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Gallowwalker - Oct 2006
live by the gun
die by the gun
and
come back for more
“AMAN is a gun-fighter who knows too well the ways
of vengeance.
Fast and furious, he has killed all who crossed him.
But his gift with a gun comes with a curse.
All those who die by his hand will return.
Enter the world of “Gallowwalker”,
where vengeance lives forever.”
After “Cold and Dark” director Andrew Goth turned his talents to “Gallowwalker”,
a supernatural western starring Wesley Snipes
(Blade) and produced by Sheer Films.
While searching the world for the ideal location Andrew Goth arrived
in Namibia
and Namib Film introduced him to the area.
It did not
take long for him to decide that Namibia offered the production
the
perfect look and Namib Film the professional support he required.
After an extensive scout of the region Andrew pin pointed the
various locations
where he wanted the film to take place. Design
and planning started in earnest and the sets
were to be built
in some of the harshesed terrain in the country, where everything
had to be brought in,
on a daily bases, for the construction
and shooting crew.
Local experts advised the team on what to expect and how to achieve their goal,
which they did.
Filming started in mid October for 91⁄2 weeks on 2-perf cameras specially
adapted by Panavision
and this concept leant its self to the wide landscapes of Namibia and allowing
Andrew to achieve his vision.
Local casting took an unexpected turn when the director found David
de Beer,
a 12 year old school boy from Swakopmund, to play the “Apprentice Boy”,
he also found other supporting cast, all the extras,
horse riders and some of the stuntmen locally.
This again proved that Namibia has the appropriate resources to facilitate
the client in achieving their vision and goal. From organizing equipment to local
cast,
Namib Film again showed that they are the leader of Namibian Production Companies.
DHOOM II – July 2006
Cranes, Trains and Helicopters …
After the box – office success of “Dhoom”,
Bollywood came to the Namib dunes in full force,
in order to film the opening sequence of “Dhoom II”.
Action Director, Allan Amin, together with Director, Sanjay Gadhvi,
quickly set the challenging scene…
the hero, played by Indian star Hrithik Roshan, sky dives out of a helicopter,
glides over the majestic Namib dunes and lands on a train moving through the desert landscape.
After fending off numerous presidential bodyguards, he leaps from the roof of the train,
ultimately being pulled behind the train on a sand board ….
all the while dodging bullets.
Namib Film eagerly rose to the challenge of creating the ideal set-up for this action-packed, technically demanding scene.
The talents of local skydiver, Craig Milne, were captured on camera as he performed a near-perfect landing
on the roof of the “Omugulu Gwombashe”, Namibia’s
luxury passenger train on hire from Transnamib.
Local stunt men provided the fighting action, before Namibian sand boarder, Kyle Cyriax,
skillfully mastered the boarding feat.
The 11-day shoot proved to be an exhilarating experience,
with Namib Film’s “local knowledge” defeating
all of the odds.
Rogue Nature – May 2006
The lions of Etosha …
Namibia’s Etosha National Park set the stage for “Rogue Nature”,
a six-part television series for Discovery Channel, featuring the travels
of star presenter Dave Salmoni as he looks at wildlife conservation in relation
to human-animal conflicts around the globe.
Namib Film accompanied Dave to the world-famous game reserve,
to meet with and follow the efforts of veterinarian and game capture expert, Dr. Douw Grobler.
Dr. Grobler is involved in a conservation project, whereby nature conservation officials and game wardens
are trained in the dangerous art of tranquilizer-darting one of
Africa’s Big Five … lions.
This practiced skill has proved extremely useful when the need
arises to dart injured or so-called “problem” lions
that need to be treated or transported to other areas.
Thankfully, a few of the Etosha lions were fairly easily spotted (and enticed with the aid of a zebra carcass),
before strictly controlled tranquilizer practice got underway.
The crew thoroughly enjoyed documenting every moment of the darting efforts,
hoping to return in the near future to continue their research on the lions of Etosha.
