Not every commercial heads for Toronto or L.A. (whose numbers have dropped). A sizeable number are being produced here at home and by out-of-towners who like our style and look.
Here’s a brief round-up of what’s been going on, with the help of reports from the Chicago Film Office’s Yolanda Arias. Airwave Productions of Las Vegas was here for a day shooting man-in-the-street interviews on Michigan Avenue … Cass Productions, a local group, hired 100 extras and positioned them on the Lake St. bridge in a staged “protest” for client American Crew Hair … Silent Partner shot for Perkins Restaurant, spots to air in the Southwest.
Carpe Diem was busy with Red Lobster for Tatham … Radar is back for another round of Ninento for Leo Burnett … Voodoo Productions of Minneapolis rented Essanay stages for two weeks for a Rentway furniture campaign … Chicago Story produced the now-airing Marshall Field’s lapse motion spot that promotes the store’s many new brands.
ON OTHER PRODUCTION FRONTS. The “Candid Camera”-like show, “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment” is headquartering at Chicago Studio City while comedian Kennedy goes around town intricate practical jokes on an unsuspecting public. Producer Walter Barnett had produced the Joan Cusack “What About Joan?” show at Studio City. “The Experiment” airs on Fox.
* Location manager Al Nolan-Cohn had a quasi-film gig when he found high building viewers of Chicago-in-the-present for a team of visual effects experts from famous WTA Digital of New Zealand (think “Lord of the Rings”).
The scenes will be converted into a Chicago cityscape-of-the-future where the story of “I Robot” is set. The Will Smith movie, based Isaac Asimov sci-fi stories, is filming in Vancouver.
