In The Driver's Seat

- The roving camera from my driver's seat.

I recently filmed as a background actor in a Maaco car commercial intended for nationwide distribution. A successful franchise, Maaco completes both auto bodywork and exterior painting to approximately one million cars annually. Their niche is quick turnaround time in getting your fresh painted car back on the road.

The backdrop of the “My Hero” commercial captures the essence of snarled commuter traffic. It shows how a spiffy looking Maaco rebuilt car can improve one’s plight even when stuck in a traffic jam. I can hear the reprimanding voiceover “Uh-oh…better get Maaco” jingle now as a backdrop.

A gated closed down former bypass road in Bridgeport, PA provided the ideal set location. Fifty background actors inched their cars the same four feet advance in between resets. For the first time in my life, I got paid for being stuck in a traffic jam. After the four lane logjam ended in its eight hour, I am not confident my assigned vehicle ever got in the picture frame.

There isn't an actor performing that doesn't want to get a big break in their career. Straight from the director’s walkie-talkie driving commands, I hit about five hundred brakes driving a Chevy Tahoe that ironically had a blinking engine light warning. Albeit in the driver’s seat, the brake we make for ourselves is not always the break we imagine.