A Twister has touched down in central Iowa.

Not an actual tornado, but rather the major motion picture starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, which began filming in rural Boone County on Friday.

Twister, a Warner Bros. production, has set up its headquarters in Ames. Many of the members of the cast and crew have already been spotted around town.

According to a press release, the film involves two groups of scientists who are tracking tornadoes. Egos, ambitions and personal relationships clash to set up a confrontation.

Many area residents have already taken part in production of the film. Carrie Jacobson, of Roland, is a photo double for one of the cast members.

“It was a lot of fun,” Jacobson said. “I got to meet all the stars in the movie. They were really down-to-earth. They wanted to be treated like regular people.”

Lynn Reed, an Iowa State student who is an extra in the film, agrees with Carrie.

“Everything was very exciting and I was surprised at how nice all the stars treated everyone,” Reed said.

Both Jacobson and Reed agree that while filming a major motion picture can be an exciting and exhilarating experience, it can at the same time be redundant and tedious.

“In over nine hours of being on location we only did one hour of actual shooting,” Jacobson said. “Of that, only about five minutes of this footage will be in the movie.”

“Everything was really chaotic,” Reed said. “I was also surprised at all the waiting that went on. The directors always seemed to be waiting for perfect conditions. They took a lot of takes for each scene, sometimes taking as many as 40 takes for one 30-second scene.”

Despite all their problems, both women said that it was a memorable experience.

“It was well worth the time because I got meet all the people involved in the movie, ” Jacobson said. “It was a very neat experience,” Lynn concurred. Both said they would not hesitate to work in the film if they were called back.

Amanda Brand, a publicist for the film, said north-central Iowa was picked as a location because of the landscape and weather.

“The setting for the film is in the heartland, and Iowa has such beautiful landscape,” Brand said. “A lot of the action takes place on country roads, and Iowa is known for its stunning country roads.”

The stars of the film should be familiar with most Iowa State students. Helen Hunt is co-star of the NBC comedy “Mad About You”. Bill Paxton is currently starring in Apollo 13, and was last seen in the movie True Lies.

The script was co-written by novelist Michael Crichton.

Jan De Bont, who directed Speed, is directing the film.

Filming began in Oklahoma during early May and is set to finish production in Iowa on August 10.