Miramar Creative Centre

Hi there

There 's a new creative centre in my suburb of Miramar.  I'm not quite sure what a creative centre does, but as the building is almost next door to Park Road Post Production, across the road from some casting offices, around the corner from Weta Workshop, down the street from Stone Street Studios, and amongst a spread of graphic/digital offices, I rather figure that the new Miramar Creative Centre  is to do with acting, directing, editing, computer graphics, and the like.  I'm thinking that portraitists, landscape artists, ballet dancers, jugglers and bagpipe players won't get a look in.  The creative centre is a division of Victoria University.

lamp posts!

Hi there

As my four readers know by now, I go power-walking in Miramar a lot, usually up Park Road, past Park Road Post Production, and also past Weta Workshop.  A lot of times I end up over the hill at Worser Bay or Scorching Bay.

For quite some time now, I have been annoyed by a lamp post slap-bang-dead in the middle of the footpath in Park Road.  It has a "Temporary Pole" notice on it. 

When I'm walking, I often have my head down, contemplating the ground, making sure that my feet aren't in the way of tree roots, or ruptures in the pavement, or cats that I have to pat, or puppies that I am required to coo over...

The first time I encountered this lamp post, I banged into it.  Now, I'm ultra-wary.

Lord of the Rings filming in Miramar

Hi there

Every time I walk past the California Garden Centre in Miramar, Wellington, I think of the filming of Lord of the Rings.

On one of the 'making of the movie' DVDs, it's said that a scene, with riders and horses, was being filmed in a warehouse opposite the California.  Apparently, there wasn't enough room for the thundering horses to slow down their wild run inside the warehouse so the main doors were opened, the gates of the California Garden Centre were thrown open too, and when the horses pell-melled it out of the building, they crossed the road still at a ferocious gallop,  and only managed to be slowed down in the grounds of the garden centre.

The garden centre building was once a huge tank and is now full of plants, gifts, cafe.  It's practically next door to Park Road Post, the post production film place.  It's a minute or two from Weta Workshop, about fifteen minutes walk from the studio.  Here's California -

Spring has definitely Sprung

Hi there

I do so love colours and nature.  Today (Sunday, NZ time), I walked up Park Road in my suburb of Miramar.  On the corner of Byron Street was the most wonderful pink blossom display.  Then further along the same road, was a native Kowhai tree, positively bursting out in yellow.  The birds were singing, the sun was out, I'd got in 7 swims for October....

below:  kowhai tree outside "r.d." building (next to Park Road Post)

below:  Park Road Post Production.  The hub of Wellington's movie empire.

What we do in The Shadows - vampire movie and Q & A Session

Hi there



Last night I went to the Roxy 'Theatre in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand, to see the new mockumentary film by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement, in which they star, direct, produce.  What we do in the Shadows.   A vampire story with old-fashioned vampires, but set in modern Wellington.  There was a Question and Answer session afterwards.

The film was done on a shoestring with the producers having to find make-do props and, as they said, they even used their own teacups in a scene.

Jermaine started off pre-movie by reading a letter from the New Zealand Documentary Board (!). 
Both he and Taika kept getting muddled up with the word 'documentary' ... documentarian ... documentarying ... documentarialisation ...  All completely deadpan.

The letter said that the Board would like to see a documentary on vampires and enclosed for reference were the vampire movies "Blade 1" and "Blade 3".  The DVD of Blade 2 was out on loan.

The movie was good.  I loved seeing all the Wellington landmarks.  I've always thought I would probably end up in The Rita Angus Rest Home (nicknamed 'Colditz' by its inhabitants) in Kilbirnie when I grow even older but now after seeing a vampire perv into the windows at night, I'm not too sure about any future plans to end up there.

So many vampire myths were delived into.  Our vampire flatmates tried to go clubbing at night and couldn't get into any of the clubs because they were never invited into them by the doormen.  The yearly big event, the supernatural masquerade ,was held in the Mt Victoria Bowling Club  (it was so hilarious to see the bowling club leader board on the wall).

