Our Superstar from Bernau

How did it happen that the film was shot at a petrol station and car wash in Bernau? Tell us how it all started.

Wasch und Tankcenter Weise – “Depending on the size of the production – whether it’s a feature film or a commercial – the screenwriter or production assistant looks for the right locations for the film shots. In the case of the film “Freaks”, we were contacted by the production assistant to find out if we would be interested in providing our petrol station and car wash for several scenes”.

Photo Bernau LIVE 2019 https://bernau-live.de/.

Did the area have to meet specific conditions? What does it look like on the set?

Wasch und Tankcenter Weise – “We undertook to make our location available and temporarily shut it down. The requirements vary from film to film. We have seen that a lot of different interesting techniques were used in the film “Freaks”, starting with camera sprinters and teams working on lighting and “scene building”. Later on the set there were about 40 people plus a few extras. Advertisements and products were of course partially covered. The lamps were also replaced with warmer ones to give the scenes the right light”.

Did you have the opportunity to meet the director of the film?

Wasch und Tankcenter Weise – “Yes, of course we had the opportunity to meet them. It was very pleasant to meet the director and the production manager. We discussed the conditions and promised to close the petrol station completely for some scenes, while other, rather uncomplicated scenes could be shot while the petrol station was running”.

Is it true that this is not your first experience of this kind?

Wasch und Tankcenter Weise – “That’s right, it’s not our first experience with film crews. We have already had advertising sessions with VISA and a photo shoot with a Mercedes. Moreover, part of a comedy with Sebastian Pastewka, a well-known German comedy actor, was shot here. Two music videos were also shot here. Last Friday we also had the pleasure of hosting the team that shot scenes for the film Grand Jeté”.

Photo Bernau LIVE 2019 https://bernau-live.de

What do the people of Bernau think about all this?

Wasch und Tankcenter Weise – “These types of events always generate a lot of interest in the local media. It gives us a lot of publicity in the region, but also an interesting change from everyday life. We meet new people and sometimes they call us again when a new project is coming up. We are happy that we can use social media to promote our station and car wash, and to point out that we are a ‘unique’ petrol station.

With regard to the film “Freaks”, an article appeared on the local news portal https://bernau-live.de/kino-film/zum-teil-in-bernau-gedreht-netflix-startet-den-film-freaks.

And if we want to see the shots taken at our station again, we can always play a fragment of the film on Netflix :)”.