Popular TV show to film in Chapel Hill and at UNC next week. What you need to know.
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What should I know? A popular Amazon Prime series will film in Chapel Hill Monday-Wednesday, July 8-10.
What should I share with family and friends? If you’re coming downtown, plan ahead, Roads and parking lots will be closed and reserved for cast and crew during the production.
It may be the worst-kept secret in Chapel Hill.
Popular television show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” will be filming in the college town and on UNC’s campus Monday, July 8, through Wednesday, July 10 — though all official references to the production call it “Strawberry Fields.”
The true title slipped out during a June Chapel Hill Town Council meeting and was confirmed by several sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to The News & Observer. And “Strawberry Fields” is not listed on the North Carolina Film Office’s website that lists upcoming projects, while “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is listed.
The Triangle Business Journal also reported the secret is out.
One of Amazon Prime’s most-watched programs. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is a coming-of-age series that follows a love triangle between Isabel “Belly” Conklin, played by Lola Tung, and two brothers, played by Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno.
Chapel Hill Mayor Jessica Anderson and her 11-year-old daughter, Elena, have read all the books in the “Summer I Turned Pretty” series and watched the show’s first two seasons together. They’re both excited about the filming.
“We have a rule in our house, which is ‘Anything that you read, you can watch,’ which has served us well until now. We ended up watching a 16+ show with my 11-year-old,” Anderson said with a laugh. “But we both loved the show. We loved the books.”
When and where will they be filming?
The crew will spend Monday morning filming in the 100 block of East Franklin Street.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, filming will move to UNC’s McCorkle Place and surrounding buildings. The area will be blocked to pedestrians
Does the university have script approval?
UNC’s guidelines require crews to provide a copy of the final script or a thorough synopsis to UNC’s Media Relations office before a request to film on campus is considered.
The university can deny requests it considers to be “in conflict with the goals, policy and mission of the University.”
Such conflicting subject matter includes “drug or alcohol use, violence, nudity, racism, sexism, overtly sexual scenes deemed to be obscene, subjects derogatory toward higher education or that portray students, faculty or staff in a negative manner,” according to UNC’s film guidelines.
Have other shows and movies been filmed in Chapel Hill?
Yes, but it has been over a decade since a television show or movie was filmed at UNC.
The last movie filmed there was “The Roommate,” a 2011 thriller starring Minka Kelly (“Friday Night Lights”), and the latest television series filmed was ABC Family’s “Greek,” which ended the same year.
“Patch Adams,” starring Robin Williams, was filmed on campus in the late 1990s, “Getting In” in the early ‘90s and “Three in the Attic” in the ‘60s, according to the university.
This time, the production has a connection to UNC. Jenny Han, showrunner and author of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” books, is a graduate of the university. She has also written UNC into other novels, such as “To All The Boys I Loved Before.”
The N&O was unable to reach Han for comment.
What roads will be closed?
The following portions of roads will be closed Monday:
The 100 block of East Franklin Street between Columbia and Raleigh streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to noon.
Henderson Street between Rosemary and Franklin streets will be closed from 6 a.m. to noon.
Columbia Street between Franklin Street and South Road will be closed from 3 to 8 p.m.
Cameron Avenue will be closed between Columbia and Raleigh streets from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from Pittsboro Street to Raleigh Street from 3 to 8 p.m.
Cameron Avenue will be closed between Columbia and Raleigh streets from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Buses, pedestrians and bicyclists may also be temporarily paused. Chapel Hill Transit will move usual stops on Franklin Street to Rosemary Street.
How will parking be affected?
On-street parking will not be available on Franklin Street on Monday.
These campus parking lots will also be closed due to the crew’s use.
Swain Parking Lot will be closed from 5 p.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Bynum Circle Parking Lot will be closed from 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Caldwell Parking Lot will be closed from 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Old East Parking Lot will be closed from 5 p.m. Monday to 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Raleigh Street metered parking will be unavailable from 10 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Tuesday.
While these lots are closed, individuals with parking permits can park in the Cobb Parking Deck or the Nash Parking Lot. Individuals with parking permits for lots along closed routes will be given production passes via email to still access them.
Individuals with UNC disability permits will receive passes via email to access parking in closed lots or along closed routes. UNC-D permit holders who park in the Swain Parking Lot or the Old East Parking Lot should park in the Kenan Music spaces and Bynum Circle and Steele lots respectively, according to UNC Transportation and Parking.
What about the call for extras?
Cherrix Casting Wilmington sent out a call for background extras last month. Individuals could apply by emailing cherrixcastingwilmington@gmail.com with a photo, their name, age, height, clothing sizes and phone number.
Individuals were told to plan to work up to a 12-hour day The pay is $134 for 10 hours, with overtime pay after 10 hours. They must also sign a non-disclosure agreement and cannot bring their phones on set, according to email communication obtained by The N&O.
Cherrix Casting did not respond to The N&O’s requests for comment.
How will the filming benefit the town of Chapel Hill?
Anderson said the filming is good for Chapel Hill’s economy, “especially in the summer when things are a little slower.”
And while roads will be closed, downtown businesses will be open. Anderson hopes hotels and restaurants will benefit from the crew’s visit — and she added that Chapel Hill’s representation in the show is good for its profile.
To Jeri Lynn Schulke, the executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, any impact the show could have on businesses is good.
“If it draws more people downtown, we’re all for it because they’ll maybe go buy a smoothie or go buy ice cream,” she said.