BBC Science “A 2 B” – May 2006
The race is on…
For BBC Science’s reality television program “A 2 B”,
a variety of locations throughout
the world were scouted.
Due to its magnificent vistas, pristine beauty and challenging remoteness,
all desired ingredients for this reality program,
Namibia’s Fish River Canyon was ultimately selected.
The Fish River Canyon proved to be the ideal spot for two teams of contestants to match their scientific skills
against each other in an exhilarating race to see which team could build a flying contraption able to transport
an egg across the world’s second largest canyon… in one piece.
The set designed for the contestants, and built directly on the edge of the canyon, proved to be quite literally
“ out of this world”, with the art team creating a base for the contestants resembling something from science fiction.
Rocket scientists Damian Hall and Colin Rowe assisted the teams with professional input,
in their three-day race to fly an egg across the canyon. Four camera teams captured the contestants’ every move,
as well as the awe-inspiring grandeur of Namibia’s Fish River Canyon.
The location may have been incredibly remote, but Namib Film ensured that the crew could still enjoy
the comforts of home with a fully equipped tented camp.
“
A 2 B” proved to be an extremely demanding shoot, but the Namib Film team together with the
crewmembers from the BBC managed to pull it off without a hitch.
“
I can’t thank you enough for the amount of work you put in to help it happen.
We’re all really pleased with the results, and it was an amazing experience for everyone.”
(Richard Bateson – Production Coordinator – BBC Science)
COCA-COLA – March 2006
I’d like to buy the world a coke …
“ I’d like to buy the world a coke…”.
These lyrics from the well-known Coca-Cola song were reborn recently… in Namibia.
Germany based production company “GROUP.IE GmbH”, together with South Africa’s “Cinergy”,
took to Namibia to shoot the African segment for Coca-Cola’s new image film.
This image film portrays the global quality of Coca-Cola products and is being filmed throughout the world
…
from Southern Africa to Egypt, Brazil, China and India.
The Namibia leg of the shoot saw a stills team capturing the dramatic backdrop of the Spitzkoppe Mountains,
while actual filming took place in the majestic dunes of the Namib Desert (complete with camels),
a vibrant, colourful marketplace in Walvis Bay’s Kuisebmond and on Namibia’s dusty desert roads.
At each location casted extras, from dancing Herero ladies to backpackers lounging in the African sun,
sang the Coca-Cola lyrics with gusto into the clear Namibian skies.
H&M – March 2006
Summer in the desert …
The white tent glowed against the backdrop of orange dunes; the crystal blue waters
adorned with rose petals shimmered in the desert surrounds,
while two dark horses lazily strolled past this luxury oasis in the Namib dunes.
This idyllic scene was the main location for the H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) summer fashion shoot.
Situated in some 22 countries, H&M is one of the world’s leading fashion companies.
Director, Anders Skog, and Producer, Sonia Maggioni, of Swedish production company
“
Anders Skog Films”, chose Namibia as the perfect backdrop for the African story that forms
the central theme of H&M’s 2006 summer fashion catalogue and television campaign.
International models, Malgosia Bela and Nicolas Malleville, took to various locations in the Swakopmund surrounds,
adorned in the latest H&M summer creations. From a dusty, deserted airstrip at Rossing Mountain,
to a Moroccan style oasis set up in the Namib dunes specifically for the shoot, an African love story was created.
After three days of intensive shooting, the team returned to Sweden,
having added the vibrancy of Africa to H&M’s summer campaign.
Nissan - January 2006
Adventures on the 24th Parallel …
The two helicopters appeared over the crest of the Namib sand dunes,
before landing in the vicinity of the almost 100 year old shipwreck, the Eduard Bohlen,
whose journey through the Atlantic waters in 1909 was abruptly cut short when she ran aground
on the rugged Namibian coastline. Over time, the shifting Namib Desert sands
have claimed her as their own.
Saba Douglas-Hamilton, world-renowned conservationist and television documentary presenter,
whose credits include “Big Cat Diary” and “Living with the Elephants”, stepped from the helicopter
and into the new Nissan Pathfinder, ready to challenge the majestic dunes at Conception Bay.
