Thomas MacMillan Photo
A “newsboy” from the turn of the last century stood on the steps of City Hall, selling papers from 2011.
That enterprising young newspaper vendor was actually a young actress, Eden Smith from upstate New York. She’s one of the stars of a new TV ad that was being filmed in New Haven on Thursday. The ad is part of a publicity campaign to announce the arrival of First Niagara Bank, which is in the process of merging with New Haven’s own New Alliance bank.
Dressed in the style of a “newsie,” Eden called out “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” She held out a fresh copy of the “Daily Tribune” from April 1, 2011. That’s when the merger is set to be complete and the ad rolled out.
The big news of the day?
“First Niagara Comes To New England”
First Niagara is opening up not just in New Haven but in several other towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Doug McAward, the local producer of the ad, said it will include a number of New England scenes using familiar landmarks like New Haven’s City Hall, to introduce New Englanders to First Niagara.
McAward said his crew of 30 people had spent the morning in Guilford, where it had got footage first on a lobster boat and then on the town green, where it filmed a kid clicking a stick along a white picket fence.
“Just nice, New England-flavored vignettes,” McAward explained.
The crew shot Thursday in New Haven’s V. Ferrucci tailor shop at the corner of Elm and Orange Streets, McAward said. At City Hall, it had an ARRI camera set up on a long boom for a swooping shot of young Eden.
After the crew finished at City Hall, McAward said it planned to head over to the Green to film someone fly fishing in the fountain, he said.
“It’ll all make sense,” promised William Freeman, marketing director for First Niagara. He wouldn’t divulge more about the plot of the ad. “It’ll be sophisticated,” he said.
Eden Smith held her spot between takes.