This meant that Miller had to prepare from four to six different sets, sometimes at the same location, so that the production team could move from one to the other easily. With some of the sets accommodating up to 100 extras in period costumes, as well as 100 crew members, there was no time for big moves. "We didn't have the prep time or design time to do a vast amount of research," says Miller. "So we just went with the period and created what was appropriate. There were times we'd have only two days to get things ready. We learned to hustle."
Griffin, Ga., doubling as 1920s Atlanta, was a great source of pride for Miller. "I wish we could have spent a lot more money there," he says, "but we weren't going to be there more than a day." Two of Miller's favorite sets were built there. "The little coffee shop where Bobby meets Mary was just a gutted space. We were able to decorate it, make it just the right size and design a back counter piece that was beautiful."
The company used Fulton Warehouse in downtown Atlanta for the Jones' law firm. "The building had period office space that had good bones to start with," explains Miller. "And right next door was a cotton mill that required almost nothing. It was wonderful with little work."
Costume designer Beverly Safier was brought to the project by producer Dawson. "I'd known Beverly for years," says Dawson. "I think she was one of the first people that I told about my Bobby Jones project. We stayed in touch and when it was time, I called her. Her work is wonderful and I couldn't see anyone else designing the wardrobe for this film."
"I remember when I met Beverly," says Herrington. "I asked her why she wanted to do this project and she said to me, 'I want to create Bobby Jones thread by thread.' She's the most passionate woman about her art that I've ever seen."
"And I meant every word of it," replies Safier. "And I tried to do just that."
Safier was hired three weeks before the film started shooting and had to prep for Scotland and Atlanta. She had two teams working on clothing that ranged from 1908 through the '30s.
Over the period of the shoot, Safier and her crew changed approximately 500 people. It was a much larger number than she'd expected to dress, but to keep the extras fresh looking and different, wardrobes had to be changed daily. "We ended up with 35,000 changes," she exclaims.
Safier kept to a muted palette of earth tones seen in window pane plaids, herringbone and tweed. "Those were the fabrics used in the time period," she explains. "The only difference is in the golf clothing worn in Scotland and in Atlanta. The clothes worn in the U.S. had to be lighter fabrics, like rayons, linens and cotton, because of the hot weather. The heavier tweeds were worn in Scotland."
Helping with the look of the period was Pringle of Scotland, a long established knitwear label with a special tie to Bobby Jones. Many of his photos picture him wearing a sweater made by Pringle. Famous for their smart casual pullovers that were popular with golfers around the world, the company stepped up to supply the sweaters needed for the actors in the film.
Safier's greatest satisfaction was keeping the look of Bobby Jones consistent from beginning to end and doing it on a very small budget. "At the end of the day, I divided my budget into the number of costumes that we'd used and came up with a figure of $3.72 per costume - for period costumes! We begged, borrowed - everything short of stealing - to get the look we wanted."
"When Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius" opens in theaters around the country on April 30, 2004, Kim Dawson's dream will be almost complete. "When I first started this project, I had in mind what people might say as they were exiting the theater. There's one that keeps coming back to me - 'I'm glad I went to see that picture. It lifted my heart!' Bobby Jones has this special spirit about him ... that there's a reason to live that's more than winning a golf tournament or doing well in a courtroom - whatever it is. His approach to life and love was to do it as well as you could, give it your best effort and be proud of that effort. And in the end, if you've done that, you can hold your head high and walk out into the world and smile. I think, for the most part, that people who see this film will walk out of the theater with that same feeling. Then my dream will be totally complete."
