While actual Pali students were attending virtual school from their bedrooms last fall, actors portraying students filled Pali classrooms to shoot scenes for a feature film likely to be released later this year.

“He’s All That,” a remake of the 1999 romantic comedy “She’s All That,” joins a long list of movies and TV shows shot on the Pali campus, including “Freaky Friday,” “Modern Family” and “All American.” But last year’s production was the first to be filmed on Pali’s campus during a pandemic. 

The production company, Miramax, initially contacted school officials last October to schedule a fifteen-day shoot in November and December on the school’s grounds, according to PCHS Director of Operations Don Parcell.

Parcell, who was in charge of authorizing and overseeing the filming process, reported that the number of cast and crew members on campus on any given day ranged from 30 to 100.

The film crew was required to hire a third-party company that administered and monitored the entire production to ensure that COVID-19 protocols were enforced, Parcell said.

A member of the school’s operations staff checked the temperatures of cast and crew members daily. Those who didn’t comply with mask wearing and social distancing guidelines were immediately removed from campus, Parcell said. In addition to the basic guidelines, the janitorial staff also sterilized locations and equipment daily. 

“We did charge slightly more than usual to cover daily janitorial cleaning and disinfecting,” Parcell said. “But we did not charge a Pandemic Premium just because it was during COVID.

“At the time the legal contract was signed, the infection rates and hospitalizations were 80 percent lower than they are now,” he continued. “Therefore, at the time, it seemed to be OK to go forward with the filming.”

Some Pali students were not happy with Parcell’s decision.

“I really struggle with online school… and I’m really waiting for school to return back to normal so I can get back on track,” sophomore Leon Akhavan said. “Then I see that they are filming movies on campus in large groups, and it really ticks me off… Where are the priorities?” 

Junior Mia Kulinsky disagrees, saying: “It is a useful way to use the campus while students are legally not allowed to be on campus for school. I think it will probably have little to no impact in us going back to school.”

According to Parcell, Pali’s decision to proceed with the shoot had little to do with COVID-19 forcing classes online. 

“Filming is a state, county, city and LAUSD permitted activity on campus… even with today’s much higher infection rates,” he said. “Fortunately for us, other than a few reminders every so often, everyone was very cooperative and good about following the rules and regulations.”