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.

Ghost in the Shell movie filming at Stone Street

Hi there

It's busy, busy, busy for them at Stone Street Studios in Miramar for the movie "Ghost in the Shell".

I can never spell her name right, but the star is Scarlett Johanssen.  Above photo taken today.  To be allowed to  take it, I was almost made to stand down in the South Island.

swims and films

Hi there
This weekend, I drove to town in my seemingly endless quest for new glasses and, yes, I did find some which I'm still not happy with, but, hey, the insurance people are paying.

I had to meet my swimming friend, J, at the beach directly after my glasses quest, but getting through town was a nightmare. Several streets were blocked off because Scarlett Johanssen was filming her new movie.  Is it called "Ghost in the Shell"?;  I'm not too sure.  Anyway, the stupid people who were organising  traffic cones obviously didn't coordinate with each other because they had us driving around and around the same block, with no obvious exit to other roads.  I wonder how long it took them to sort themselves out?

Also, I got a note in my letterbox yesterday warning me that, over the next couple of weeks, there will be night filming for "Ghost in the Shell" at the Stone Street Studios down the road from where I live.  Goodness, the movie people were so apologetic to the neighbours.  There is going to be a lot of blank gunfire and pyrotechnics with a midnight curfew most of the time except when there would be 6pm-6am filming.  Oh, it's all right though because the noise will only be for ten minutes every 30 minutes or so.

Anyway, I finally got through the traffic jam and made it to the beach.  Here are some nice pics of Hataitai Beach that I took yesterday.  J and I swim out of the bay and around the corner to the jetty.

The streets below were blocked off for the movie making.

Swim, Liberace, Gandalf, and Stone Street Studios

Hi there
9 pm, Tuesday.  Busy day.  J and I got in our 7th - count it again, 7777777 - swim at Hataitai Beach today. Whoopeee!  Two people today called us 'brave'.  I think that's the new catch-word.  It's better than 'mad'.

My Auckland friend who is down in Wellington to housesit for me when I'm in LA and Vegas next week, dragged me along with her to the Roxy Theatre to see "Behind the Candelabra" at the the International Film Festival this evening.  Michael Douglas and Matt Damon (especially Damon) are really good in it.  In America, I believe, it's a television movie  - the two main actors are nominated for Emmys.   I think it really should be viewed on the big screen because all of that Liberace finery, feathers, furs, bling, jewelled pianos, candelabra, etc can surely be better seen in all its glory.

Here's some news:  Tomorrow the new plaza/precinct/whatever-it's-called will open in Miramar.  There will now be only one street instead of two at the crossroads.  There will be room to eat out doors and ... wait for it .... there will be a statue of Gandalf, made by Weta standing close to the Roxy Theatre!

And here's some more news, reputed to be true:  At the end of March next year, there will be a first-time Miramar Festival.  And it's going to be held in the grounds of ...... tantan-ta-raaaaa!!! - the Stone Street movie studios. 

Wellington Storm aftermath

Hi there

Yesterday and today I went for a walk and I was shocked how much in the way of branches,twigs, leaves were up and down and over and across every street and road.  It seemed, also, that there were loads of work crews out and about pruning trees and clearing up after Thursday's big Wellington (New Zealand) storm.  I am very appreciative of Wellington City Council.  On The Big Storm Day, it was too wet and windy for me to take my recycling wheelibin out to the footpath but, heavens-to-Betsy, the recycyling guy came into my property, took the bin out, emptied it, and returned it ... all in a howling gale.  Thanks WCC, that was appreciated.

Miramar's two main roads - Miramar Avenue and Park Road - are lined both sides with Pohutakawa trees.  For my one overseas reader, the Pohutakawa tree is sort of New Zealand's national tree.  It is called the New Zealand Christmas Tree because it blooms around Christmas.  Maori legend has it that if it blooms before Christmas we are going to have a good summer, and the opposite if it blooms after Christmas.   Anyway, there was a load of Pohutakawa debris all around Miramar.  Here is a Pohutakawa (okay, I cheated - it's not a Miramar Pohutakawa.  I took the photo at Ohope Beach last year).

Whilst I was out walking I could see the Stone Street Studios from an opposite hill.  Unfortunately the sun was shining right into the camera, but you can get an idea of how big The Green Screen is.

The second photo is a studio security guard box at a side entrance in Stone Steet.  Apparently the guard box blew right over in last Thursday's storm.  Note how it had to be anchored down by two large concrete blocks ,and ties, in case it blew away again.

 

 

 

Above is a photo I took today of the main entrance of Stone Street Studios in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand, where The Hobbit Parts II & III are being currently filmed..  We now have a myriad of Camry Hybrids zipping around the area, ferrying VIP stars here, there, and everywhere.

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.