With Summer in full flow, productions have been busy across the borough filming all sorts of exciting projects. From Commercials to big Feature Films, there’s nothing the Merton Film Office hasn’t seen this season. Check out a few of the latest below!
Wickes
Early this year Rattling Stick Productions came to us looking for a park location at which they could create the illusion of a train passing by someone’s garden. Joseph Hood Recreation Ground was offered up as an option and was a perfect fit! The production used an electric tracking vehicle with a jib arm attached to it that drove along the back path of the recreation ground and filmed their cast member in the garden of a property adjacent to the grounds. This created the illusion that a train was passing along the back of the garden and the results were highly effective – check it out below!
Silent Witness
Esteemed crime drama Silent Witness arrived in Merton for the filming of their 25th season! First airing in 1996, the show follows a team of forensic pathologists and their investigations into various crimes which bring bring up professional and personal challenges. The production took to Arthur Road to film a scene involving police cars and ambulances as a body is brought out of a house. Shoots such as these require traffic management and careful planning which here at the Merton Film Office, managed by The Film Office we are well established with! Having a production such as Silent Witness in the borough is fantastic to show off the fabulous range of locations we have to offer and we can’t wait to see what the show looks like when it airs. Check out the trailer below!
The Other One
BBC Comedy series ‘The Other One’ returned to film season 2 within the borough. The series follows the story of half-sisters Catherine Walcott and Catherine Walcott, who had no idea the other existed until their bigamous father dropped dead. The production filmed scenes on St Mark’s Place outside the Alexandra Pub, they dressed the outside of the pub with a takeaway van to film dialogue scenes. The local businesses and residents were involved in a consultation regarding the filming to ensure everything ran smoothly and no one was disrupted which is always our first priority. You can stream all episodes of season 1 and 2 on BBC iPlayer here!
Tell Me Everything
ITV’s new drama ‘Tell Me Everything’ that follows 16-year-old Jonny Murphy as he navigates through life along with his friends, exploring the stresses of mental health for today’s teens created by the omnipresence of technology and social media hits our screens later this year and is said to be the modern version of ‘Skins’. The production filmed scenes within Wimbledon Park, one of Merton’s most popular and versatile locations with many facilities such as an Athletics track, a play area, Lakes, ponds and water features including a water-sports centre! Tell Me Everything filmed scenes along the waterfall garden with a pedestrian lock off which involves a section of the footpath being temporarily closed during takes to allow for uninterrupted filming. Something of this nature required thoughtful consultation and planning with the relevant council departments which allowed for a smooth filming day. We can’t wait to see what the show looks like when it airs later in 2022, watch out for it on ITV2!
