What: Sharknado franchise
When: February 2017
Where: King George V Dock
Cinema aficionados everywhere will be very familiar with the world-famous Sharknado movie franchise, which is why we are delighted to have played our part in some of their recent work!
During production of their latest outing in Sharknado 5, Livett’s were contacted by the producers of the film to assist with a key scene in the movie.
They came to us looking for a dockside location where they were able to shoot a scene in an area not instantly recognisable as London. Crucially, however, there also needed to be enough land nearby to build a fake section of Tower Bridge which would be later CGI’d into the film.
We found the ideal location in the King George V Docks and brokered a deal with the Royal Docks Management Authority (RoDMA) for the use of the area. Once again, this highlighted the many positives of the Royal Docks as a very filming-friendly location to work in, as there are no tides to contend with or concerns about other marine traffic in the area.
Further to this, Livett’s also provided the Thames Vixen as a picture boat in the movie. A working tug, the Vixen was however needed to give the appearance of a tanker ship – so it was dressed as such with containers on board as you can see in the picture below.
We’re delighted to say that the Vixen and everyone involved on the day survived the might of the Sharknado – other than one unfortunate character in the film!
In terms of what Livett’s did for this marine filming shoot – boat hire, location services and necessary safety management for the shoot – it was relatively straightforward compared to other similar jobs. But you can never take anything for granted when you’re faced with the full force of the Sharknado!
Preparing for Jedward’s arrival on the Delta Lima
Perhaps that also had something to do with our prior experience; this wasn’t the first time we faced a Sharknado head on. Livett’s are survivors from the production of Sharknado 3, where we helped to film the movie’s promotional music video with everyone’s favourite singing and dancing Irish twins Jedward. That was an experience none of us will ever forget!
For more information about the River Thames Filming Services we offer, please visit our Marine Filming page. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions about this or any other services we offer – we’d be delighted to help.
It’s better by water. We look forward to hearing from you soon!