News of a Blockbuster (but not mine)

Filming is currently under way for the new (Columbia/Sony) version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and a small part of it has just been filmed right on our doorstep. A couple of months ago letters started to drop through our letterboxes saying that filming would take place in Lonsdale Square in late March. Last week notices went up suspending parking and then, yesterday, large white vans rolled into the square (and surrounding streets) bearing flood-lights, portable loos, catering and miles and miles of cable. Of course, round our way we are not the sort of people to go and gawp in the hope of catching a two second glimpse of Daniel Craig, but a surprising number of local residents decided to walk their dogs very slowly round the square while the film people were arriving and setting up.

As ever, I was impressed by just how many people are needed to make a motion picture – most of whom stand around a lot of the time looking cold and slightly bored. It can’t be efficient and I did wonder whether perhaps it wouldn’t be possible to train the electricians to be extras (or vice versa) or whether Daniel Craig couldn’t give the catering or make-up people a hand when he wasn’t needed on set. Filming began as night fell. Sadly we were not allowed to take pictures during the action, so I can’t provide you with a shot of anyone famous, though I got a good one of the door that Daniel Craig walks up to and rings the bell – a scene that we got to see many times, as re-take followed re-take far into the night. Those watching tried to remember which bit of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo took place in Islington. The consensus was that the scene we were watching had originally been set in St Albans, but had been switched to London. It may be clearer when we see the finished product!

Today everything was being dismantled. A whole day’s work then for what will be a couple of minutes (or probably much less) of actual film. The general view of the local residents was that the whole thing had been rather fun, in spite of losing our parking for a day. The Sony/Columbia people were invariably polite and considerate, even when our dogs tried to get into a shot. For those who want to catch a fleeting glimpse of Lonsdale Square on film (and some other stuff set in Sweden) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is due for release in December.