'All Nite Skate' filming in Jackson this weekend

Traffic was temporarily rerouted in uptown Jackson on Friday to make way for the filming of Southeast Missouri native Nick Murphy�s 1990s-themed production �All Nite Skate.�

Friday wasn�t the first day of filming, but it was one of the first few to happen in Jackson. The crew, volunteers and actors have been filming at the Puxico Skating Rink before making their way to Southeast Missouri for the weekend.

Producer Gretchen Griggs said the portion being filmed in Jackson on Friday included 15 extras, multiple crewmembers and local talent, in addition to three actors who flew in from California.

�We�ve got such talent here from Jackson and Cape,� she said. �One of our leads is an art teacher from Saxony High School and we have SEMO students. I can�t even believe all the people that have been a part of it and have been so amazing.�

Griggs said Friday�s filming was focused on establishing the shot of the character Nick driving through Jackson and seeing his friends, Adam and Gabe.

Jackson native Nick Murphy talks about his movie, "All Night Skate," he is filming Friday in Jackson.Fred Lynch

Jackson native Cody Griggs is 15 and plays the character Adam. He said when he first read through the script he cried two times because it�s �such a good script.�

�Today we�re shooting a scene of the main character, Nick, showing how cool Jackson is,� Cody Griggs said. �This kind of introduces my character and (Layton Lipke�s) character. He plays Gabe, who�s not with us anymore.�

Cody Griggs said the cast, crew and volunteers have basically been at the rink in Puxico the whole time filming until this weekend.

He said the script includes �so many good character beats� and added the movie is really about family and coming together.

Lipke, 14 and also a Jackson native, said this is his first time acting in a film. He plays Gabe Koehler and gave credit to the film�s cinematographer, PJ Gaynard for providing all the needed equipment.

Actor Matt Mitchell shoots a scene with cinematographer PJ Gaynard for the movie "All Nite Skate" on Friday in uptown Jackson.Fred Lynch

�All these scenes that we�ve been doing, we do all the shots from different angles. I think it�s cool seeing how a one-minute shot in a movie can take a full day to make,� Lipke said. �It just really puts it in perspective.�

Lipke said he�s learned so much and enjoys it because it�s �kind of like free film school.�

Gretchen Griggs said her experience with volunteers, crew and actors has been �absolutely fantastic,� with plans Sunday to film at Jackson High School highlighting the characters �getting ready� for the all-night skate.

She said there are 20 Jackson High School students who are going to be part of the �graduation day� scene.

�We�ve had two days of fight scenes, which have been absolutely phenomenal,� Gretchen Griggs said. �We had safety pads, safety meetings and a crash pad, things like that. The guy that actually did it, he�s a SEMO student, but he�s been trained for that.�

Since it takes several days of filming to complete scenes, Gretchen Griggs explained, everything down to the last detail must look identical from day to day.

�We have a person that does the consistency. It�s all one day, so for two and a half weeks, we have to keep one-day consistency. We have to wear the same clothes, hair, makeup and shoes,� she said.

Destiny Matysik, a 15-year-old sophomore at Cape Girardeau Central High School, was in attendance Friday and portrays one of the �rink rats� in the film.

�We do a lot of the skating stuff. We�re basically in the background, which is fine,� she said. �We�re extras, basically. I have a character name, but it�s not actually in the script. It�s Caroline.�

Matysik said she is into a lot of �retro-vintage stuff,� so she loves being part of the movie.

�I love the clothing,� she said. �That�s my favorite part about this.�

Olivia Walker, 13, plays one of the many rink rats in the film and traveled from Portageville, Missouri, to star in the film. She said �All Nite Skate� is the second movie she has tried out for and the first movie she got a part in.

Walker also said it�s definitely a good opportunity for kids like her.

She feels the movie�s �take on the �90s� is going to inspire a lot of people and said it would hopefully start more trends with the �90s fashion such as �big, baggy overalls.�

�All Nite Skate� director Murphy on Friday said the experience so far has been amazing.

He also said for the City of Jackson to work with the production for a whole year has just been epic.

�I know I�m going to be geeking out about this after it�s over,� Murphy said. �We absolutely could not have done it without the City of Jackson.�

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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