Scene One: The Army National Guard CH47 Chinook hovers low above the airport movie location for a few minutes and then flies into the scene, skimming over the top of a Marine C-130 as hundreds of military-clad extras move into action.
"Fabulous! It's when you get the big hardware, like the Chinook helicopter in the sceneEit's these nuances that make the movie happen, " proclaimed David Foster, producer of the movie "The Core," as he viewed the scene on a video monitor.
Nevada Army Guard's 140th Aviation was asked to support the Paramount Pictures Production being filmed in Wendover with their Chinook. The Guard's 717th Medical Company arrived later with a BlackHawk, both helicopters adding texture to the military panorama.
"The Core" is an original science fiction thriller based on the discovery of an unknown force that has caused the earth's inner core to stop rotating, according to a publicist from Paramount. Among its stars are Academy Award Winner Hilary Swank ("Boys Don't Cry") and Aaron Eckhart ("Erin Brockovich").
Foster says the film is about pulling resources together to achieve a very impossible goal.
"For decades, audiences have enjoyed outer space movies," Foster said. "'The Core' takes a 180-degree turn and deals with the inner earth."
Scene Two: While the 717th BlackHawk is getting ready to leave Reno for the movie location, the CH47 is taking off from Wendover having finished its last scene. The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Harry J. Martin, in the Chinook picks up a search and rescue call over the radio from the Elko County Sheriff's Office. Two children have been missing in the area of Jackpot for two days.
According to Sheriff Neil Harris, "I was able to secure the use of a National Guard Chinook helicopter which was in the area on a return trip to Reno. With the combined effort of the Civil Air Patrol and the National Guard the children were located 16 miles east of Jackpot."
The children, a 14-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, were returning from a skiing trip with their mother's friend when their vehicle became stuck in a snowdrift. The friend, Jim Young from Idaho, decided to walk out for help but when he returned the children were gone. According to the sheriff's report, they had left a note on the windshield saying they had waited until 5 p.m. and then decided to walk toward Jackpot.
The Sheriff's Department said, "outside of being tired, cold and hungry, the children seemed too be in very good condition."
"We just happened to be there," Martin said. "We found the kids and flew them to an ambulance that was waiting at the Jackpot airport. From making movies to search and rescue, all in a day's work."
Location shooting in Wendover has ended, but some crew will remain for a few weeks to take down the set.
