Hub City Play Host to Film Crews

March 26 2013

Nanaimo waitress Shauna Sedola guided a customer into a seat at Aladdin’s Cafe and slid a menu across the table.
“Looks like some kind of movie is being filed out there,” the woman said, pointing to a crew of uniformed “soldiers” swaggering past the window.
Sedola and others say the film has been getting no shortage of attention and that it’s good to see the production coming to Nanaimo.

Gareth Edward’s sci-fi reboot of the city-destroying Godzilla is being filmed across Vancouver Island including Victoria Crescent on Wednesday. More than 300 crew members are expected to land in the Harbour City for the eight-day central Island shoot and have pledged to use local extras, staff and equipment.

Victoria Crescent in Nanaimo was blocked off Wednesday as film crews started shooting scenes for a new Godzilla flick. Producers are being tight-lipped about who is participating in the shoot and what role the city has in the sci-fi reboot, but they say this will be the only downtown location in their eight-day Central Island tour.
Employees working in the area were buzzing with excitement as crews started setting up at 5 a.m. Wednesday. Not everyone is anticipating the film will help their bottom line but all agree it’s about time the Island started seeing some spinoff from Hollywood North.
This is the second Hollywood blockbuster filmed in the Nanaimo area since Superman: Man of Steel in 2011. Some anticipate it will pump close to $100,000 a day into the local economy.
“This is very cool,” said Aimee Calder, as she watched the production unfold from a store window. “I just saw military guys with a handful of rifles walk by . . . this is definitely something everyone can get excited about and it probably brings in a lot of money.”
Film crews started filming at the Cambie pub, one of two locations in Nanaimo. The pub, which will be shut down for more than a week, has been completely transformed from its usual atmosphere, said manager, James Peakman.
“It definitely looks different. There are animals heads on the wall and another pool table,” he said. “It kind of looks like a military pub and there are about 20 guys outside ready to charge in.”
Peakman has seen spectators on the street, trying to catch some of the action and anticipates the “Godzilla” pub will be great for business.
Filming is expected to continue near Old Victoria Road today.
Via Tamara Cunningham, Nanaimo Daily News