For corn and dairy farmer David Vanderkooi it's business as usual around his East Chilliwack acreage this week.
Show business, anyway.
From afar, there is little sign of the massive production that descended on the Riverdal Dairy a few weeks ago. But meander through the corn stalks and a three-quarter mile race track becomes visible. Generator-powered light poles, a false house front, a barn built with one-by plywood, and the 100-or-so crew members make this corn field an anomaly in the Fraser Valley.
Sure the crops will be harvested, but it will have to wait until Streelight Films and Believe Media have wrapped the filming of a 60 second, international commercial touting the new 2005 Ford Mustang

For Mr. VanderKooi, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"It's Ford," he laughs, "How can you no, especially with the Mustang. The inconvenience is minimal, but it's worth it."
He mentions the monumental task of removing the black-top race track from the middle of his corn field. But the crew, both the Los Angeles and Vancouver, will be staying in Chilliwack to properly remove every trace of production from his site. They will also be filling the site with top soil to complete the project.
"Down to the last stone," says Stan Goetz assistant to location manager Jon Summerland.
"The farm has been exceptional," he says.
"They have been on the set everyday, having a great time."
And sure enough, every able body in Jesperson Road area has been put to work on the $1-million production.
"Any time I wanted to come by I was welcome," says Mr. VanderKooi. "They've involved everyone. All the neighbourhood kids have been helping. Even the 15 chickens are from the neighbour across the street."
All the stops have been pulled out for this commercial, which director Paul Street describes as Field-of-Dreams-meets-Bullitt.
Audiences can expect to see the ad in theatres and eventually on television within a month, as post production on commercials is fairly quick, exclaims Mr. Goetz. In it, a farmer is depicted hearing the rumble of the engines while in his field. He shown step-by-step building something, and Mustang, along with a Steve McQeen (Abbotsford-based look-a-like Mark Myers) rolls out of his barn. Cut to the gratuitous, flashy car scenes whizzing around the newly built track and you get the idea.
The car scenes entail a great deal of accuracy, as well as camera mounted vehicles, including a high perfomance motorcycle operated by L.A. stuntman Lou Franco.
"He came within 12 inches of the car at some points," says VanderKooi, adding that the car hit 180 km/h at one point in filming.
Another lunar-looking, off-road buggy housed another camera, to be driven through the middle of the track to catch a different angle. And look for the overhead views of the car in the upcoming commercials as well. Those shots were taken by a low flying helicopter.
"It was touching the tops of the corn, and that's 13 feet," says Mr. Goetz. Corn had to be staked into place to stand up to the high winds caused by the aircraft. But that was little concern to what was otherwise a smooth production, he adds.
When the scouts originally contacted Mr. VanderKooi, he thought it was some sort of joke. But once the producers and directors were flying over in a helicopter to confirm the location, he knew it was becoming a reality.
Mr. VanderKooi's property is not listed with the Chilliwack Film Commission, he says. The location scouts found the property by asking other local farmers.
He and his family bought the farm almost 25 years ago, and this will be one of the most memorable moments there by far, he says.
"This is really cool, and exciting," he says. His first impression of the track was awe, he recalls.
"It's not for real," he says he thought at first. "But now, to experience what they go through, it's phenomenal."
Crew members had the same thought when witnessing the farming operations Mr. VanderKooi explains.
"They've been down to the farm, and for them to see a calf being born," he says, "well then they all had their digital cameras out."
"It's a pretty different world for both of us."
Crews were busy wrapping up production and dismantleing the set this wednesday, after seven days of filming.