Community News
Pahrump Valley Gazette, Thursday, February 13, 1997 27
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A wild and wooly weel00: at the dunes
You'd think making a thirty second commercial wouldn't
take much over thirty seconds. Or if it did, it certainly couldn't
take more than a day. If the commercial features the sunny
desert there obviously shouldn't be any need to work before
sunrise or after dark. That's what you might think if you were
a simple fellow from Baker looking to make an easy dollar.
Some nice people from New York asked if I'd like to work
a few days in the dunes filming a commercial about a little red
pickup, a salty looking actor and
a slow moving lizard. Seemed a
simple job. I have a large dune In The Thermometer's Shadow
buggy and all I really do is sort oI . -
by
Mike
Dougherty
act like a taxi. A nice easy way to
, pay the rent, and these winter ----
1 days are short so there shouldn't
be many hours involved. Easy money, easy living.., foolish me. " :{!
Day one. Meet in the parking lot of the motel for breakfast roJ
at 4 a.m. Temperature 34 degrees, wind 20 miles per hour.
Lead caravan out to dunes and find base camp location in full
darkness. Park vehicles on firm sand and unload buggy.
Camera must be ready to go at dawn. Do it.
Motor home is parked, leveled, lighted and functioning.
Catering truck is parked against the wind and is starting to
prepare for the day's meals. The Big Red Truck from Baler is
on location and pulling sand bound trucks into position. Huge
vans, trucks and tractor tailor rigs are lined up with their noses
to the wind and their hydraulic lift gates lowering into off-load
position. Under the glaring work lights the camp takes shape
in an atmosphere of controlled chaos.
The dune buggy and the Big Red Truck are loaded and hurried
off to the fast location. I'm also asked to guide the camera truck
through impossible sand and onto location. I get very lucky and
get the truck into position. The little red pickups we're filming
are racing into position across the drifting sand driven by
precision drivers. They stick a couple of times, but letting air out
of the tires helps enough so they can travel the sand.
Sunrise. Almost looks like we know what we're doing.
Lizard handler warms the lizard so the cold blooded critter can
move for the camera. Actor should win a prize for being able
to act warm in the arctic wind. Make up guy sprays actor's face
to make it look sweaty, that has to be one cold face.
Lights! Camera! "What in the Hell are we doing here?"
Cameras roll to the gentle swearing of the camera men trying
to keep the wind blown sand out of their mega-buck equipment.
The actor acts, the truck trucks and the lizard does whatever it
is lizards do. The sun rises from behind the Kingston Range and
it almost looks like we know what we're doing.
The day becomes a blur of
orders shouted into the wind,
stuck vehicles, eyes shut tight
against gritty sand and a never
ending rush to work within the
light of the rising sun. Move!
New location. Everything
moves to the next dune. Cam-
eras must again be set and lev-
eled. Lights and reflectors are
again braced against the wind, the actor retreats for a brief rest
into the motor home and lizard takes a break in his heated ice
chest. The rest of us keep on keepin' on.
The day blurs into a fog of push and strain. Always a minute
behind, always a bit too slow. Work a little faster. Push a bit
harder. Never ever complain, everyone else is doing great, I'm
the only one that's a wee tired. All these other folks are tough.
Lunch. Thank goodness for expert caterers. Great food.
Luxurious eats. Shrimp, steak, lasagna, beautiful desserts,
glorious cheerful service and a whole thirty minutes for lunch.
Another day. Another 4 a.m. call. Another backbreaking
day in the dunes that lasts until full dark and then it's back to
Baker and service the equipment. Push, push, do it faster and
do more. But there are moments. Yes indeed.
Setting on the west end of the dunes watching the sun cast
dawn shadows on the perfectly sculpted sand. Back in the bowl
watching the actor stroll down the sharp edge of a sand ridge as
the wind blows sand into a golden aura around him. The wind
in all of its agonizing cold fury makes the dunes an artistic
perfection of nature at her best. The beauty is awesome.
The little red trucks. The drivers are giants of skill and
Free Free Free
Fun and games from AV
The middle schoolplayed a tournament in potluck. Dorothy Bird walked off with the
Pahrump over the weekend. They won some "secret" door prize. Well now the secret is out
and lost some. Our very own Robin Peterson - four oak dinner trays.
who now plays for Pahrump was awarded If you missed the last Little League Regis-
Player of the trationyouhavean-
APPOINTMENTS WEEKLY
Game i the[ ro.r c.ce
championship Around Amargosa Thursday the 20th
game. Congratu- [ with Andrea from6-8p.m.you
lations! Rumor For More Information: can sign up at the
has it that the Call (702)372-5459 community center.
home game this The Fish Fry
following the car
auction last Saturday was big fun. The house
was packed and everyone was out on the floor
dancing.
Happy Valentine's Day!
weekend has
been cancelled. Hopefully they will be able
to reschedule. If so, the games begin at 10 a.m.
This will be their last game so don't miss it!
Everyone had a good time at the bingo/
Cactus - Cactus
Largest Selection in Nevada
Desert Plants ~ Succulents
Lots of native Nevada plants including:
Red Barrels, Cholla, Yucca, Mound Cactus, Clariet
Teddy Bear, Beaver Trail, Prickly Pear, Saguaro
Golden Barrels, Organ pipe, Desert Willow
Blue Pale Verde, Ocotillo, Mexican Fence
Post and Extremely Nice
Nevada Joshua Trees
Free Cactus Say you saw it in the Gazette, limit of one.
Over 4 000 Desert Plants n Stock!!!
Open: 9 am - 5 pm Daily, Sun 10 am ~ 5 pm 12740 Blue Diamond Road
(702) 875-1968
Fax (702) 875-1913
1/2 Mile off 160 W. on Blue Diamond Rd. (Hwy 159)
Ilu'e Ioml
r
Blue
experience. They' re called precision drivers and so they are. In
civilian two wheel drive trucks they do things that give a dune
buggy pause. The little trucks fly over virgin dunes and gently
brush the whirring cameras as they fly by. The action is heart
stoppingly thrilling but the drivers have it under tight control.
There are times of quiet and beauty. There are times of
excitement and wonder. There are times of fierce pride. We
work day after day from before dawn until after dark, but there
are times that make it all worth while. The people are great. The
crew is well disciplined and long experienced. Tempers are
controlled. There is no complaining. There is only a firm
determination and a quiet pride. The job goes on.
It's a wrap. The job is done. Wearily we load our equipment
and receive our pay. A hand shake or two and exchange of cards
so we might work together again. The crew goes their many
ways and in a few months a TV commercial will show a wee
red truck and a tired lizard at a remote sand dune.
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Jan McDonald, M.D.
Dermatology Clinic of Nevada, Ltd.
Harvard Medical School
& Mayo Clinic Trained
at
Pahrump Medical Center
1501 E. Calvada
Call: 727-6060
Summit Family Health Care
1151 S. Hwy 160
Pahrump Station
Call: 727-5509
For Insurance/Billing Questions
Call 1-800- 752-4338
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