Arts & Entertainment

Watch Out for the Filming of Neighborhood Watch

A boy on a skateboard will be chased by aliens and abducted on the square Friday night.

Marietta Square is a buzz of bustling people just waiting to catch a glimpse of Vince Vaughn or Ben Stiller in the . Sorry folks, but it's unlikely that you'll see these two stars today.

There will be three cast members arriving on the square sometime after 4 p.m. Friday, but neither Stiller nor Vaughn is among them, Marietta's director Rich Buss said.

Filming Friday night and Saturday morning will occur in front of the on South Park Sq., in the alley behind and as well as various spots around the square, Buss says.

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There will be 150 crew members, 50 extras from the area and three cast members working on the square Friday night, Buss says.

Filming will continue through 6 a.m. Saturday. Most of the crew will arrive on the square at 4 p.m. Friday.

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A boy on a skateboard who is being chased by aliens and is eventually abducted will be the scene shot on the square Friday night. 

Crews will turn off lights around the square and on top of buildings to create a dark, scary, alien-friendly atmosphere.

The First Presbyterian Church is serving as base camp for the production.

"I think the filming benefits us in a number of ways," Buss says. "First it's featuring Glover Park. Even though the film is set in an Ohio town, the city will be clearly recognizable."

Buss also explains that the production has brought a lot of commerce to downtown Marietta. "There are a lot of tourists who will undoubtedly come into town to try and see the filming," he says. "People are excited to get a look at how a movie is made."

A rumor was being spread around the square that the crew intended to explode a car. So will there be any big bangs in the city Friday night?

"No," Buss laughs. "I have heard that they are going to explode a cow in West Cobb though."

The will receive a fee for the use of property in the film. "We always charge a fee when city property is used," Buss says. There is a minimum fee of $250; however, the fee for this production is expected to be higher. It has not been determined yet.

The production company will also be charged for setting up and using a water meter in the production. Furthermore, will be used in managing the production.

"Treatment has been done in the alley behind Hemingway's to age the buildings," Buss adds. Signs that read "Misguided Missile, Manic Monkey" were also placed in the alley.

The has also changed its name to the Adair Bakery & Cafe for the production. The vinyl sign is stuck on top of the Australian Bakery's sign with velcro, a member of the crew says.

Most of downtown will remain open Friday night. A few businesses, however, will be closed due to their location to filming.

In the the Twentieth Century Fox production Neighborhood Watch, Stiller teams up with three other members of his community to form a neighborhood watch group, which is the last hope to save the neighborhood and world from being destroyed.

Movie Insider has the film coming out in theaters on July 27, 2012.

Other stars in Neighborhood Watch include Rosemarie DeWitt, Jonah Hill, Will Forte and Richard Ayoade.


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