by Kevin Murphy
You know you’re in for something out of the ordinary when you get a call on your car phone one night on your way home and it’s not (a) work or (b) your spouse with a "short" list of things to do on the way. Well, in this case, it was the spouse, but she was going on excitedly about how somebody wanted my ’74 Spider to be in a commercial. Huh? Yoicks.
The very next day, I found myself at Good Harbor Beach, just north of
Gloucester’s downtown, sitting at a folding table with a "key grip" (yeah,
I always wondered what keys they gripped too), the two actors who would be in my car,
representing a nice, 30- to 40-ish couple, an assistant director, and the director of
photography for the "shoot". (Pay attention now, as the lingo peculiar to the
film industry was essential to my survival—such as knowing that the "crafts
table" was where all the coffee and eats are on a film location.) The shoot was
commissioned by the Massachusetts Bureau of Tourism for a new "See
Massachusetts" TV ad and magazine print campaign to be launched sometime in the
Spring of 2001. For some reason, the film’s director and producer had been looking
for a dark-colored Alfa Spider for the couple to drive through our scenic state, and they
had picked mine out from a group of photos provided to them by Tom Lesko, AONE president
(THANKS, Tom!). Now I’ll be the first to admit that my car is far from concours, but
it is a good ten-foot car from most viewpoints and I think that its color does photograph
well. Nice to have at least these guys agree with me!
So, for the next two days, I hung around in the warm September sunshine in Gloucester, Marblehead, Essex, and Topsfield watching the crew set up shots, do numerous takes and retakes of the car being piloted by Woody and Kate, the two actors, past old-town Marblehead, antique shops in Essex, and through picturesque country roads lined by stone walls. I got to show Woody how to drive the car (he was a gentleman and much too easy on the gas), help the film director get herself and the cameras situated in the back of the car for the forward-looking shots, and generally keep the car clean and free of mars and scratching (note: never allow gaffer’s tape near the paint). The following week, I returned for an afternoon of "stills" for the magazine ad, and then said good-bye to the cast and crew. I must admit it that seemed like I was in the middle of a very real daydream.
Unfortunately, we won’t see the TV ad run here in Massachusetts, as the target audience is New York, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area. If anyone out there reading this happens to catch it next year, a taping would be appreciated! Meanwhile, I am told that the print ad will run in the usual mags like Yankee, Ladies Home Journal, etc.
Watch for the green Spider! 