Oregon students decided the weather was too nice on a sunny Friday to sit in class, they cut school. “We hit the coast and we’re sure glad we did because we’re huge Twilight fans. Imagine riding by the beach and spotting Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson? Well, it happened to us, we found Breaking Dawn,” says Greg Barker who’s a senior at the U of O in Eugene.
Breaking Dawn just the ticket for stressed students
Barker joined school mates Milton Haynes and Crystal Armstrong for their drive down the central Oregon coast from nearby Eugene to “clear our heads and get some fresh air.” They said life has been rather hectic lately with “their Ducks football team reaching No. 2 in the country, and all the hustle and bustle for President Obama’s visit to Oregon on Oct. 20.
“It’s just crazy in Eugene these days. We are stressed. So cutting school is okay if you’re a college student because you’re paying for the classes anyway. Who cares,” added Baker with a big grin.
In addition to enjoying the great outdoors on a stunning late summer day, these students also stumbled upon a closed film set near Brays Point. This part of the central Oregon coast – between Florence and Yachats – is a favorite spot for shooting films due, in part, to its wide-open vistas of the Pacific Ocean and the nearby rainforest that’s been a mainstay in previous Twilight films.
Not far from this Bray’s Point location along the central Oregon coast, is the beach home of Eugene icon Ken Kesey. Friends of the late Kesey, say it was for very good reason that Ken chose this part of the coast to have his summer home per it’s close to Eugene yet far enough away to feel close to nature.
“We saw the big cameras and a blue tent with someone who looked liked Robert Pattison. When we got closer some security guards told us this was temporary closed to the public. Oregon beaches are not closed to the public, so we hiked around them and down to the nearby beach where other people had gathered to watch the filming,” said Armstrong.
“Yea, we knew it was some sort of movie being made, but it blew us away to learn it was for Breaking Dawn,” added Barker. “We could only get about a block or so away from the filming, but it was very cool to see those actors who’ve seen on the big screen in Twilight. It was just awesome.”
A contact at the Governor’s Office of Film & Television in Salam confirmed that pre-production is currently underway in Oregon for this Twilight sequel. However, because this romantic teen and vampire film is such a hot property – earning in the billions of dollars and the first blockbuster to be filmed in Oregon – it’s a closely guarded secret as to where and when new Twilight filming is taking place.
This past spring, the studio producing The Twilight Saga released news that it “green lit” this next film “Breaking Dawn” for production. Sources say the producers wanted the same “look” and “feel” as the previous films and, hence, chose Oregon for filming some of the scenes for Breaking Dawn.
“We do know they’re looking for extras from our state and both young people and many others will have a shot at being in the movie and making some money,” said a contact for Oregon film office.
In addition, the film’s producer, Summit Entertainment, stated that the next Twilight film, “Breaking Dawn,” is set to be released Nov. 18, 2011.
Previous Twilight films have been filmed in Oregon, to include forest areas along the central Oregon coast, and several areas in Portland -- to include Multnomah Falls, Oxbow Park and Madison High School. Also, the town of Corbett, Oregon, was the setting for the real town of Forks, Washington in the first Twilight film.
Oregon’s nature settings are credited with dozens of recently produced films that have included locals serving as “extras.” However, it’s the natural light, the deep, dark forests and the “feel” of rustic Oregon that has attracted both the Twilight film crew and many others from Hollywood to these Pacific shores near Eugene.
@pattinsonstew via source