This was the image that Director James Bryce of UK production company “RSA Films Limited”
wanted to achieve in this documentary style television commercial for the new Nissan Pathfinder,
aptly titled “Adventures on the 24th Parallel”. The basic plot features our heroine on a dramatic adventure
through untamed landscapes, mimicking the action adventure genre of the popular Fox television series “24”,
starring Kiefer Sutherland. The series of Nissan commercials will be featured during the advertising
breaks of this hit television show.
Kenyan born Saba spent four days traversing the most demanding 4x4 locations that Namibia has to offer,
pushing the new Nissan Pathfinder to its limits. The golden pinnacles of the Spitzkoppe mountains,
the towering sand dunes of the Namib Desert and the rugged boulder landscape of “Bloedkoppie”,
so named for the dramatic red colour of its rocks at sunset, not only provided the ultimate 4x4 challenge,
but also added a sense of the spectacular. Furthermore, the bustling vibrancy of a typical African
market at Mondesa, Swakopmund’s lively township area, and the eerie atmosphere of sand-filled houses
at Kolmanskoppe, Namibia’s very own desert ghost town echoing with the memories of the
bygone diamond era, all served as the perfect locations to emphasize the challenge of
Saba’s Namibian adventures on the 24th parallel.
MICHAELA’S WILD CHALLENGE – January 2006
The skill of the wild …
Nine challenges … one presenter … fourteen days … nine different animal species
… one African country – Namibia.
“
Michaela’s Wild Challenge” is a wildlife documentary television series,
both educational and entertaining, aimed at children and young adults.
With a dedicated following of more than two million viewers in the United Kingdom,
this programme sees the presenters in a variety of challenges,
trying to match their human skills against those of the animal kingdom.
The crew from British production company “Two Hand Productions”,
consisting of Jonathan Frisby (Director/Cameraman), Will Ridgeon (Sound Technician/Camera Assistant)
and Ellie Harrison (Presenter), came to our land of never ending landscapes and endless wildlife
to find the ultimate African challenges, facilitated of course by Namib Film.
The otherwise elusive bat-eared foxes of the Gondwana Kalahari Park, situated in southern Namibia,
came out of their burrows to lend their digging expertise to the challenge of “dig a beetle out of the sand”,
whereby Ellie attempted to match her digging skills to those of the feisty fox.
The next challenge to be attempted took place in the dunes of the Namib Desert in the vicinity of Swakopmund.
Here Ellie took to somersaulting, speeding down the dunes on a dune board and even rolling down
the sandy slopes in a giant tube, in a bid to outmaneuver the Namib Desert’s cartwheeling spider… to no avail.
Travelling at more than one meter per second, this intrepid spider not only outruns its enemies,
but also outran Ellie.
Not to be outdone by our desert friends, Ellie did manage to catch water from the fog
rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean, using a beetle-type contraption strapped to her back
… in similar style to the fog-drinking beetle that uses this ingenious method to gain life-
giving moisture in this otherwise barren area.
“
Dinner with a chameleon” was the next challenge to be braved, complete with crisp
white tablecloth, silverware and bow-tied waiter, ready to serve Ellie and her four-
legged reptile companion a meal in the dunes. The Namaqua Chameleon, common to
the Namib Desert and famous for being the fastest chameleon on earth, munched the
insect treats with gusto, while these desert delicacies proved too much for Ellie to digest.
Moving on from the Namib dunes, Ellie matched her surfing skills to those of the seals at the largest seal
breeding colony on earth, Cape Cross, her climbing skills to those of the sure-footed klipspringer,
used a microlight to outfly a vulture to its next meal, a remote controlled boat to get the inside
view of a hippo pod lounging in the tropical waters of northern Namibia and a remote controlled car
to get up close and personal to the desert elephants of Damaraland.
Even if not all of the posed challenges were mastered, a fantastic time with the animals of Namibia
was had by all, and in that regard we can definitely say, “challenge succeeded”.
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