Film company to shoot at pier

The Sea Cabins Pier on Isle of Palms front beach will be the setting of at least a few scenes in a major motion picture.

Isle of Palms City Council unanimously approved allowing a production company to use the front beach Oct. 20 to film parts of a Lasse Hallstrom-directed film based on "Dear John," a Nicholas Sparks novel.

Cindi Hobgood, a representative of Dear John LLC, said about 80 people would be involved in the day of filming when she made the request to use the beach at a recent council meeting.

Sea Cabins Condominiums owns the pier just west of the Isle of Palms County Park and had already granted permission to use it, Hobgood said.

Hobgood told the council that it would be a high quality film and its director is considered one of the top directors in the world. Hallstrom directed "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" "Chocolat" and "The Cider House Rules"

"We are so excited to have him in the state of South Carolina," Hobgood said of Hallstrom.

Linda Lovvorn Tucker, city administrator, said the film's art department may spend a day or two setting up lights on the beach and making the pier resemble its description in the book. It's the spot where the novel's main characters first meet.

"It would be pleasant to see our beach and pier favorably portrayed on the big screen," Tucker said.

City officials also hoped that the crew would generate some much needed beach activity during the front beach's off season.

Mayor Michael Sottile said normally commercial activities are restricted, "but I do think this is an opportunity for the city of Isle of Palms to expose itself to a top notch movie film company … That doesn't come along all the time."

This is the second Sparks novel made into a film that has been shot in the Lowcountry. In 2003, "The Notebook" was shot in parts of Mount Pleasant's Old Village.

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.