Jeff Campbell WCNC Anchor

There is nothing quite like being up-close and personal on a movie set. And when it's a movie about a Charlotte icon, well, it's even better.

Photojournalist Ken Corn and I got the chance to spend the day on the set of Billy: The Early Years in Watertown, TN. For anyone who hasn't been on a movie set, it is an incredible experience.

We have some pretty cool equipment here in the TV world. Expensive cameras, state-of-the-art lights, and ultra-sensitive microphones. But then you go to a movie set and you realize what an amazing production it is. The crew will spend hours setting up the perfect scene just to get one shot that might not even make the movie.

Literally, we watched them spend 90 minutes setting up. The entire scene took 10 seconds.

What is really interesting about this movie is that it is about a part of Billy Graham's life you might not know all that much about. Everyone knows about the Reverend's crusades, his counseling of countless American presidents, and the latter half of his life.

But you might not know all that much about the early years of his life. What this movie makes clear is that Graham's early years -- born in Charlotte, and transformed by the 1934 Charlotte revival -- really changed his outlook and helped shape the life that would touch millions of people worldwide.

The movie is filled with names you'll probably recognize -- Martin Landau, Jennifer O'Neill, and the rising country star Josh Turner playing George Beverly Shea.

Billy is played by Armie Hammer, who from the scenes we saw, is an incredible actor and a dead ringer for the young Graham. For those who remember Billy in younger years, you'll be stunned by the similarities.

The movie is scheduled to be released this fall. For a preview, and a closer look at our time on the set, watch WCNC Monday at 6, for our all-access pass to the film.

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