Even werewolves weren't forgotten.  Rhys Darby and his scruffy scratching uncouth pals were marvellous.  And I loved the vampire minion, a married mum who desperately wanted to be 'turned', but instead had ended up  mowing the flatmates' lawn, cleaning their house, and ironing their shirts.  She complained that they couldn't wear shirts like ordinary guys, oh no, they had to wear blouses, and with frills no less.

The Q and A session:  the interviewer asked Taika and Jermaine what they had done at Park Road Post Production.  The answer was a short crisp, "Post-production."

Taika told the audience that the editing was exhausting.  He and Jermaine had taken turns, month by month.  He would go away after his month, come back, look at the work and declare it really bad, then discover  it was his own work and not Jermaine's.

A question from the audience asked about the film becoming a tv series.  The reply from the producers was that Australia were interested and also a couple of American companies.

Last night was a fund-raiser for Taika's daughter's kohanga reo (pre-school).  The little girl was there and she was such a cutie and so quiet and polite.  She ran up to Daddy and he cuddled her lovingly on his lap.   Ahhhhhhhhh......

Trailer , 'The Hobbit" Part II

Hi there

As I type this it is 7.30 a.m., Wed 12 June, and the trailer for the second Hobbit  (The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug) movie has been released.   Oh dear, I can neither pronounce nor spell 'Desolation" and 'Smaug" so what hope for me with this movie....   Ooooh, it looks scary!   Full of action.  Hope Aidan Turner gets a bigger role.

I figured something was up yesterday as I was walking past the Park Road Post (Production) building.  I was almost mowed down by a plethora of folk barrelling out .  "Ah ha," I thought, "What's on the horizon ...?"  Usually, the staff etc all roll up en masse at Park road Post when there is something important to be viewed or talked about.

I see, too, that Hobbit filming is taking place on Mt Crawford.  I went up there when they were filming "King Kong", via a back track route.  Because I had to climb-stagger-stumble through a large open area, I was spotted by the security section way before I reached the top of the hill and ordered back down again.  But I did manage to get a great glimpse of Skull Cave, etc.  Last year, I got a fantastic view of  a "village" on the top of Mt Crawford, from a plane I was on.  I couldn't wrestle my camera out in time to snap a photo.

Anyway, the extras who are filming on the Mt Crawford location and thereabouts are flossied up, dressed,  prepared for filming in a huge tent just opposite the Miramar Wharf.  Here's a photo that I took last year.

And here is Park Road Post.

Weta Cave and Stone Street Studios, Miramar

I like living on the Miramar Peninsula in Wellington.  So many overseas people wander around Miramar nowadays, both tourists and film workers, and I love the buzz of it all.
As well as Weta Workshop, Weta Digital, Park Road Post (Production), and the Stone Street Studios (see bottom photo), we now have the Weta Cave.  This is an add-on to the Weta Workshop and sells everything Weta-orientated.  There's also a mini-museum of film props, and they show a wonderful (free) film about the growth of Weta.   If anyone is interested in going to the Weta Cave, just take a no 2 bus from town and get off one stop before the end, and even if you 'over-run', it's only a short walk back to Camperdown Road. 
There is a 'sculpture' of a Komodo Dragon outside the Weta Cave (peer closely at second photo). 

Ah-ha, it's not really a sculpture.  It's a mould of a Komodo Dragon that died at the San Diego Zoo.  Weta made one for themselves and one is now at the zoo.
After the Cave, walk a minute or so (towards the direction of the zig-zag path, but don't go up it, unless you want to do 'the short loop')  along Camperdown Road to Park Road.  On Park Road, you'll pass (see top photo) Park Road Post.  My fave game is trying to work out which window would belong to Peter Jackson.  Many buildings along the first half of this road belong to the movie industry, so keep an eye open for 'things happening' inside the old warehouses.
Keep walking for about ten minutes to the Miramar shops.  You'll find the Roxy Theatre.  Ask if you can go upstairs to look at the decor and any exhibition that might be happening.  Look at the ceiling art.
From the Roxy, turn right around the corner at the Indian restaurant, and walk a minute or so down Miramar Avenue  to New World Supermarket.  You're at Stone Street, home of director Peter Jackson's Stone Street Studios. 
Then trot back to the Miramar shops to catch a no 2 bus back to town.