ISU Locations "Go Hollywood"


by Linda Charles

Even though Iowa State locations are being used in the film 
Twister, they probably won't be recognizable.

Earlier this month, the WOI-TV news studio on campus was 
transformed to look like an Oklahoma City TV station. Crews 
also are busy turning a large grain/machine storage warehouse 
on ISU farm facilities into a National Severe Storms Center.

"The filming will all be inside. You'll never realize you're 
at the farm," said Mark Gannon, land manager of the farm 
located northwest of Slater.

The filming has been fortuitous for Iowa State. Not only is 
the university able to rent out a building it wanted to rent 
anyway, the movie crews will leave it in better shape than 
when they took it over, Gannon said. They've already given 
the building a power wash to clean up the grain dust and are 
expected to leave behind valuable lumber. When filming is 
complete, crews will return the building to its pre-Twister 
state, absent the grain dust.

The producers have inquired about using another building on 
the farm, possibly for an exterior shot. And Gannon said 
he'll let the movie folks use yet another building to feed 
the 200 to 300 people who will be there during filming.

Has all the Hollywood bustle upset things on the farm? Not at 
all, said Gannon.

"The farm is in corn and soybean so there's not a lot going 
on right now," he said.

Filming at the farm is expected to begin early next month. 
Security already is tight, said Gannon, who plans to be there 
when the cameras roll.

"They have lots of security people there now. They don't 
allow many people in," he said. "But as their landlord, they 
said I could come and go when I wanted."

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Contact:  Linda Charles, Internal Communications, (515) 294-
3129
updated:  7-28-95