MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — A North Carolina production company aims to capture small town America by pointing its cameras at Mt. Airy.
Figure 8 Films is shooting a documentary called “The Real Mayberry.”
“It’ll be a feature film,” Figure 8 Films president Bill Hayes said. “PBS has expressed an interest, so we imagine it’ll be aired nationally on public television.”
The film explores the city that inspired Mayberry, the fictional setting for ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and Griffith’s real hometown.
“What we’re finding is they have a very diverse economy here,” Hayes said. “It’s not just tourism, it’s not just eco-tourism; there’s factories still making things. There’s people creating work for themselves.”
Hayes is a Mt. Airy native. He wants to look beyond the city’s fame and at its heart and soul by capturing the stories of the people who live and work there.
“You’re hard pressed to walk down this street without someone saying hello to you,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever walked down this street without someone saying hello to me, ever.”
Hayes has been shooting the documentary for a few years and returns to the town every few weeks with a minimal crew to capture new footage. He expects to wrap shooting in the next few months and aims to debut the film in the fall.
Figure 8 Films is located in Carrboro, NC and created popular TV shows like “Jon Kate Plus 8,” “Sister Wives,” and “19 Kids and Counting.”
Leave a Reply