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December 03, 2004
Stars coming out in Dundas
By Craig Campbell
Dundas Star News
Four stars of the Emmy award winning television series The West Wing will make the trip to Ontario when the show begins filming in Dundas this weekend.
Jimmy Smits, Josh Malina, Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney are the only West Wing cast members making the trip. All four play main roles in the NBC television series, and the head of Ryerson University's film program figures they could help thank Dundas residents for their patience during a valuable week of production.
Jimmy Smits joined the cast this season, playing a Houston Congressman who aspires to the White House. Dundas will fill in as a New Hampshire town during the Democratic Party's leadership primaries. The shows filmed here will highlight Mr. Smits' character, Will Santos, a "hopeful candidate untainted by the cronyism of Washington's elite."
Warner Brothers Television spokesperson Leslie Hibbins said exactly when and where the actors will be during the planned week-long filming here is still undecided.
"They do change things," Ms. Hibbins said. "That's the nature of the beast. They're still mapping out what they are doing."
Also making the trip are Josh Malina, who plays Will Bailey, Bradley Whitford, who plays Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, and Janel Moloney who plays Donna Moss, assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Last week, the West Wing's Toronto production company delivered a notice to residents and businesses in Dundas, informing them of filming plans between Dec. 4 and 10.
Since then, another notice has been delivered, offering much more specific information.
Filming begins on Saturday, Dec. 4 at a private home on Sydenham Street. On Sunday, the shoot kicks into high gear with four different locations operating between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Today's Family Daycare at Victoria Street will be used during the morning, while scenes will be filmed at Dundas Town Hall and two nearby Hatt Street buildings from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Monday, the crew will move to the downtown core, filming at the DeLuxe Restaurant, 57 King St. W., and Cabin Fever, 65 King St. W., from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No further location details were included.
The notice states production vehicles and film equipment will be located in six different areas at different times during the week-long shoot. The south side of Hatt between Ogilvie and McMurray, as well as a private lot on McMurray south of Hatt will both be used Dec. 2 to 6.
The north side of Victoria between Sydenham and Cross will be used Dec. 4 and 5. Both the north and south side of Hatt between Town Hall and Main, and the west side of Main between Hatt and Town Hall will be used only on Dec. 5. Finally, the north and south sides of King between Sydenham and Miller's Lane will be used for equipment and shuttle vehicles only on Dec. 6, the single day of downtown filming.
This is not Dundas' first brush with film and television production, but it could be the most professional so far.
According to Alexandra Anderson, director of the film program at Ryerson University in Toronto and a fan of The West Wing, there's a simple reason why the production crew is careful to keep residents and business owners notified.
"The production managers of The West Wing are obviously very aware that they are getting more out of this encounter with Dundas, than the town and its people will," Ms. Anderson said.
Beyond any specific renumeration the production may have agreed to pay the City of Hamilton or individual business owners, Ms. Anderson said Dundas can "insist on some interchange between film unit and community ñ a town meeting or supper perhaps?"
Ms. Anderson explained that encounters between civilians and film crews can often leave the civilians feeling used and discarded, and anything that can be done to lessen this would be good for Dundas.
"As a filmmaker and fan of the West Wing, I would hope the town's people (are) patient and understanding, through what might be a bit of an ordeal," Ms. Anderson said.
Posted by Jo at December 3, 2004 07:29 PM