If the eerie site of horsemen in dark cloaks galloping around the streets of Monte Vista gave you a fright recently, fear not for these were all part of a film shoot taking place in the quiet and leafy suburb.
Scenes which may remind one of dark and mysterious creatures from movies such as JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was to be seen in the area earlier this month, while production teams were busy recording a commercial.
Beverley Wynne, executive producer of Gatehouse Commercials, lauded the local residents for their support.
“We would like to sincerely thank the residents of Monte Vista for being so amazingly friendly and accommodating to our filming needs. In the film industry we are only as good as the locations we can offer, and how amazing it was to be received by the residents of Monte Vista.
“It certainly made our shoot that much easier to manage and it is certainly a huge boon to our industry to be able to offer such a dynamic location to our international clients. We cannot thank you enough and cannot wait to be filming with you again,” Wynne said. Cheryl Visser, ward councillor, said the shoot was good for the community, its residents and local economy.
“We are very proud that there is so much interest in Monte Vista and other locations in Ward 1. I would like to thank Derek Raeburn, the location manager for Gatehouse Commercials, for his professionalism.
“A big thank you to all residents affected by the shoot. They were hospitable and enthusiastic to be part of the excitement of the filming of the horsemen galloping down their street and all the special effects that went with it,” Visser said.
She also acknowledged and thanked other role players for their part in the shoot, including City officials and departments involved such as the film permitting office, traffic department, fire and rescue services and City parks department. “Also thanks to the Monte Vista and Plattekloof Glen Ratepayers Association for their input.”
For filming permits, processes in accordance with the City of Cape Town’s standard operating procedures need to be adhered to.
“Filming of commercials and films in our area is welcome. This is good news for our local economy and proves that Capetonians have the required skills, talent and perfect locations,” Visser said.
