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Warren council clears downtown filming for feature "Remain," with conditions
Summary
Location managers for the feature film Remain won council approval to film on Main Street and nearby streets in Warren for June 18–19, subject to an indemnification agreement, town coordination and public-safety review.
The Warren Town Council on a vote approved on-site filming of the feature film Remain in downtown Warren, granting the production permission to close and reserve on‑street parking and to stage trucks behind businesses for a June 18 shoot, with the condition that the production sign an indemnification agreement and coordinate safety and traffic plans with town police and fire officials.
The production’s location manager, Alex Berard of 2 Beacons Productions, told the council the crew will film interior scenes at the Coffee Depot on Main Street and will place equipment and two 40‑foot box trucks behind La Canada and near the depot. “We are working on a project called Remain, which is filming here in Rhode Island this summer,” Berard said. He added that larger tractor‑trailers will be parked off site and that the production will shuttle cast and crew to the downtown set.
Council members and staff pressed the production to minimize disruption to downtown businesses and residents. Berard said the production has contacted nearby businesses and would use the armory as a holding space for extras, and that roughly 40 extras will be shuttled in from off‑site parking. He also told the council the crew wants to place lights on Jefferson Street that would shine through the Coffee Depot windows during filming and asked that the town temporarily close a portion of Jefferson for safety while the lights and equipment are staged.
Town Manager Sullivan and members of the council asked the production to provide a single filming agreement that sets out insurance and indemnity terms, traffic and pedestrian control plans, a cleanup plan for post‑filming, and points of contact for the town. The council also requested consultation with the police and fire chiefs about whether state troopers are needed for any closures on Route 114/Main Street and asked the production to coordinate timing with scheduled town events to avoid conflicts.
The council’s motion authorized the manager to sign the required filming agreement on the council’s behalf, subject to solicitor review, indemnification language, and consultations with the police and fire chiefs. Council members emphasized expectations that the production will clean the site after filming and limit impacts on local businesses.
The production team said setup would occur June 17 with principal filming on June 18 and that most equipment would leave the site that evening. The production will return the following morning to collect any remaining gear.
The film’s production team confirmed they had a state film office permit for the broader production and said they would work with town staff to secure all local approvals and to notify impacted businesses and residences.
The council recorded the action as approved, with conditions and delegated signing authority to the town manager.
