World Cup Final? No Problem.

It was quite convenient that the World Cup Final was played Saturday night, after the Triomf shoot, and before a nice day off on Sunday. Otherwise, the Benades family would have had to show up on set the next day looking drunk and disheveled, or just like their characters. No makeup required to cover up that hangover. Just start saying your lines, you'll be fine.

Here's the report, a day late and typed shakily, despite the delirium tremons, by Alex, our man in Jo'burg:

Day 23...
...started inauspiciously, with gray skies and heavy mist threatening to doom our planned shot list of exteriors. But as dawn gave way to morning, the sun burned through the clouds and gave us the kind of light we needed. The relief we all felt ensured an upbeat tone to the proceedings, with jokes and smiles giving us the stamina to complete what turned out to be a mammoth day.


A 6AM barbecue scene, complete with beers, wine and cocktails, might have looked strange to any passersby, but Coco Merckel and his fellow actors made it look like the most natural thing of the world. Of course, the day was largely overshadowed by the fact South Africa was playing England in the World Cup Final that evening.

In between takes, all the banter between cast and crew revolved around where and with whom they'd be watching the big match. In the end, it hardly mattered, as the Boks' victory ensured that mostly everyone eventually converged at the street party on Melville's main drag.

Good thing, then, that we got to enjoy Sunday off!

Crew Call: Any Wild Clappers Available?

Alex sent me today's shoot rundown...

Day 22
Probably because it was on a Friday, today turned out to be one of the best-humored days on set. Not only were the cast on top form (both during and in-between takes!), but some elaborate practical jokes kept spirits high as the weather inevitably took a turn for the worse.

Scenes for the day were a continuation of the past two days - a chase involving some acrobatics from the cast (no stunt doubles for these tough guys), followed by the arrival of the police.

The wild nature of the scene, with Coco Merckel and Oscar Pietersen full of light-hearted menace (if such a thing exists), had the cast, crew and local residents in stitches. Not all of the action took place in front of the camera: I myself provided unwitting amusement to my fellow crew members, thanks to the efforts of Jamie and Wiaan. Called to a field next to the set just before lunch, I 'wild clapped' for sound across the entire paddock, an entirely made-up task that looked as ridiculous as it sounds.

No sooner had lunch been digested than the sun gave way once more to cloud, rain and thunder. A change of plans was on hand and the madcap antics of the Fort Knox crowd gave way to interior shots in Lambert's Den. Designed to be inhospitable, the Den is not exactly beloved by crew or cast.

Image below: Here's Paul Luckoff as Pop, outside Lambert's den:


With some good vibes still lingering from the morning session, we plowed on into the late afternoon; notwithstanding some very loud thunderclaps. Not a patch on my wild claps, of course...

Chase Scenes Completed Seconds Before the Deluge

Alex Pearse sent me a recap from yesterday's shoot:

Day 21
Action was the order of Day 21, with a violently hilarious chase scene involving Lambert and The Fort Knox Boys, plus some inclement weather providing more drama.

Images below: Crew sets up for one segment of the chase sequence while (second image) Director of Photography Jamie Ramsay (in red cap) is in consultation with Focus Puller Wiaan Matthee.


Lambert's escape from the very irate Fort Knox residents was successfully created, thanks to some mammoth performances from a very talented cast, namely Coco Merckel as Beerguts, Astrid Braaf as Bikini Girl, Craig Palm as Speedo, Carmel Fisher as Speedo's girl and Delia Meyer and Oscar Petersen playing their party guests.

Tony Caprari as the baboon man was, as always, a joy to behold...

In the picture below: FortKnoxBoys: Speedo (Craig Palm) leaps from a tree in pursuit of Lambert while Oscar Petersen awaits his chance.

Just as we were congratulating ourselves on having successfully navigated the vagaries of dodgy weather, we got a little reminder of the awesome power of nature. At a little before 12:30 am, the skies opened with such ferocity that within minutes the city's drains were overflowing. Needless to say, film making was hastily shoved off the agenda in favor of finding shelter for crew, cast and equipment.

Although we had had several hours of beautiful sunlight to film our dramatic chase scene and the antics of the feral baboon man, our schedule for the rest of the day had to be altered dramatically.

Image above: Clapper board takes a break during the storm.

After intense discussions between director Michael Raeburn, first AD Grant Nale and script supervisor Elaine Butler, a plan B was hastily conceived. The gaffer and camera department got to work lighting the set for an afternoon of interiors and work resumed.

Our recompense for a lunchtime of misery came moments before the final shot of the day: Joburg's skyscrapers bathed in pure gold as the setting sun burned through the mist and rain. This is why Johannesburg is called The City of Gold.