16 August 2000
News of Orange County
"Filmmakers invade Café 101, capture murder scene in digital," by R.J. Beatty
A man sits in Café 101, peaceably enjoying dinner with an attractive brunette on a quiet Tuesday evening. Suddenly he stands erect, an automatic pistol materializing in his hand as he stares down a group of three men in black suits and sunglasses looming in silent menace across the room.
Without warning, he fires. As a geyser of red erupts from the chest of one of the dark-suited men, the gunman turns and runs for the back door, his remaining adversaries following in close pursuit as their comrade crumples to the floor.
"Cut," shouts the director, a 20-year-old UNC student from Fuquay Varina by the name of Aaron Freeman. |
Peaceful-natured Hillsborough residents can rest easy; no murder took place at Café 101 on the night of August 8. Rather, Freeman and his fellow filmmakers, in need of an elegant restaurant in their new psychological thriller, descended on the Churton Street restaurant on that evening with lights, digital video cameras, and a determination to do Sir Alfred Hitchcock proud.
The filmmakers - director-producer Freeman, co-directors Josh Betthauser and Jackson Brown and lighting and technical crew chief Nathan Logan - came to Hillsborough via a fortunate hookup courtesy of Heather Gunn, a bartender at Magator's Pub whose twin sister Darcy is a co-worker of Freeman's at the Chapel Hill YMCA. Heather introduced Freeman to Jeff Orel, the executive chef for Café 101, who agreed to let the filmmakers |
use the restaurant on Tuesday evening, when 101 is normally closed. Orel said that he agreed to Freeman's proposal in part to gain some exposure for Café 101, but also out of altruism.
"I'm willing to help the less... |