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Chandler, AZ - Ready for close up
Chandler ready for close up
Bird flu documentary to shut part of Dobson
Edythe Jensen
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 3, 2006 12:00 AM
Don't panic if you see armed National Guard troops wearing surgical masks along south Dobson Road on Sunday.
They're just actors trying to block entry into the fictitious town of Fleetwood for a British Broadcasting Corp. documentary about bird flu.
The filming of Pandemic will close Dobson Road south of Queen Creek Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. On Monday, crews will take the drama to Mercy Gilbert Hospital, which opened in June at Val Vista Drive and the Santan Freeway in Gilbert.
Producer Marilyn Anderson said the made-for-television show, filmed by Randy Murray Products of Phoenix, will air on the Discovery Channel next year.
She said the company tried to keep news of the filming quiet because the set is closed and there's no provision for spectators, and no need for extras. They're also taking care not to identify Chandler or Gilbert in the film "because we don't want to scare anybody," Anderson said.
Chandler transportation officials routinely notify the City Council and the public of any temporary road closure in the form of weekly memos. For this one, the memo mentioned the times of the blockage, detours on Queen Creek and Price roads and the fact that the closure was "to allow for filming of a motion picture." City officials, however, said they were unaware of the title or subject of the film.
There will be no closures or disruptions at the hospital, spokeswoman Julie Graham said. She said about 12 hours of filming Monday will be in an unopened section of the new hospital's emergency room. Some will take place in the facility's isolation rooms, but the film crew will have to vacate those rooms if patients need them, Graham said.
It is likely that some hospital patients will get a glimpse of the film's actors in the hallways, she said.
Dan Cook, Chandler's assistant public works director, said the film company was required to pay for police traffic services related to the road closure, but was not charged additional fees.
Graham said the firm will pay Mercy Gilbert $1,500 for use of its rooms; the money will go into a foundation for construction of the facility's second wing.
Chandler and Gilbert residents won't be seeing big explosions and fancy sets like the ones going on along Loop 202 in Mesa in connection with another movie production that started last month and continues this weekend.
The Red Mountain Freeway between Higley and Power roads in Mesa will be closed again - from 10:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday - for the filming of chase scenes in The Kingdom. The movie stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper, and centers on a four-person team of FBI agents investigating a crime scene in a Middle Eastern country.
Bird flu documentary to shut part of Dobson
Edythe Jensen
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 3, 2006 12:00 AM
Don't panic if you see armed National Guard troops wearing surgical masks along south Dobson Road on Sunday.
They're just actors trying to block entry into the fictitious town of Fleetwood for a British Broadcasting Corp. documentary about bird flu.
The filming of Pandemic will close Dobson Road south of Queen Creek Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. On Monday, crews will take the drama to Mercy Gilbert Hospital, which opened in June at Val Vista Drive and the Santan Freeway in Gilbert.
Producer Marilyn Anderson said the made-for-television show, filmed by Randy Murray Products of Phoenix, will air on the Discovery Channel next year.
She said the company tried to keep news of the filming quiet because the set is closed and there's no provision for spectators, and no need for extras. They're also taking care not to identify Chandler or Gilbert in the film "because we don't want to scare anybody," Anderson said.
Chandler transportation officials routinely notify the City Council and the public of any temporary road closure in the form of weekly memos. For this one, the memo mentioned the times of the blockage, detours on Queen Creek and Price roads and the fact that the closure was "to allow for filming of a motion picture." City officials, however, said they were unaware of the title or subject of the film.
There will be no closures or disruptions at the hospital, spokeswoman Julie Graham said. She said about 12 hours of filming Monday will be in an unopened section of the new hospital's emergency room. Some will take place in the facility's isolation rooms, but the film crew will have to vacate those rooms if patients need them, Graham said.
It is likely that some hospital patients will get a glimpse of the film's actors in the hallways, she said.
Dan Cook, Chandler's assistant public works director, said the film company was required to pay for police traffic services related to the road closure, but was not charged additional fees.
Graham said the firm will pay Mercy Gilbert $1,500 for use of its rooms; the money will go into a foundation for construction of the facility's second wing.
Chandler and Gilbert residents won't be seeing big explosions and fancy sets like the ones going on along Loop 202 in Mesa in connection with another movie production that started last month and continues this weekend.
The Red Mountain Freeway between Higley and Power roads in Mesa will be closed again - from 10:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday - for the filming of chase scenes in The Kingdom. The movie stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper, and centers on a four-person team of FBI agents investigating a crime scene in a Middle Eastern country.
