Don’t walk, we’re filming!
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 18, 2002 9:00 p.m.
 ANGIE LEVINE/ Daily Bruin Will Ferrell
(left) and Luke Wilson stop to take a break in
between takes of their new movie "Old School," which is currently
being shot at UCLA.
By Emily Camastra
Daily Bruin Contributor
UCLA students felt both excitement and aggravation in regard to
the filming of the motion picture “Old School” on
campus last week.
Students were thrilled to see stars like Will Ferrell, Vince
Vaughn and Luke Wilson in person, but at the same time, many were
irritated that the filming disrupted their mobility across the
campus.
“The filming was a little frustrating because I had 10
minutes to get from Young to Bunche, and I had to take this huge
detour to get to class”, said first-year psychobiology
student Amy Sargious.
Director Todd Phillips, a graduate of the New York University
film school, provided a humorous response to the complaints of
students.
“What I have to say to students that complain is,
“˜Look, put it in perspective,'” Phillips said.
“Being late to a few classes is not the end of the world.
That’s why they call it class, you’re supposed to be
late. I missed 35 percent of my classes in college, and you know,
I’m doing all right.”
But Phillips is no stranger to college campuses. As the writer
and director of “Road Trip,” he has filmed on a number
of universities, from Stanford University to the University of
Athens, Georgia.
“The great thing about shooting on a college campus is the
students. We need extras and they want to be in it, so we end up
using them,” Phillips said.
The production team of “Old School” decided to shoot
on campus for the same reason other production companies are
attracted to UCLA ““ its beautiful non-West Coast appearance.
To get the East Coast university look, Phillips filmed various
scenes at the Kerckhoff Hall patio and Royce Quad.
 KEITH ENRIQUEZ/ Daily Bruin Senior Staff The film crew of
the movie "Old School" takes over the pavilion near Kerckhoff Hall
as they set up for a shot.
Though some people had issues with obstructions getting to
class, actors were very gracious in most interactions with the
students.
“We asked for (Ferrell’s) autograph and he was
totally nice about it,” said Kristin Grossheizer, a
first-year biochemistry student. “Even though he was on his
break, he was willing to talk to us. He’s just as funny in
person as he is on “˜Saturday Night Live.’ It was like a
dream come true.”
Vaughn and Wilson were also happy to take pictures and talk to
students who approached them.
While many students felt they were the ones being diverted, the
production crew experienced some difficulties as well. In the
scheduling agreement, filming was planned to take place between 7
a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 5 p.m.
to 5 a.m. Thursday and Friday nights.
Although the scheduled times were never switched, the film crew
was told on several occasions that they would not be able to film
where they had originally intended.
Phillips referred to the shoot as tenuous because of all the
location changes. However, he’s used to it.
“I’ve filmed on a lot of college campuses and that
just comes with the territory,” Phillips said.
The UCLA Events Office is responsible for all arrangements
pertaining to filming on the UCLA campus, including processing the
film permit and supervising the film shoot. Every production
company that wants to film on campus needs to obtain a UCLA
photograph, motion picture, video and television permit.
The guidelines for obtaining a film permit state that filming on
campus is only permitted if it does not interfere with normal
university business or previously scheduled events.
 KEITH ENRIQUEZ/ Daily Bruin Senior Staff The "Old School"
film crew erects scaffolding outside Kerckhoff Hall to set up for a
scene in the movie.
Film crews are not allowed to block off pedestrian traffic for
longer than two minutes and are supposed to tell students when they
will be able to pass through, rather than just telling them that
they can’t pass through.
Before a filming permit can be issued, production companies must
meet certain university requirements, including the UCLA Events
Office approving a final copy of the script or storyboard.
The certificate of insurance costs $5 million for major motion
pictures, and full payment of all fees must be received two days
before filming commences. In addition to permit fees, production
companies must pay for location rentals, parking, security, fire
safety officers, and facilities and staffing charges.
Jack Raab, director of the Events Office, explains that various
regulations ensure that the UCLA activities and events take
precedence over film shoots.
“Normally we don’t shoot during the week during
session,” Raab told the Daily Bruin in June 2001. “On
occasion we do, but it’s usually by special circumstances. We
try not to impact the campus or normal operations. We work with
(filmmakers) for months to check availability, different locations,
and (to) find out what’s going on on campus.”
Raab acknowledges that providing filming locations to production
companies is not one of the university’s primary goals.
“If it were up to the students, we’d have movie
stars here every day. But we can’t do that,” Raab
continued. “Mom and Dad are paying for you to go to school,
not to watch movie stars.”
Although filming hampers activities on campus to some extent,
movies serve as a monument to UCLA. Audiences across the world can
view the beauty of the UCLA campus that the students, faculty and
staff often take for granted.
“No matter how many movies you see that are filmed at
UCLA, it’s always cool to see Royce Hall in a movie and say,
“˜Hey, that’s my school,'” said first-year
Noah Cason Zesiger.
