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SCHENECTADY
Film crews say city’s a bargain Historian available to help scout locations for producers
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    At first, television and film producers came to Schenectady for its historic homes, the must-have set for the perfect reproduction of history.
    But now, even modern shows are filming here. As yet another movie production rolled into the city last week, its producer said the reason is simple: Schenectady is cheap.
    In fact, the city offers the equivalent of a half-off sale to producers used to the prices in New York City.
    Take a theater shot. For “Indelible,” the latest movie to shoot here, producers need a theater that looks like the Apollo. They first spent $1,000 on a five-hour shoot at Aaron David Hall at City College.
    They will spend less than $400 for the same amount of time at the GE Theater in Schenectady.
    They also spent three days shooting at a hospital in New York City. The cost: $6,000.
    Ellis Hospital agreed to let the crew run a three-day shoot in Schenectady for merely a “modest donation.”
    “And I don’t think $6,000 is ‘modest,’ ” said producer Melanie R.W. Oram. “The people here have been extremely friendly and it gives us a break on location expenses. It’s making a huge difference to us.”
    She shot 70 percent of the movie before hearing about Schenectady. Now, she sounds almost regretful as she describes the three days of shooting that must be done in New York City.
    Some shots have to be done there because they involve an iconic cafe that has already been used in the movie.
    “I can’t do those in Schenectady,” she said. ...............>>>>...................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00701&AppName=1