Hollywood in my Driveway

Lights, more lights, even more lights, camera, action...cut!

Our street has seen its fair share of film crew. This past week was slightly different; the directors had their own director’s chairs with their names embroidered on the back. Really serious chairs for serious hot shot film people.

We hosted these great Hollywood propeller heads in our garage, in amongst my beer cans, skateboards, surfboards, and a colony of daddy long legs. A major film company from the ‘Big Lights’ has ventured into South Africa in order to test it as a good value destination for feature films. Somehow they stumbled onto our street and have used it as one of their shooting locations for a new film.

My house with left hand drive VW bug

It has not been without incident. The other day the lead actress borrowed Isabella’s black bike and spent some time riding the street with it. Donna walked past her and told her that if she breaks it she pays, much to the horror of her minders. Surely small stars about to become big stars can do what they want?


Last night they spent a few hours in our entrance hall and on our driveway. Thick cables snaked through our house supplying current to lights of all descriptions. A multitude of foreign accents cut through the air, and radio’s squawked incessantly. A cherry picker parked up the road with an alternate sun whilst at least 100 people milled around. The film process is surreal as everyone freezes for those short periods when the actors move. This must cost a small fortune! After our house, they headed off to the neighbours’ to shoot through the night.

The other sun!

I would be very interested to see my home flash up on the big screen, even if it is only for a split second. Of course it may mean forcing myself to go and see a teen flik! Oh horror...

Neighbours lost in blaze of light

Lights Off

Lights by Linea, an upmarket lighting shop in Paardon Island, a stones throw away from the sea. The place was packed with people, not an unusual feat for a shop. Certainly unusual for six o clock on a Friday evening, though.

Donna and I, hand in hand, pretended to inspect the various light fittings, whilst blending into the crowd. We happened upon a bar in the middle of this shop, not a temporary affair, but a real pub. Immediately taking advantage of the situation, I ordered drinks for the two of us. We continued to able along until we bumped into a table laden with eats. Jackpot! We were full of silliness, sharing laughter and jokes. Then a most bizarre thing happened, especially considering that this was a light shop. The multitude of lights dimmed into darkness.

Now, the only reason we were in this weird shop eating snacks and drinking free drinks was because the owner happened to be one of Donna’s travel clients. We had been invited to come on over and network. Yes, I know what you are thinking, funny thing to do in a light shop in the dark...

Our confusion did not last long, as a smoke machine exhaled a cloud of dense smoke and a bevy of strategically placed lasers began to beam out patterns of their own design. Dance music rained down on us from massive roof mounted speakers. I kid you not; somehow we had been transported from a strange light shop into a club of our youth.

We danced, other people danced, and drinks flowed, as the owner mixed the beat himself. It was far out!

(Me entering the portal!!)

Then just as suddenly as it had all begun, it ended, in a light shop full of light. Wayne, the owner, had to move on to a 50th birthday party. So there we were, partied out before dinner and the whole evening ahead of us. Weird and wonderful!

We had a lot of fun, in a light shop, in the dark!