From street view, the filming of C-Tran’s new commercial might have been a little confusing, but for anyone with a window seat on a flight into Portland International Airport it might have made a little more sense.
On the sunny Friday afternoon, the southeast corner of the Vancouver Mall parking lot was filled with group of eager volunteers and two 60-foot-long articulated buses. Atop one bus was the phrase “Catch the” and below the word “VINE” spelled out by about 200 volunteers all clad in bright green shirts.
The commercial will air just before the launch of The Vine, Southwest Washington’s first bus rapid transit system, on a yet to be announced date. The Vine will replace Route 4 and the now discontinued 44, and run from Vancouver Mall to downtown.
People of all ages — and even a few dogs — volunteered to be in the commercial. As a thank you they received free T-shirts and a lunch.
“I’m very excited,” said volunteer Thabby Nduli, who has never been on film before. “I hope they notice me.”
Nduli and other volunteers were grouped into individual letters. Staffers from the Portland-based production company Uncage the Soul stood high overhead in a scissor lift and called out directions with a megaphone.
“I was in group ‘E,’ ” Nduli said. “We got an ‘A’ for effort — after three attempts.”
John Waller, founder of Uncage the Soul, said featuring community members in the commercial was intended to convey a sense of civic ownership over the new transportation feature.
“It’s a celebration for Vancouver,” he said.
Waller said the goal was to create video that stands out from the sea of visual media out there today. The production company used a camera-equipped drone to get the aerial shots of the crowd, using the parking lot like a giant blank canvas to write on.
Commercial volunteer Bob Kanaus said he hasn’t riden C-Tran in a while because he “made a mistake” and bought a car a few years ago, but when he did he was quite impressed with the agency’s service.
“In the years I rode, I was extremely impressed,” he said. “I came to be supportive. We’ve got a really great bus service in this city.”
