Film to showcase local music

Filming is set to begin in November on a movie that will showcase the formative years of the Muscle Shoals sound, led by award-winning director, Paul Justman.

Justman, who directed the nonfiction film "Standing in the shadows of Motown," fell in love with the story of Muscle Shoals music, he said. He doesn't just look at it as a documentary, he said, because the process isn't just to deal with information, but to tell a story with emotional, powerful moments using a camera as his writing utensil.

"It's an unusual kind of writing," Justman said.

"Standing in the shadows of Motown" told the story of the Funk Brothers, who were musicians with the Motown record company.

"The theme of Motown is obscurity amidst tremendous success and fame," Justman said. "The theme of Muscle Shoals is, it's a story of kids becoming inspired."

There's the story of Wilson Pickett, who recorded "Hey Jude," among other hits in owner and producer Rick Hall's Fame studios, and Sheffield-born Arthur Alexander, another story started at Fame studios with "You Better Move On."

There's the Swampers, the founders of Muscle Shoals Sound studios, who were the second rhythm section of Fame studios, made up of David Hood, bass guitarist, Roger Hawkins, drummer, Jimmy Johnson, guitarist, and Barry Beckett, keyboardist. The Swampers worked with Lynyrd Skynyrd, a band from Jacksonville, Fla. Their contribution will be one story included in the film, Justman said.

"A Florida band writes 'Sweet home Alabama' because they loved the Swampers so much," Justman said.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of a long list of musicians who came to Muscle Shoals Sound studios and Fame studios to record. The list also includes legends such as Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Cher, Rod Stewart and the Osmonds.

Paul Zamek, one of the film's producers, said the Muscle Shoals sound is original because it crosses so many genres. Justman said it's easy to understand why larger cities such as Nashville, Detroit and Chicago developed a great regional sound. But songs created here were covered by the huge names such as the Stones and the Beatles.

"For a small town like Muscle Shoals to be a significant, important, regional sound - why?" Justman said. "Because these kids became inspired."

The storytelling will begin around the time when Aretha Franklin was an unknown name and will interlace live performances of classic songs, winding up around the era of the Rolling Stones, whose Mick Jagger penned "Wild Horses" at Muscle Shoals Sound studios.

Filming is set to begin in November in the Shoals area, but budget constraints might keep the crew from doing the live performances in Alabama, Justman said.

"We're taking advantage of everything we can as far as incentives," Justman said, adding that thematically and emotionally he would prefer the performances to take place in the Muscle Shoals area.

Planning for the project began about three or four years ago, Justman said. "Standing in the shadows of Motown" took 10 years, from 1990 to 2000. The new film was announced Friday at the Music, Movies, Modern Technology panel discussion headed by Randy Wachtler, of 615 Music.

Pioneers such as singer/songwriter Donnie Fritts have been involved in the research.

"He was responsible for the beginning of the Muscle Shoals thing," Justman said.

Justman said 60 hours of filming for research purposes has been done already, and said he's fighting to deliver the emotion for the film.

"Every film is a battle," Justman said.

Sarah Day Owen can be reached at 740-5728.