Hollywood film shoot comes to Glenville street (with photo gallery)

Ryan Gosling guided his dirt bike off Route 5, up a ramp and into a white cargo van, where it landed with a thump.

Not much was visible of the Hollywood heartthrob, who was decked out in dark jumpsuit and black gloves and wearing a motorcycle helmet with the visor down. But that didn’t matter to Deanna Kremzier and Stephanie Winkler, a pair of Scotia residents huddled near a railroad bridge over Gower Road.

Kremzier quickly snapped a shot of the actor with her iPhone, and within moments, she had it posted to her Facebook page. Both waved to Gosling, who spotted them and waved back.

The day-long take may only last a few seconds in Derek Cianfrance’s film “The Place Beyond the Pines,” but for the two college-bound teenagers, the experience will last a lifetime.

They spent the better part of two hours trying to track down where Gosling would be filmed. They started at the Stewart’s near Lock 9 and then followed a production truck down the highway until reaching the site of Thursday’s action.

“Hi, Mom,” Winkler said excitedly into her cellphone after one take. “I was on the set five feet away from Ryan Gosling, and he waved to me!”

Crews arrived at a fenced-off lot near Stone Arabia Road during the early morning and were expected to film until the early evening. A traffic advisory board posted on Route 5 alerted motorists of traffic delays until 5 p.m.

Police cruisers periodically closed the roadway between Lock 9 and Rector Road to allow Gosling and a collection of early 1990s cars to travel roughly one mile east until the actor pulled into the cargo van.

Crew members were stationed at all of the intersections along with police to ensure that traffic from side streets didn’t inadvertently pull into the film shoot. Those who were watching the action were asked to duck out of view when Gosling and the crew rolled by.

The producers were quick to spot interlopers, too. When a crew member didn’t get the signal to clear bystanders away from beneath the bridge —more than 20 feet away from the action —the take was quickly scrapped.

“There were people in the tunnel,” barked a producer over a two-way radio. “That took our shot.”

Jeff Bielawski figured the large gathering of police and crews was because of an accident when he first emerged from his Gower Road home. He wasn’t sure who the actors were or any of the details of the film but figured it was worth grabbing his digital camera to capture some of the excitement.

“We only get about two cars a day through here,” he said. “I don’t even know who this guy is, but I think it’s exciting.”

About a quarter-mile away, Luann and Jaclyn Hart of Glenville waited patiently for a glimpse of the action. The mother and daughter had just gotten back from vacation when they noticed crews setting up on Route 5 and decided to check it out.

“It’s awesome, but it’s kind of strange,” acknowledged Jaclyn Hart, who is aspiring to work in the film industry herself. “Living here, you don’t expect a big Hollywood actor and director here in your town.”

Like many other Capital Region residents, the younger Hart has kept track of the film locations and the stars via social networking sites. Hundreds of posts erupt over Facebook and Twitter whenever the stars or the film crews are spotted.

“Facebook is really the place where everybody is learning about it,” she said.

Others were more interested in the spectacle of the major production than spotting its stars. Tim MacFarlane was on his way to run errands when he ran into a roadblock on Washout Road and decided to watch for a bit, “just for the excitement,” he said.

He’s also getting an idea of what his day is going to be like today. MacFarlane, a sergeant with the Scotia Police Department, is scheduled to work 12 hours during the film’s shooting at the First National Bank of Scotia.

The movie features Gosling as a stunt bike rider who turns to robbing banks to support his infant son. And apparently, Scotia’s bank is on his list.

Winkler and Kremzier are already planning to greet the actor. After all, it’s not too often a small town and village turn into a Hollywood movie set.

“It’s so cool,” Kremzier said. “Big things like this don’t happen around here.”

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