MORE than 100 people gathered at The Mining Exchange last night for the Ballarat launch of a series of Victoria Bitter commercials filmed in the city.
The two-day shoot in May this year involved about 1500 extras with the first commercial going to air on Wednesday night to coincide with the first day of the Ashes.
Celebrities and sporting stars marched down Lydiard St in a mock parade for the shoot.
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Ballarat Mayor Judy Verlin attended last night's launch to view the commercial for the first time.
She said it had become "the talk of the town".
"It's very hard to put a dollar value on the exposure Ballarat receives as part of this," she said.
Ballarat resident Cherilyn Fuhlbohm had already seen herself and friends on television while watching the cricket.
A member of the King's Horses, a medieval re-enactment group, she said they were easy to spot.
"It's hard to miss the helmets."
Ms Fuhlbohm enjoyed the experience of being an extra for a day.
"It was a long day, but it was pretty fun," she said.
City of Ballarat film liaison officer Jane Verdoorn said word was spreading amongst the industry that the city was a "great place" for filming.
"I have had a number of enquires this week."
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