Business & Tech
Viewfinder: 'Imported from Detroit' Star Filmed on Pierce in Birmingham
Camera crew focuses on a 2012 Chrysler that's ready for its closeup.
The star of TV commercial scenes shot downtown today was treated with diva-worthy adoration, though its only lines are in steel, not a script.
A gleaming 2012 Chrysler 300C SRT8 model was driven slowly toward Maple Road on Pierce Street's most attractive block as a Los Angeles production agency filmed a commercial for the automaker. , , and planters provided colorful backdrops, as did actors portraying pedestrians, a bicyclist and sidewalk diners. Foot and vehicle traffic was blocked whenever the camera rolled.
Passersby watched activities of about two dozen technicians working for The Directors Bureau agency, including local film industry freelancers. The spot is directed by Melodie McDaniel of Weiden+Kennedy, an acclaimed ad agency in Portland, OR, that created an iconic "Imported from Detroit" spot for Chrysler starring Eminem, first shown during the 2011 Super Bowl.
