The Sunshine Skyway bridge enjoys the steady traffic of film crews who seek its profile as a backdrop for their art.
By JAMIE THOMPSON
Published March 31, 2004
[Times photo: Joe Walles (2003)]
The Sunshine Skyway bridge is a highly sought film location. But suicide depictions and daring stunts -- even one by Oprah Winfrey -- have been denied.
[AP photo (2001)]
Golden Gate Bridge, opened in 1937
[AP photo (2002)]
Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883
THE BRIDGE AS BACKDROP
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York have been filmed in countless movies. Here are a few of them, and coming attractions for the Sunshine Skyway bridge: GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE:The Lady From Shanghai (1948), Vertigo (1958), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), The Presidio (1988), The Core (2003) BROOKLYN BRIDGE:'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942), Over the Brooklyn Bridge (1948), Manhattan (1979), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Moonstruck (1987) SUNSHINE SKYWAY:The Punisher (2004), The Great Bike Build Off (June, the Discovery Channel), TV ads for Cadillac and the Altria Group
ST. PETERSBURG - No need to drive across Tampa Bay this year to catch a glimpse of the Sunshine Skyway bridge.
The towering, cable-stayed structure will appear on movie and TV screens nationwide as it continues to attract film directors and advertising agencies.
Cadillacs will glide across the bridge through May in a TV advertising campaign that began last year, company officials said.
In June, a group of motorcyclists will rumble across the Skyway during a taped Discovery Channel program called The Great Bike Build Off.
Also this summer, the Skyway is expected to provide the backdrop for an "intense, emotional climax" in The Punisher, a major motion picture based on a Marvel comic book series, according to filmmakers.
The attraction?
"It's a simple, beautiful piece of architecture," said Tom D'Angelo, national field advertising manager for Cadillac. "It's visually pleasing to look at and easy to work with."
Some in the local film industry hope the exposure will encourage more directors to bring projects to Tampa Bay.
"If The Punisher is successful, it will put Tampa Bay on the map," said Andreas Zachai, a Tampa-based location scout. "Therefore, it will put the Skyway on the map."
For at least a decade, film requests for the Skyway have remained steady, with an average of one or two films or commercials shot every year, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The agency could only provide statistics through 1996, and said 14 commercials, television shows or films have been taped on the Skyway since then. They have included Jaguar and GMC commercials, as well as a shoot for Altria Group Inc.
In the Altria spot, a dirt road turned into a freeway that moved up the Skyway and off into the horizon. The company, which includes Philip Morris and Kraft, also printed full page ads featuring the Skyway: "When we cross into new areas ... when markets span continents ..."
"It's an extraordinary bridge," said Jennifer Parramore, director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission. "It's neat, it's different. Not that many bridges have that striking profile."
Typically, those interested in filming on the Skyway will call Parramore, who offers a warning: "If you want to use the bridge," she says, "you have to play by their rules."
She means the Department of Transportation, which must approve all filming requests on the Skyway. She quickly sends callers to permitting inspector Chris Gregory, who handles all filming applications.
From his office on Ulmerton Road, Gregory asks for a detailed description of the project - what the script says, how the scene will play out and whether stunt work is involved.
He also asks companies to complete a detailed permit application and show proof of insurance (for a minimum of $1-million).
Before a shoot can take place, Gregory must get approval from all agencies potentially affected, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration.
And since Sept. 11, Gregory has added the Department of Homeland Security to his list, making sure no applicants have terrorist ties.
"We probably do a more detailed background investigation now," Gregory said.
Groups are not charged for using the bridge, but must hire off-duty highway patrol officers to direct traffic and oversee shooting.
Traffic is not stopped but slowed, giving crews 20-minute windows to work on the bridge.
The permitting process takes about 30 days, and not everyone is successful.
The state will turn away any project that puts the Skyway in a bad light - a suicide scene, for example. Additionally, several groups have been denied access because of daring stunt requests.
Oprah Winfrey, for example, recently asked if she and a guest could rappel from the Skyway for a show about conquering fears, Gregory said. She was denied.
"We don't allow people to jump or hang off the bridge," Gregory said.
He did help approve use of the bridge for The Great Bike Build Off, a Discovery Channel series in which two custom bike builders each spend 30 days crafting a custom motorcycle, then ride to an event where the public votes for the best bike, said production manager Tracy Thomas.
She organized a simple morning shot of bikers riding across the bridge, a helicopter taping from above.
"The bridge offered a visually stunning image," Thomas said. The episode is scheduled to air in mid-June.
Brett Botula, New York-based locations manager for The Punisher, said the crew rose early to capture a scene with the sun rising behind the bridge.
"I was actually quite taken by the whole thing," he said. "There was a certain poetry to the bridge."
He believes the Skyway is a good filming spot, in part because it is not as recognizable as the Golden Gate or Brooklyn bridges, and has not been associated with any famous movies. It's desirable because the story can dominate the scenery.
"It has its own grace without these layers and layers of storytelling laid on top of it," he said. "I think that's a bonus."
But D'Angelo, the advertising manager for Cadillac, said his company selected the Skyway because it is nationally known. The Discovery Channel has named the Skyway as one of the 10 most beautiful bridges in the world.
"I don't think it's an anonymous bridge," D'Angelo said.
Either way, local film experts hope the requests keep coming.
"It's very photogenic for commercials and movies," said Zachai, the Tampa scout. "The proof is in what's been done."
