Anyone passing through the streets of downtown Watsonville for the next few nights may notice a crew shooting for an upcoming film.
The production includes a car rigged with cameras and lights, and will take place in local restaurants and wetlands.
The film is “They Know Not What They Do,” a horror-thriller film by producer Gabriel Medina, a Watsonville High alumnus from the class of 2010 who runs his own production company, Calavera Media.
It is written and directed by Oscar Ramos and co-produced by Lilith Mo.
“They Know Not What They Do” is expected to be released in 2024.
Described on its website as “ultra-low budget,” the film nevertheless boasts directors, producers and actors with impressive resumes with such companies as Netflix and Hulu, Medina said.
This includes Nili Rain Segal, whose experience includes a Post Malone video and such productions as “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Shoshanna’s Skateboard.”
Segal also graduated with Medina’s class, which he described as a “full-circle moment.”
“We were in awe that we were able to make it happen in our hometown,” he said.
Medina says he hopes to shape the Central Coast as a destination for other filmmakers.
“Calavera Media is really trying to make an effort to bring more productions to the Watsonville area,” he said.
And the cast and crew, he said, is taking notice.
“They’re so impressed with this little gem that we have,” he said.
A previous version of this story gave the wrong name for actor Nili Rain Segal.