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SET: GODZILLA Turns Oceanic Plaza Downtown into San Francisco BART Station

Godzilla crew has turned Oceanic Plaza in downtown Vancouver into a San Francisco BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station, adding a San Francisco kiosk with ads for the Golden Gate Zoo, San Francisco mental health, San Francisco Pique Ballet Company and Go Whales Tours at Fisherman’s Wharf (the whale watching company and boats used by soldier extras on the Steveston docks to shoot at the Japanese sea monster), decorating West Hastings Street with Presidio New Folk Festival banners (the same ones used on Sixth Street in New Westminster), changing the Guiness Tower signage to Portman Center, another sign to the Kerney-Grand Hotel and parking yellow-and-green San Francisco cabs, black-and-white San Francisco police cars and military vehicles along the street for filming later on today.

Read More »SET: GODZILLA Turns Oceanic Plaza Downtown into San Francisco BART Station

SET: GODZILLA Turns Watchmen’s Main Street Set in Burnaby into San Francisco’s Chinatown

Update: Godzilla filmed four or five massive SPFX explosions on this set overnight Saturday (June 22-23). See photo of one blast.

Godzilla blast

Godzilla lit up the south Burnaby night sky at Marine Way and Byrne Road on Tuesday to shoot scenes on the Main Street set (built for the 2009 movie Watchmen) dressed as San Francisco’s Chinatown — a ravaged Chinatown in the wake of a Japanese sea monster. Not much can be seen from outside the private back lot except for glimpses of Chinatown’s iconic hanging red-and-gold  lanterns, 1920s-era Dragon street lamps and a destroyed pagoda-topped building, so you’ll have to imagine it dark and filled with smoke for scenes of the movie’s hero Lieutenant Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and soldiers running through it.

Related: Godzilla turns New Westminster into Streets of San Francisco – Chinatown

Read More »SET: GODZILLA Turns Watchmen’s Main Street Set in Burnaby into San Francisco’s Chinatown

LEO AWARDS: Agam Darshi & Gabrielle Rose of Bruce Sweeney Film CRIMES OF MIKE RECKET

Crimes of Mike Recket is about failed real estate agent Mike Recket (Nicholas Lea) whose beautiful, pampered wife Jasleen (Agam Darshi) has dumped him and barred access to their daughter. In a bid to solve his money woes, he tries to scam widow Leslie Kemper (Gabrielle Rose) so that when she goes missing, Recket becomes the lead detective (Paul Skrudland)’s prime suspect in her disappearance.

Agam Darshi, (below) won a Leo for her supporting performance in the film. Her next project: a co-starring role as tech expert Khali Bhatt in upcoming Toronto crime drama Played. Darshi was on stage at the CTV Upfront  last week in Toronto, where  the thirteen-episode series is filming from early May through September.

Read More »LEO AWARDS: Agam Darshi & Gabrielle Rose of Bruce Sweeney Film CRIMES OF MIKE RECKET

SHOOT: GODZILLA’s Golden Gate Bridge Set with Inflatable GreenScreens

For locals, Godzilla‘s Golden Gate Bridge set is Rise of the Planet of the Apes redux on the vast Kent Hangar gravel field at the Vancouver/Burnaby border. Rust-red street lights and railings. Giant greenscreens. Motorists and buses trapped on the bridge. Soldiers. Cop cars. Only this time the showdown is between the military/police and Godzilla not empowered apes. Plus the giant greenscreens are inflatable, something we haven’t seen before.

Related: Rise of the Planet of the Apes Reshoots on Golden Gate Bridge Set at Kent Hangar Field

Lieutenant Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)’s son and schoolkid extras are on one of the Oakland, Alameda and Freemont school district buses evacuating San Francisco,  as tanks with soldiers rolled by yesterday.

Read More »SHOOT: GODZILLA’s Golden Gate Bridge Set with Inflatable GreenScreens

SHOOT: GODZILLA Evacuates Kid Extras From Steveston’s Japanese Cultural Centre as School

Update: Janjira is the name of the Japanese nuclear power plant in the Godzilla reboot

Godzilla crew remade Steveston’s Japanese Cultural Centre/Martial Arts Centre into the Jankira International School for filming on Wednesday, adding fake pink cherry blossoms to the east side of the trees outside and parking a prop Japanese school bus and giant blue screen on the west side where the camera would focus. Dozens of child extras dressed in school uniforms practiced running out of the centre into the bus or towards Moncton Street. And had fun doing it. It’s not clear where the monster is in this scene because it’s unlikely they would run towards it. [Update: this evacuation might have more to do with an earthquake and potential nuclear disaster at the Janjira  reactors nearby]

Read More »SHOOT: GODZILLA Evacuates Kid Extras From Steveston’s Japanese Cultural Centre as School

SHOOT: GODZILLA’s USS Alameda Rocks & Rolls Like Disney Ride in Steveston

Filming started this morning on Godzilla’s USS Alameda landing craft set on the edge of Garry Point Park in Steveston with soldiers, technocrane, fog machines, rain towers, giant scrims and green screens added to the ride.  Crew tested the mechanics last night, rocking and rolling the set while shooting sprays of water over the bow.

Related: Testing the USS Alameda Landing Craft Set in Steveston

Read More »SHOOT: GODZILLA’s USS Alameda Rocks & Rolls Like Disney Ride in Steveston

SHOOT: GODZILLA Crew Tests USS Alameda Landing Craft Set in Steveston

Godzilla crew tested their USS Alameda landing craft set last night on the edge of Steveston’s Garry Point Park. The craft was rocking and rolling as if battling a sea monster in San Francisco Bay with a stunt performer along for the ride. I’m guessing San Francisco because Alameda is the name of the old naval air station there. And the Steveston docks have been remade as San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf for the past two weeks. Filming started on the USS Alameda set this morning with a technocrane, fog machines, rain towers and green screens.

Read More »SHOOT: GODZILLA Crew Tests USS Alameda Landing Craft Set in Steveston