The Safe House - Expositions

Photo: (The Oakland Press/JOSE JUAREZ) Actors Patrick St. Esprit (left) and Michael Vartan wait for filming to begin for a scene in the movie “Demoted.” The scene was filmed at The Village Florist in downtown Milford, where crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of stars on Wednesday.

SPOILERS!

Standing in front of the Health Mart in downtown Milford Wednesday, 22-year-old Jayme Klooster excitedly showed off a picture of her beside actor Michael Vartan.

“I saw him sitting out back and I ran out to him and I was like, ‘Oh I’ve been waiting for you all day!’ ” she said.

She learned that morning that Vartan and would be filming the comedy “Demoted” in Milford, along with Sean Astin, David Cross and Sara Foster. “I don’t know why I brought my camera today, but God was telling me I was going to meet an actor,” Klooster, of Milford, said. “(Vartan) was just sitting (behind the building) and the woman I work with took out the trash and came in and was like, ‘Oh Jayme he’s right out there!’” Klooster went outside and asked Vartan for a photo with her. “He was very nice and very attractive,” she said. “I just told him that I worked at the Health Mart and to come down for a smoothie. He said, ‘OK, what’s your name?’ I said, ‘Jayme,’ and I ran off because I was too nervous.”

On the dreary Wednesday afternoon, along with dozens of other curious onlookers, Klooster watched the sidewalk a few storefronts down in front of The Village Florist, where the film crew bustled set- ting up bright lights, white umbrellas and white tulle around the entrance.

Onlookers kept vigil from across the street, down the brick sidewalks and on curbs in front of the store. People dialed friends excitedly saying that it looked like a movie was being shot and cars crept by on Main Street as the drivers stared.

There was only silence when a production assistant yelled, “Rolling!” and a scene inside the shop was filmed.

Kara Jacoboni and her friend Amy Lafferty heard roads were closed off so they came to see what was going on, having heard rumors of a movie shoot.

“There’s always that deepdown feeling that you hope they’ll be like, ‘Oh you’re perfect’ and pull you in (for the movie),” 15-year-old Jacoboni, of Milford, said. “Or that there’s someone famous here that I like.”

Lafferty, 15, agreed, saying people always hope “something really cool will happen and they’ll catch a glimpse of you.”

“I didn’t even know what was happening,” said 55-yearold Denise Montour of Milford as she stood beside Klooster.

“I just saw all the police and all the cameras and put two and two finally together and I went, ‘I’ve gotta go see what they’re doing.’ This is awesome. This doesn’t happen in Milford. It’s kind of cool.”

She said she hoped the movie would bring revenue to the area, as was intended with tax incentives announced earlier in the year.

David Rumble, location manager for the film, worked with the production company, Milford and its businesses to obtain the locations for the film’s scenes, which included a cemetery, vacant storefronts on E. Commerce Street, Gina’s Bridal Boutique and The Village Florist.

“Sometimes businesses will be like, ‘You’re going to kill my business,’” he said. “It’s usually contrary. People usually swarm into wherever we’re filming at and the businesses usually do a little better because people will be eating lunch down there and buying stuff.”

Anthony Licavoli, owner of Gina’s, thought the film would be a positive for the community.

“These people come into town and they spend money,” he said. “They spend money not like the people in Milford. They’re loose with their wallets. It’s going to bring a little commerce into town.”

“This is great fun,” said Village Manager Arthur Shufflebarger. “They’ve been a good group to work with. It’s been interesting — I think kind of an attraction for the community.”

The filming of “Demoted” will last 35 days and take place exclusively in Michigan. Rumble said other locations include Novi, Orchard Lake, Plymouth, Dearborn and Detroit.

Originally from Ferndale but now living in Warren, Rumble has been doing location management for seven years.

This has been my best year business-wise,” he said. “When I took this job, I had six offers on my plate, which is the first time I’ve ever had options.”

He explained that he got to read several different scripts and figure out which one he wanted to do.

“It’s been an amazing year.” Rumble said.

In the movie, characters played by Vartan and Astin work for a tire manufacturer and give other employees a hard time.

When their boss dies, they are demoted to secretaries and work to find a way to get back at their new boss.

Scenes filmed at Gina’s and The Village Florist deal with Vartan’s character not wanting to tell his fiancee that he’s been demoted.

“We’re so used to industrial and automotive stuff,” Licavoli said. “This is refreshing.”

© 2008 The Oakland Press, a Journal Register Property

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