Filming in the town of Tisbury for the ABC Family reality TV show The Vineyard will be largely limited to the Black Dog Tavern, and will require producers to work at a breakneck pace in order to meet a midsummer debut, show producers told selectmen on Tuesday. Producers for the show met with the board to discuss the impact of filming in the town; executive producer David Broome, 25/7 Productions vice president Yong Yam, production editor Brett Blakeney and film producer Karina Fadden were in attendance.
Filming will be completed “well before” the start of the high summer season on July 4, Mr. Broome said. The show airs on July 23 and depicts a group of 18 to 24 year-olds living and working together during a Vineyard summer.
“We’ve never made something this fast,” he said. “So we’ll be furiously editing while we’re shooting, and you guys will be seeing promos on the air while we’re actually still here. It’s not typical[ly] like that.”
After production wraps on the 2013 show, planning could be underway for a sequel season, Mr. Broome said.
“We’re actually hoping that our stories lead us here in a nonsummer, which is what I would love to do,” he said. “So we’ll see how we end that, but that’s our goal, that we actually come in nonseason and [then] third season again the following summer.”
In a conference call earlier this month, Tisbury town administrator John (Jay) Grande and senior department heads spoke with the show’s crew, confirming that advance notice would be given for filming on public property. Mr. Grande said on Tuesday that the town would be able to assist with parking vehicles in downtown locations if needed, acknowledging that opportunities were limited. In the conference call, he said, the group had learned the vehicle fleet would be small — “certainly not semi tractor trailers.”
“I think most of the senior management was very pleased to learn the scope was not as intense as they had initially contemplated,” he said. “If we continue to have the communication open, we should be fine.”
Selectman Jonathan Snyder said his greatest concern was an increase in activity on the Beach Road extension.
“We will be a very small operation,” Mr. Broome said. “I’m quite sure that most people on the Island will not even know where we are.” He said that aside from one scene in the opening sequence with the cast coming off the ferry, “everything will be down in the Black Dog area,” and would not affect traffic in downtown Tisbury.
“I think we’ll have a very limited footprint,” Mr. Broome said.
Selectman Tristan Israel said he hoped a positive portrayal of Tisbury on the program would bring more business to the town.
“I know you’ll portray our town in a good light, that’s important to us,” he said.
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