PORT TOWNSEND — Victorian architecture and an old-world flavor brought a film crew to town this week to shoot a movie set more than 100 years ago.
“A lot of places in Port Townsend have the right look for this movie,” said location scout Dave Drummond.
“We really like it here and would have spent more time here except it’s too far away from Seattle to be convenient.”
Drummond admits that Port Townsend’s charm exists partially because it is not a Seattle suburb.
The movie “You Can’t Win” tells the true story of Jack Black, a convict and hobo who spent 30 years riding the railroads and living out the final days of the Wild West, according to material supplied by the production team.
It is a “low-budget independent movie,” which means it is being made on speculation and does not yet have a distribution agreement.
Once the movie is completed, it will be shown at various film festivals in an attempt to secure widespread distribution, Drummond said.
Completion dates have not been determined, but Drummond expects the film could be shown at festivals beginning in January.
Filming, which took place at the Hastings Building, the Jefferson County Courthouse and a private residence, wraps up Saturday.
Mountain View Commons and the Cotton Building are being used for staging the operation.
Port Townsend was mentioned as a location last year when Drummond got a first copy of the script and came to town in order to scout specific locations.
He was aware of the scheduled downtown construction and hoped to complete shooting before the streets were torn up, but the movie was delayed while the street project was more or less on time.
There have been some inconveniences, but construction takes place during the day, and the crew shoots at night.
“We have managed to work around each other,” Drummond said.
“Everyone in town has been very helpful and welcoming.”
One scene was scheduled to be shot Thursday night in the courthouse, where a safe-cracking crime was re-created.
Drummond said some scenes in the film will refer to Port Townsend, but it is uncertain whether the location characterized in the film as Port Townsend will be shot here.
For instance, scenes shot in the Hastings Building will be explained as occurring in Oakland, Calif., he said.
The cast and crew add up to about 60 people, with most of them staying in Port Townsend, though some are commuting from Seattle, Drummond said.
“This film is doing double duty for us,” said Port Townsend marketing director Christina Pivarnik.
“Right now, it is giving us a boost by filling up hotel rooms, and since it’s an independent film, it will be shown in a lot of different places, and this will help to get the word out about Port Townsend.”
The film also has hired several extras, or “background characters,” to appear in crowd scenes.
Wynn Allen of Whidbey Island has some professional acting experience and got this job through his agent.
Gay Stover and Pat Durbin of Port Townsend came from a different direction.
Both are members of the local Victorian Society and were hired because of their period costumes.
“This is a lot of fun,” Durbin said.
“There is a lot of waiting, but we get to see how the process is done.”
In addition to Port Townsend, scenes have been filmed in Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Seattle, Tacoma and North Bend — all locations with a vintage flavor.
The Washington state schedule ends with Port Townsend. Filming will continue in Montana, Drummond said.
Drummond said Washington Film Works, a state agency that provides incentives for filmmakers to locate in Washington state, was valuable in the film’s production.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
