Dreamworks movie filmed in Claremont Thursday

CLAREMONT - The city went Hollywood on Thursday with the filmingof the Dreamworks production "Welcome to People."

The movie, starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde,filmed scenes inside, outside and near Rhino Records in downtown onThursday.

Maureen Aldridge, the CEO of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce,said "a lot of production people who are working on the movie aresaying, 'oh my God, Claremont is really great. What a greatcommunity. We want to come back and have dinner here.' It's exposingus to people who haven't been exposed to Claremont before."

Claremont spokeswoman Bevin Handel said the production was shotin the village from 6 a.m. to about 6 p.m. on Yale Avenue fromSecond Street to Bonita Avenue and Bonita from Yale to Indian HillBoulevard.

There was no parking available, and street traffic wascontrolled.

The film's production company made individual arrangements withaffected merchants for compensation depending on how the businesswas impacted, Handel said.

About six weeks ago, a production scout talked to city officials.The company went through a permit and notification process, andeverything went smoothly, Handel said.

"The Police Department is doing traffic control and crowdcontrol. The production company pays for the police," Handel said.

The production company also made an arrangement with the formerCasa Flores Inc. florist location on Yale, an empty storefront, tobe used for catering.

"It helped to get money into a business not being leased rightnow," Handel said.

Aldridge said actor Pine, who has starred as James T. Kirk in2009's "Star Trek," was getting a lot of attention on Thursday.

"A good 50 to 100 people are watching it," Aldridge said of theproduction Thursday afternoon. "There's a lot of young girls tryingto get the main character's autograph."

In the Alex Kurtzman- directed film, according to the InternetMovie Data Base, "A man is tasked with delivering $150,000 of hisdeceased father's fortune to the sister he has never met."

Michelle Pfeiffer and Jon Favreau also have roles in the film.

Rhino Records general manager Dennis Callaci said his store wasclosed for the day and that a lot of employees had roles as shoppersor employees.

"We have a couple of customers who were extras," Callaci said.Shots were taken inside and outside the store.

Callaci said he did not see a "huge benefit" to having the moviefilm his store.

"The only benefit is it's nice to have a timepiece in 20 years ofthe store," Callaci said. "From my perspective, I don't care aboutHollywood."

Callaci said he was able to listen in on dialogue from the filmabout the future of record stores.

"I did hear one line in the script talking about the death of therecord store. There is no death of this record store. In Hollywood,there is."

wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com 909-483-8549