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| All in a day's shoot
Goodwrench commercial filmed in downtown Grass Valley included two elephants. By Dave Moller, davem@theunion.comSeptember 12, 2005 If you thought you heard the cries of elephants Sunday morning in downtown Grass Valley, you did. Two pachyderms weighing about 9,000 pounds apiece were sent running through the intersection of Mill and Neal streets as part of a television commercial being shot for GM Goodwrench. Crowds came and went all day to see their slice of Hollywood, and they saw plenty, including a crew of 125 and five truckloads of equipment spread all over downtown. The shots included a runaway concrete truck that will be morphed into the elephants to give a sense of danger and misdirection for two 30-second commercials due to begin airing Oct. 24. The truck and a car almost collide at the intersection for the scene. "I'm the one driving the car. Well, my face will be in the commercial," said actress Yennifer Behrens, who has appeared in movies and was recently on the soap opera, "General Hospital." The actual driver was a stunt woman, and Behrens was happy to get what amounted to a working vacation and a national advertising spot. "It's so quiet here, and the people are so nice," Behrens said. "I brought a book and I haven't even opened it yet. I just keep looking around. It's so beautiful here." Producer Lance O'Connor of Aero Film said Grass Valley was picked "because of the narrowness of the streets, and the lighting was good. We'd like to thank the town for letting us close it down." Michelle Ostrowski, the advertising manager for General Motors' Mr. Goodwrench parts and equipment, said the location was perfect. "It's home town U.S.A., wholesome and generic, not too much south, not too much north," Ostrowski said. "Your town is absolutely adorable. We all want to live here." It was just another day at the office for elephant handler Eduardo Moreno, whose firm provides pachyderms for movies, music videos, commercials and studios. "You have to forget about birthdays, holidays and Christmas when you're working with these guys," Moreno said about Nellie, who weighs 9,800 pounds, and Suzie, a svelte 9,000 even. Moreno said both elephants put away 300 pounds of food a day, so just keeping them fed and watered is a major chore. Two assistants helped handle the elephants and their major roadway deposits. To help solve that problem, a watering truck kept the streets glistening at all times. A fake stoplight dangled over the corner in front of the Del Oro Theatre, and extras scrambled for their positions for the next shot. "It's important to get that Midamerica look," O'Connor said. He apparently came to the right place. |
| Nellie hoists her handler, Eduardo Moreno, during a break while filming a commercial Sunday afternoon on Mill Street in Grass Valley. The Union photo/Louise Caulfield |
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