Graig MantleThe filming of Lindsay Lohan’s new movie “I Know Who Killed Me,” directed by Chris Sivertson, took place downtown yesterday and included numerous Cal Poly students as extras.
The psychological thriller has scenes at San Luis Obispo High School, City Hall and downtown on Higuera Street between Chorro and Broad streets.
Lohan plays Aubrey Fleming, a young woman who returns home after being abducted and tortured by a serial killer, according to imdb.com. Questions arise when Fleming claims she is someone else and seems to have dual personalities.
Many Cal Poly students played the part by being casted of extras, including football players, cheerleaders, the marching band, students and pedestrians.
“I found out about it from a friend who read about it in the newspaper,” said animal science senior Melanie Atkinson.
For auditions, Atkinson, like many other students from Cal Poly, had to wait in line and hold a number while having a photo taken. All who were accepted received a callback.
Atkinson played a student at the San Luis Obispo High School set where she had to wear red and blue, the colors of the junior college in the movie.
“There were a couple thousand people there,” said psychology junior Milissa Anderson, who was an extra in the downtown scene as a pedestrian.
As part of her role, Anderson had to bring her car and park it on Higuera. Cameo Casting, the company that chose the extras, gave her a ticket in order to make it past the tight security measures.
Anderson and Atkinson are paid extras and will receive $60 for eight hours, roughly minimum wage. For Anderson, figuring out when she was actually needed and for how long was a struggle.
“They tell you to call a number and it’s an answering machine,” Anderson said. “It told me to call back after 1 p.m., and then after 6 p.m., and then after midnight, and again this morning at 8.”
While the sidewalks were open to the public, Higuera Street was blocked off from Chorro to Broad streets. Heavy traffic filled the surrounding area and multiple police officers were on patrol.
With all the “hustle and bustle” that this Lohan movie is bringing to the quiet town of San Luis Obispo, many are probably wondering why the town was chosen.
Dave Kastner, film and technology manager for the San Luis Obispo County Film Commission mentioned that San Luis Obispo has actually had quite a few appearances in popular, well-known movies, as well as a variety of commercials.
“They sent a location scout up to this area,” Kastner said in reference to the Lohan movie. “One of the members had a connection and thought that they might find what they were looking for.”
It seems that San Luis Obispo’s small-town atmosphere must be a popular theme for the average psychological thriller flick.
“About seven years ago ‘Murder by Numbers’ had major scene shot here and in the downtown area, as well as ‘Arachnophobia’ that was shot here and in Cambria,” Kastner said.
After “Sideways” landed the Central Coast town on the map, future plans for the area could include an independent movie filming in Morro Bay.
For more information, check out the San Luis Obispo County Film Commission’s Web site at www.sanluisobispocounty.com. Also, be on the lookout for Lohan’s thriller “I Know Who Killed Me,” due to release sometime in 2008.