There is plenty of talk around town about the production of ‘Selma.’

While it may be inconvenient for residents to close up shop for a day or to take another route to work, the movie is still a great thing for our community.

City officials and those involved with the production of the movie should be applauded for their tireless work to bring the crew to Selma to film key parts of the movie.

Just to be clear, the production did not have to come to Selma to film the movie. We live in a day and age where green screens and set design can easily replace on-location filming.

Instead of taking the easy way out, the film crew has elected to adhere to historical accuracy, and our city officials have worked hard to market Selma to the producers.

We should all be happy about the filming because it will pay dividends down the road.

The St. James Hotel will finally be able to make much-needed repairs to air conditioning units and freezers because of the revenue from the production crew renting out the hotel.

Besides the immediate monetary benefit, the city will receive exposure from the film.

When the film is released and people see the history of Selma portrayed on screen, that may spur some activism among viewers. Selma will be on people’s minds, and in this day and age, people’s undivided attention is an extremely valuable commodity.

It will be tough. It will be frustrating at times. We will all have to deal with traffic and other nuisances, but all in all, it’s going to be worth it.

To those involved in the bringing the production to Selma, thank you. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and best of luck with filming.