"Athens - Filmmakers have finished shooting a scene here for the upcoming movie War of the Worlds,in which 1,000 extras flee the village to catch the last ferry departing during a Martian invasion. Village Police Chief Roger Massie said Friday that shooting on the scene ended at about 7 a.m. that morning and film crew members had already completed much of the cleanup by evening. He said he expected that by today the crew would be fairly well cleaned up and would do final landscaping throughout the week.

We're going to be up there until it's totally clear, Massie said of the police presence in the village.

Village Trustee Andrea Smallwood said she thought it might take the film crew up to a week to completely remove all of the equipment, which included boats and lighting, among other things.

Both Smallwood and Massie said they received few complaints about the filming, which started Monday and resulted in the temporary closing of state Route 385 between Third and Market streets and the closing of streets between Water and Church streets. Barricades were put up and police rerouted traffic around the area.

It was very well organized and everyone had a great time, Smallwood said. A lot of the extras that they have in the film are locals, and they're having a real good time.

Smallwood said there were some complaints, mostly from people inconvenienced by the parking and traffic restrictions. Even so, the amount of planning that went into the event made things go smoothly, she said.

Massie said he, too, received very few complaints, but his department did make three or four arrests on disorderly conduct violations. He said the arrests took place Wednesday and Thursday nights, and that at least two of the people charged were highly intoxicated at the time.

About half a dozen people tried to get on the set without permission, Massie said, adding that a few reporters did not want to go about things "the right way." He said he had six to 15 officers from the village police and Greene County Sheriff's Office on duty depending on the time of day, along with assistance from the state police.

There were very few problems, Massie said. Paramount was very good to work with.

One extra was taken to Albany Medical Center after she passed out, Massie said, adding that the last he heard, the woman had been treated and released.

From our perspective, things went well, he said.

Smallwood said the filmmakers leased the use of the Athens Riverfront Park from the village but the contract prohibited board members from discussing the details. She added that the filmmakers used a lot of resources in and around Athens, including catering and space rental. Generally, she said, having the film shot in the village was a benefit to the area.

Calls to a production company office for comment were not returned.

The film, produced by Paramount, will be a modernized retelling of H.G. Wells' 1898 novel about a Martian invasion of Earth. It will star Tom Cruise and is expected to be released next year.

War of the Worlds was first brought to the big screen in 1953 by director Byron Haskin. Fifteen years earlier, on Oct. 30, 1938, a Mercury Theater radio broadcast of the story by the actor Orson Welles convinced countless people across the United States that Martians were actually attacking.

Source: Daily Freeman."