As Glasgow residents we often struggle to see the beauty in our own hometown, although it is there. (Hint: Look up). Take us to the subtropical forests of New Zealand, the chilling glaciers of Iceland or the streets of New York and we can see how a simple idea can easily become a breathtaking feature film with the right backdrop. Learning to take advantage of what’s right on your doorstep can offer fresh inspiration at a convenient location, so we took a look at some people who have made the journey to Glasgow in recent years to film their projects.
You wouldn’t imagine Glasgow’s streets as car chase material, but our spacious roads were apparently just what the Fast and Furious crew needed for their sixth instalment, which was released last year. The shots were filmed in 2012 and were used to mimic London city centre.
In 2011, George Square and the surrounding streets were overtaken by hundreds of extras and one Brad Pitt in the post-apocalyptic blockbuster World War Z. Kitted out with American street signs, road markings and yellow taxis the city centre was dressed to look like Philadelphia which is similar in road layout and architecture. The shoot lasted 17 days and used over 100 action vehicles and over 800 crew members to shoot a few scenes for the movie which reportedly brought over £2 million to the local economy.
George Square with American Vehicles
Even if you didn’t quite understand Cloud Atlas hopefully you recognised some of the scenery. Areas around Blythswood Square and Montrose Street were host to Halle Berry in the film based on the award winning book by David Mitchell. The city was used to create a 1970’s San Francisco as well as contemporary London for other parts of the film, which is set in several time frames and various locations. The producers also brought the feature back for its first ever UK screening to take place at the Glasgow Film Festival.
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Not only has Glasgow acted as a doppelganger for American and English cities, but it has had the pleasure of offering a place to mimic one if its greatest rivals; Edinburgh. Any Glaswegian will tell you that we was ‘robbed’ and should rightly be named Scotland’s capital, although without the castle we can’t seem to pull in the level of tourism they can. Anyway, we can take pride in the fact that Dexter Fletcher chose to film much of Sunshine on Leith in Glasgow, even if it was just for financial reasons. Fletcher spoke positively about the city, saying it was “very vibrant and has a youthful buzz about it”. He also said “It’s had a bad rep for some reason, but I think it’s a cool, lovely place and the people are charming.” Well said.
Similarly, the on screen adaption of Irvine Welsh’s critically acclaimed book Filth was released in 2013, set in Edinburgh but with several scenes shot in Glasgow. Locations for the movie which starred James McAvoy and Jamie Bell included flats in Cardonald, James Watt Street and Park Circus.
Glasgow nightlife has often been given a bad name,but imagine you’re out on the razz in town and you spot this gorgeous girl who is the double of Scarlett Johansson. Well in late 2011, some Glasgow partygoers experienced just that, when Jonathan Glazer’s adaptation of Michel Faber’s novel Under The Skin was shot in secret in pubs and clubs. The film’s producer Jim Wilson says that no one actually recognised Johansson, so her black wig must have thrown off most people, along with the absence of any cameras following her. The actor travelled around the streets of Glasgow in a van rigged with tiny cameras to capture her improvised conversation with the locals who were often persuaded to get into the van with her, much to their embarrassment when the producers had to chase after them explaining what had just happened and could they have permission to use the footage.
Director Jonathan Glazer is also responsible for another amazing project which took place in the city back in 2006. The Toryglen housing estate in Glasgow was subject to his creative genius to make an advert for Sony Bravia TVs where he successfully used 70,000 litres of multi coloured, eco-friendly paint and 1,700 detonators to create timed explosions all over the high rise flats and surrounding area. The result was a stunning kaleidoscope of moving colour, set against classical music showcasing the beauty in the ordinary. Another fine example of why filming in Glasgow can lead to something wonderful.
