Upamanyu Biswas
The high school comedy film, ‘Incoming,’ follows the exploits of a group of freshmen looking to restart their school reputation by attending their first high school party. The four friends – Benj, Connor, Eddie, and Danah – seek a life of thrills away from their previous existence of missed opportunities. Their chance arrives when, a week into starting classes at Waymont High School, they have an exclusive invitation to join a party for the seniors. The school takes their unfulfilled dreams and gives them a meager hope of seeing them come to fruition, thereby making it a pivotal part of the narrative!
The Origins of Waymont High School
‘Incoming’ is the directorial debut of Dave Chernin and John Chernin, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The two brothers created Waymont High School as a fictional establishment where Benj, Connor, Eddie, and Danah find themselves locked in a battle to raise their status from the proverbial losers to the cool kids on the block. Upon arriving at the school, they are greeted by the quirky personalities of each student while they themselves go through an identity crisis. Moreover, the presence of Mr. Studebaker, the joyful and carefree Chemistry teacher, who seems more like a friend than a teacher, adds to the school’s whimsical atmosphere. As Waymont High is a pivotal location in the film, the production crew shot the scenes featuring the school at a real-life establishment in California.
Newbury Park High School, located at 456 North Reino Road, Newbury Park, in Thousand Oaks, California, doubled up as the fictional school depicted in ‘Incoming.’ During production, cameras and film crews were seen hanging around the premises as the main NPHS sign was refitted to say Waymont High School. According to Victor Hayek, the Finance Chief for Conejo Valley Unified, the film studio paid the district $50,000 for the use of the campus, which was opened in 1967 as a co-ed public high school. “This is one of the first major films to be filmed at our campuses, and we hope to set a good relationship with Hollywood to generate additional money for our schools,” he said. “We’re happy to have them.”
The remodeled Waymont High School sign is featured in one of the establishing shots within the film when introducing the school to the viewers. It sets up the teen comedy energy of the story by delving into a high school setting where everyone is excited about exploring their new possibilities and afraid of falling behind the herd. Although the stakes of the drama may be limited to the social lives of each character, the authentic display of making that step into a high school as a freshman is humorously captured in the film through the environment provided by Waymont High. Though its conception is rooted in the realms of fiction and the elements provided by Newbury Park High School, the school, in and of itself, cannot be found in reality.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Incoming Filmed?
