopy.<\/p>\n

As a\u00a0method hairdresser\u00a0for a\u00a0pioneering\u00a0story like \u201cA Land Remembered,\u201d\u00a0she said she envisions\u00a0what it\u00a0would\u2019ve\u00a0been like\u00a0for each\u00a0character\u00a0to\u00a0live in the\u00a0time period\u00a0of the story and\u00a0style\u00a0their hair accordingly; no highlights or clipper cuts\u00a0allowed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be\u00a0a\u00a0little different for a\u00a0storekeeper\u00a0versus somebody with the cows out in the field.\u00a0The guys that have been driving cattle\u00a0probably haven\u2019t\u00a0even rinsed off,\u201d she said. \u201cYou just think of those layers of grit and grime and\u00a0kind of get\u00a0your head wrapped around what that would mean.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because Emma McIvey is one of only female\u00a0leads\u00a0for much of the story,\u00a0Hart\u00a0said the crew\u00a0wanted\u00a0to\u00a0accentuate\u00a0her\u00a0signature\u00a0long black\u00a0hair\u00a0and gave\u00a0actress\u00a0Lily McInery\u00a026-inch hair extensions for the role.\u00a0Still,\u00a0Parillo said she appreciated Wiseman\u2019s desire to prioritize\u00a0grit over beauty.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only real thing we haven\u2019t done is put ticks on everybody,\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The fans\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents from around the state\u00a0waited for\u00a0hours\u00a0to watch Wednesday\u2019s filming in Micanopy, including\u00a0Shawn and Heather Boorman\u00a0from\u00a0Fort White.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shawn said\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0read his copy of \u201cA\u00a0Land Remembered,\u201d signed by\u00a0Smith,\u00a0at least a dozen times, resonating with the story as a\u00a0fourth-generation Floridian.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u00a0said\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0excited to see how the crews translate\u00a0the hurricane\u00a0storm,\u00a0mosquito swarm and bull scenes to the screen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u00a0kind of\u00a0brings\u00a0you back to the old Florida, stuff\u00a0that\u00a0most people will never see again,\u201d\u00a0Shawn\u00a0said. \u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0been waiting forever for them to make this\u00a0a\u00a0movie.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anne McKinley\u00a0of Archer said she was humbled by the\u00a0amount of work it took to be able to settle in Florida, as illustrated in the book, and appreciated the hardships and resilience\u00a0required.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kathy Pickera from Belleview said she hopes the TV series\u00a0shows\u00a0people\u00a0old Florida, as opposed to the beaches and amusement parks people typically associate with the state,\u00a0giving\u00a0new generations a desire to preserve it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandchildren have\u00a0all read\u00a0[\u2018A Land Remembered\u2019],\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u00a0teaches them\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important\u00a0to protect what we have, you know?\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0not a lot of it. It\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0come at an easy price.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ShawnPhoto by Lillian Hamman Shawn (left) and Heather Boorman traveled to Micanopy from Fort White.<\/p>\n

\"HairPhoto by Lillian Hamman Hair head Rita Parillo (left) gives touch-ups before the cameras roll.<\/p>\n

\"CrewsPhoto by Lillian Hamman Crews turned the Micanopy fire station into a costume shop, hair and makeup studio for filming.<\/p>\n

\"CrewsPhoto by Lillian Hamman Crews rake six truckloads of red clay across NE 1st Street in Micanopy.<\/p>\n

\"AssistantPhoto by Lillian Hamman Assistant costume designer M.L. Hart (right) preps cast members for filming.<\/p>\n

\"AnPhoto by Lillian Hamman An elixir wagon built by a Micanopy resident will appear in \u2018A Land Remembered\u2019 scenes.<\/p>\n

\"'APhoto by Lillian Hamman \u2018A Land Remembered\u2019 fans Kathy Pickera and Anne McKinley.<\/p>\n

\"11-year-oldPhoto by Lillian Hamman Royce Hayward, 11, plays the role of Zech MacIvey\u2019s friend in \u201cA Land Remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ProfessionalPhoto by Lillian Hamman Professional cowhunters Billy Ray Hunter (left) and Jack Gillend mount horses descended from Spanish breeds introduced in the 1500s.<\/p>\n

\"AroundPhoto by Lillian Hamman Around 30 \u2018A Land Remembered\u2019 extras are dressed for filming in Micanopy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Swarms of lovebugs\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0keep Hollywood out of Micanopy on Wednesday as film crews raked\u00a0in\u00a0red clay,\u00a0dressed up\u00a0extras\u00a0and\u00a0built\u00a0covered wagons\u00a0to\u00a0shoot\u00a0scenes for\u00a0season one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-281835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}