Date: Fri 04-Sep-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-film-McAward

Full Text:

On Location At Fairfield Hills

(with cut)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Fairfield Hills is becoming a popular place for film crews. Since the former

state mental hospital closed three years ago, the Newtown site has been used

as a set for movies, MTV shows and most recently, a television commercial.

Film crews converged there last week to produce an advertisement for Bayada, a

visiting nurse service. The commercial spot features a nurse who battles the

elements in order to reach a patient.

"We needed to be secluded and that was the reason we went there. We used a lot

of artificial lightning and rain and we didn't want all the lights to disturb

neighbors," said producer Doug McAward of McAward Productions, Inc in

Brookfield.

The commercial will run in the Philadelphia area first then roll out to eight

other cities, according to Mr McAward. It will not run in this area since

Bayada does not currently do business here.

Assisting in the filming was former Newtown resident, Harvey Hubbell, V, a

filmmaker from Litchfield.

Mr McAward produces commercials and some television programming, representing

a handful of directors. His company recently did a film in Brookfield at Petco

for the Cincinnati Yellow Pages.

"We needed a pet store and Petco seemed like the logical place," he said.

Mr McAward is chairman of the Connecticut Film Commission.

About 35 crew members took part in last week's filming.