The Big Idaho Potato (BIP) got to spend a little bit of time running around in and around its hometown. I’m sure that a few people in down town Boise wondered how or perhaps why I was so lost. I think we circled the streets down there more then a dozen times. You might agree with them too, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. We were down there filming parts of another commercial. The hard part was finding parking during the camera set-ups. Parking shouldn’t restrict the flow of traffic, yet needed to be somewhere on the route for that next shot. It wasn’t easy, I can assure you. We did give up on a few holding points however, as traffic seemed to not be handling the presence of the BIP well. We set up a run down Harrison Blvd too, which wasn’t easy. The entire route of low hanging trees had to be measured by hand. B-Line Pilot Car Services helped me with that task. Harrison Blvd wasn’t an easy shot to get, but I think we did well. One of the fun things that happened on that location was running into a group who had seen us earlier in the day, at another location. What a surprise it must have been, seeing the BIP drive right by their house too. We call that, “The Magic of the Truck.”
Wilder Idaho got to spend an evening with the Big Idaho Potato, the next night. Word spread around the area that it was parked at Jacksons, their local Truck Stop. People stopped by in a steady stream, to grab a picture with the BIP. Larry, our driver, handed out postcards and talked spuds well into the evening. Some cameras can take pictures well after dark, but not everyone had one of those available. Some people were left out in the dark. We shot our next bit out in the fields near Wilder, next to a potato field. We stayed out there as long as we could, with the camera crew trying to get the right moment, from just the right perspective, all on film. (Film is used loosely, of course.) We couldn’t stay near that Idaho Potato field long though, as the Big Idaho Potato was giving the field ones a complex.
Mountain Home was the next stop for BIP, as we planned to get some footage going up Hwy 20. Unfortunately there was also a festival starting that same day. We’d planned so far in advance that we really felt we had no choice on location and just tried to get the footage as quickly as possible. Driving a Big Idaho Potato isn’t easy, when there is a camera flying around you. Fortunately for everyone, we got all the shots on our first try and were out of there lickety split. We then went up to Lucky Peak Reservoir, for some water skiing and dock picnicking. At least that’s what I thought we were going to do. Turns out they just wanted to film me blind side backing off a Highway. Down Town Boise was easier than that, I thought. Turns out I would get a friendly little reminder, because we were headed back down there, for the final shots. Boise is a beautiful little city, but big enough to have many different looks. (As far as the Director was concerned, anyway.) The BIP gave another street performance, pretending to be driving around in circles. Our tour director got to ride with us at one point, which actually made our day. How many people can say that their boss is so awesome that they actually “Love” when their boss shows up? Well, we certainly did Love that she showed up to hang out with us for a bit. (Besides, she brought chocolates…)
Our final three days were spent with our family and some of our loved ones. (We love “Tater Nation” too, so that’s why we say “some of our loved ones.” Boise was a blast, and that time off was well spent.
