Film crew draws onlookers, stops traffic

Camera crews were causing traffic detours in La Conner this week for filming of the movie La Conner PD, written by local restaurant owner Guy Vallee.

The movie takes place in La Conner during the late 1970s, and stars Guy’s brother Pete Vallee, better known as “Big Elvis” on the Strip in Las Vegas. Other local talent includes restaurant owner John Vargas, Mayor Ramon Hayes, and a Renault LeCar painted just like the ones the La Conner Police Department had in the 70s.

Filming began on Monday morning, while the crew filmed scenes in downtown La Conner near Town Hall on Commercial Street. Flaggers were set up on surrounding roads to detour or stop traffic as scenes required a quiet set to record audio.

All traffic — cars, bikes, and pedestrians — were stopped or redirected to preserve the audio and look of the scenes, since cell phones, Prius cars and contemporary pop music weren’t around in the 70s.

Filming continued downtown and other locations in town throughout Tuesday with more scheduled today, Wednesday. The scenes include a Big Elvis performance at Vallee’s restaurant, the Waterfront Café.

“Our biggest challenge is shooting the script in a three-day period on an ‘Indie’ budget,” said director Kenton MacDonald-Lin, owner of Kenton Studios of Vancouver, British Columbia. “We aim to honor the city and the story.”

Occasionally, wayward pedestrians or loud planes interrupted the scenes. The crew and actors told jokes and kept things light-hearted as filming continued, the day grew warmer, and traffic more frequent.

The film is expected to premier in Las Vegas next February.