BEHIND THE SCENES

Our mudroom is one hardworking room! 

It takes a beating each and every day 

and I can assure you, this room has earned its name.

However, one sunny day in June, we gave the mudroom a break from our daily torture 

so that it could enjoy being the "star". Okay, I exaggerate, it wasn't really the "star".  

It was merely the wardrobe room for a commercial that was shot at our home. 

But still, a big departure from its normal role.

I am really not sure which room in the house got to be the "star", 

because once I saw this, I got a little anxious and had to leave he house for the day.

And the foyer.  I'm certainly glad they take pre-cautions and protect the furniture, the walls and 

the floors, but for a Type "A" like me, it was a bit disturbing to see my house turned upside down. 

I know there was a scene shot in our bedroom (in our bed, to be exact).  

Don't worry, they brought their own linens.

They moved a dresser from our family room up to our bedroom to serve as a nightstand.

I loved the look and thought about keeping it there, but it partially blocks the only vent in the room.

I got a big fat "NO" from the husband.  I hate it when he's right!

I heard another scene was shot in our kitchen, but I didn't stick around for it.  

In the meantime, the kitchen served as the hub for props and snack. 

They set up a nice display of snacks in the backyard for the actors and crew. 

Did I mention, they had approximately 50 people working on the commercial.  

And of course, they have to eat.  Our backyard looked like a makeshift cafeteria. 

Speaking of the backyard, let's pretend like you don't see that hideous concrete.

When we first looked at this house, believe it our not, the inside didn't scare me, 

it was the backyard that gave me doubts about buying the home. 

Our yard is terraced and so there is a nice flat portion at the top, just off the back porch,

a few terraced areas below and then a fairly flat spot down at the bottom. 

We have basically pretended like our backyard doesn't really belong to us for the past three years.

It's pretty embarrassing, to tell the truth.  I feel sorry that my neighbors have to look at it. 

Just like the inside, it will be a big project and we want to make sure we do it right.

We are in the initial planning stages for some backyard renovations.

We will most likely tackle a little at a time. 

Maybe someday, if I'm feeling brave, I'll give you a look at its current state. 

Also, I have posted about other commercials and photo shoots 

that have taken place at our house here, here and here.  

I always get e-mails inquiring how we get the "jobs". 

Here's the lowdown:

My husband's cousin, Nick, worked for a production company, and back in 2010 

they were looking for a house with a big kitchen to use for a Similac commercial. 

Nick is a such a cool guy and so he called us and asked if we would be interested in renting out our house for a few days. Uhmmm, YES!  We snapped some photos and sent them to the location scout for her to review.  She paid us a visit along with the director for the shoot and they decided our house would be a perfect location for their commercial.  

Pictures of our house are on file with the location scout and now when she has a project come up that

our house might work for, she gives us a call.  Sometimes we get the job, sometimes we don't.  

It's a fun process to watch (sometimes) and we do get paid, bonus!

This last commercial was quite a production and huge trucks and cars were parked all over our neighborhood.  Even though I wasn't around for the chaos, I sensed the frustration of our neighbors. 

What's a good neighbor to do?  

Buy and deliver many bottles of wine to her patient and kind neighbors 

as a "thank you" for putting up with the craziness.