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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-01-01, Page 9Wednesday, January 1, 2014 • Huron Expositor 9 Whitney South QM Agency The ice pick-up with driver and passenger traveled down a 4 -kilometre stretch of Highway 84 between Hensall and Zurich in Huron County under its own power, and will likely claim a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. QM! Agency Photo OPP officer, Geoff Mayer issues a ticket, probably not for speeding, to Andrew Barrett of Canadian Tire, after the run down Highway 84. CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 8 2005 GMC 2500 Silverado - in Texas, brought it home and stripped the cab and body. They made modifica- tions to lower the overall height and width of the engine compartment, repainted the chassis and adjusted the electrics. Andrew also scored the spot as the official driver for the Guinness run. From the machine shop in Zurich, the truck chassis was trailered to St Catherines where John Keddy and his company, Pick Me Produc- tions, specialists in extreme prop making for special events and advertising, fitted a steel frame to support the ice. Pick Me Productions also built a replica of the chassis in wood, so ice for a second truck could be built at the same time as the first. The chassis was taken back to Iceculture CNC techni- cians and a crew of designers and ice carvers undertook the ice component challenge with enthusiasm, although building three full-size ice trucks in a short time span meant long hours in the freezer studio. The first step was to encase the engine in ice to test the effect of a running warm engine might have in an enclosed freezing environ- ment. Special fans were incorporated to provide additional airflow to help remove hot air and any exhaust fumes. Next came the design and construction of a full proto- type version of a generic truck for the two advertising agencies involved with the project, and the customer, to inspect and show that the ice truck was a viable proposi- tion and the project worthwhile. As the prototype was being built, ice for the second truck was being cut and assembled on the wood frame. A busload of personnel from the advertising agen- cies involved and two film crews and key representa- tives from the customer trav- elled from Toronto to spend a full day, closely examining all aspects of the prototype. A stunt driver moved the ice truck backwards and for- wards, and even drove over boards to see how the ice body stood up. Once approved, the truck was taken apart carefully and the various ice components stored. At the same time, fine details were added to the ice on the wooden frame. The chassis and the new ice from the wood frame were then transported to Toronto for the shooting of the commercial. An Icecul- ture team assembled the truck once more on site and fine-tuned the detailing. Heidi Bayley, president of Iceculture said that when Canadian Tire came to her with a list of crazy ideas, they definitely narrowed it down to the craziest one that held the most challenges. "What we first had to do was address the challenge that ice and metal don't mix because metal conducts heat," she explained, adding the finished product wouldn't have been possible without the work of each and every company involved. "We each had our share of challenges but it was really exciting, our whole team was really onboard. It was probably one of the biggest challenges we've ever done." According to Bayley, the end result had to be more about the client than just creating a record-breaking vehicle. "Ultimately the whole thing was not about the ice truck, it was about the fact this minus 40 battery can start this crazy ice truck," she said. "We had to show off this fantastic battery, so you can't bury the battery inside the engine, it had to be somewhere we could see and appre- ciate what we were doing here." Filming took all-night and wrapped early the following morning. The Ice - culture crew stayed on site in case of any mishaps or malfunctions during the shoot. Finally, the film crew left for the studio and the truck was taken apart once again and shipped with the chas- sis back to Hensall. Then with less than 24 hours to re -install the original ice body, Iceculture went back to work to have the truck ready for its inaugural run down the highway early the follow- ing morning. Having to make use of ice that had already been tailored for the original concept design proved to be a challenge and a lot of time was spent trying to make the truck resemble the commer- cial version. And a good number of replacement parts had to be cut. Dur- ing the process, some parts from the original prototype and some from the vehicle used in the commercial were combined to be able to complete the final ice truck - a true hybrid. After a successful 4 -kilometre road run, which caused a few traffic hold ups, the truck was taken to the Detail- er's shop where it was melted down, the process being time -lapsed photo- graphed over a period of 40 hours. This is all captured in the Canadian Tire 'How the truck was made' video. Few realize just how many people are involved in producing a television com- mercial. In addition to the agencies and company personnel, there are film crews, sound technicians, directors, PR people, and at the shoot itself, there were more than 60 specialists on site at one time. How successful will the project be? Time will tell, but only sales of Master Craft Eliminator Ultra batteries will be the proof of the pudding and tell the real story. In the meantime, Hensall coffee shops are still buzzing about the ice truck and the fact its on -road per- formance might make the Guinness Book of World Records. Not too much was being said about the rare traffic delays Highway 84 between Hensall and Zurich.