Press release by Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma-filmed “Twisters” rocketed to the top of the box office over the past weekend, with an opening at more than $80 million, according to Deadline.
And when you see fire trucks on screen, that’s thanks to the crew at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.
“I worked closely with the production crew for the movie,” said Joe Bennett, program director of the Fire Protection department at OSU-OKC.
“The ‘Twisters’ crew came to our campus and covered our logos with the logos used in the movie,” Bennett said. “The instructors drove the rigs down to the shooting locations and remained on set for the entirety of shooting, moving the rigs to whatever locations the director needed.”
“Twisters” donated $4,500 to the Fire Protection program for assisting with filming.
The Hollywood strike added an additional twist.
“They used two of our fire engines for all the filming but had one more shoot they needed to do,” Bennett said. “Then, the writer’s strike occurred, and they stopped filming.”
Bennett told the production crew he’d leave the film logos on the rigs so that they could finish filming with them when production resumed. However, when the time came, one of the original fire engines used for the shoot was in the shop and wouldn’t be ready in time for filming.
Bennett jumped into action as he’s done throughout his career – this time, to find a replacement rig for the “Twisters” crew.
“A small volunteer fire department east of Guthrie needed a new fire engine a couple of years before the movie, and I assisted them in locating and navigating the purchasing process and was there when the fire engine was received and put into service,” Bennett said. “Because of this, I contacted their chief and asked if he would be interested in bringing his rig to the filming locations.”
The chief was interested, and Sooner VFD brought the engine to the shoot location.
After filming, Twisters donated $4,500 to the volunteer fire department and an additional $4,500 to OSU-OKC fire protection.
So in a unique way, “Twisters” brought Sooner and Cowboy together, at least in one emergency rescue scene.
“In the movie, you can see the OSU-OKC rig on the right and the Sooner VFD rig on the left,” Bennett said.
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About Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City (OSU-OKC) is part of the modern land-grant system of Oklahoma State University. OSU-OKC is a two-year public institution, offering more than 40 degrees and certificate options. Through quality education, a supportive environment, leadership training and service opportunities, OSU-OKC trains students to work and educates them to lead. OSU-OKC graduates are found throughout the community serving as police officers, firefighters, nurses, teachers, healthcare professionals and business owners. More information is available at www.osuokc.edu.
