Local filmmaker brings NEPA to the big screen

Yahoo

a day ago

Local filmmaker Bob Savakinus is bringing movie-making to Lackawanna County, with an emphasis on showcasing local landmarks and drawing attention to the area.
The crew for 'Final Act' — the tale of paranormal investigators looking into the dark past of a historic theater who find themselves stalked by a mysterious, masked pickaxe killer — aptly spent Thursday filming at the Ritz Theater in Scranton.
Savakinus produced the project along with Jeff Miller and Rob Adkirson.
'I'm bringing partners in from outside the area to make this movie. It's a feature film and we seem to be creating a lot of interest in the horror world,' Savakinus said. 'Online sites have picked up interest just because we do have some stars in the movie from the horror field.'
One of the biggest draws of the film is various Lackawanna County locations that provide the perfect backdrop for the movie's theme.
'Because we have such great locations in our area, it's easy to sell the movie project to like this to filmmakers outside the area,' he said. 'We've filmed at the Brooks Mine, at Nay Aug Park, the Electric City Trolley Museum, the Ritz Theater, the Lackawanna Historical Society.'
The crew will also being shooting at Carbondale City Hall.
While the crew was filming at the Trolley Museum, Lackawanna County Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak paid a visit and presented certificates thanking the filmmakers for coming to the area and investing there.
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The 'Final Act' crew preps for to capture another scene at the Ritz Theater on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
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Actor Avaryanna Rose performs in a scene during filming for the independent horror movie 'Final Act' at the Ritz Theater on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
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Cast and crew prepare to capture a scene during filming for the independent horror movie 'Final Act' at the Ritz Theater on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
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Cast and crew prepare to capture a scene for the independent horror movie 'Final Act' at the Ritz Theater on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
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The 'Final Act' crew preps for to capture another scene at the Ritz Theater on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRPAHER)
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Savakinus pointed out the filmmaking itself meant an economic boost to the area.
'We are renting hotel rooms at one of our local hotels. We have 15 rooms and our guests are staying there for two weeks,' he said. 'So obviously there's economic development spending there.'
Producers are using local restaurants for catering, feeding a crew of 25 to 30 people every day.
The movie will also showcase Lackawanna attractions to movie-goers across the country and across the world on streaming services.
'All these places are credited in the movie, so people will know where the attractions are,' he said.
Although the project draws some major talent to the area, it also utilizes many locals.
'Your camera people, your lighting people, sound people, live locally,' he said. 'This is what they do as a career and now they have a chance to work on a feature film close to home.'
Local actors also have the opportunity to work on the film with bigger names from out of the area and show off their skills.
Scranton's own 'Chef Von' (Ryan Von Smith) of Gordon Ramsay's Next Level Chef makes a cameo in the movie.
Valuing local support and talent
This is producer Rob Adkirson's second time working in the area, and he's enjoying all of it – the filming, the people and the support of locals and leaders.
'We did a movie here last year that just came out on Amazon Prime called 'Bitter Souls,'' he said.
Adkirson lauded the value of production sites around the Lackawanna County area.
'But probably more important than that is local support we get from the local film commission all the way to state commission,' he said. 'The support to making movies makes it much easier for us to be able to make films.'
The local support is far beyond what exists in most areas, he said.
Actors and cast members new to the area are delighted with the historic nature of local landmarks.
'We're at the Trolley Museum now and people are like 'Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is here,'' he said.
Producer Jeff Miller said he enjoys the Scranton area not only for its great locations, but also for its friendly residents.
He thoroughly enjoyed filming at the Ritz Theater.
'It's a great historic theater,' he said. 'We were in the theater itself and also in the basement area,' he said. 'We made it look kind of creepy, hung some fake chains up and supposedly it's haunted.'
Miller said he even bumped into a ghost near the theater's restrooms.
Producers look forward to returning to Lackawanna County for future films and hope to some day film in neigboring Luzerne County.
Final Act is a co-production between Babe Entertainment, Cannon Fire Productions and Millman Productions.