This October, Narrow Mark Films in association with Warner Brothers took to Lewisham to facilitate filming for upcoming film ‘Wonka’ starring Timothée Chalamet and Olivia Colman, set to hit cinemas in 2023.
The production filmed scenes at the iconic Rivoli Ballroom and the Lewisham Film Office, managed by The Film Office facilitated the production with organising the logistics and supporting the production with their management and consultation with the local community.
The Rivoli ballroom, which first opened it’s doors in July 1913, is one of the last remaining intact 1950’s style ballroom left in London, it’s interior and exterior remaining the same which allows for it’s authentic 1950s-60s vintage look.
The production used many other local venues for catering, crowd holding and tech parking including Crofton Park Tavern, Honor Oak Sports Ground, St Dunstan’s College, St Hilda’s Church and Crystal Palace Park. An estimated £45,000 was spent locally by the production benefitting the local council and community.
The Film Office Director Dominic Reeve-Tucker says “It’s fantastic to welcome productions of this scale to Lewisham and work with productions to deliver benefits for both the borough and its community. We were delighted to secure work placements for local residents from Lewisham Youth Theatre to work on the production whilst filming took place as well as ensure the production used local resources to support the shoot. We look forward to continuing to welcome filming during the exciting year ahead as the Borough of Culture 2022”.
Zhane Lunan, a graduate member of the Lewisham Youth Theatre, worked on the set helping to set up and pack away equipment stations for the make-up and costume crew. Zhane said the job was, “vastly interesting to see how much work, time and effort it takes to craft a single scene of a production, no matter how big or small the scene is”, stating that the work was, “a positive experience as it gave me insight of what goes into making a film production and it’s something that I would explore in the future”. Another work placement attendee from the Youth Theatre, Matthew Moore said that his experience on set was, “very eye opening, I feel like working on the production further peaked my interest as an actor as well as make me aware of further backstage opportunities.”
Lewisham Youth Theatre bring young people together from across the Lewisham community to nurture and inspire young people’s voices through free participatory theatre activities, helping them to develop transferable skills that lead to increased life chances and long term well-being. Find out more info here.
The production were met with a supportive local community with Oliver Crawford, Wonka’s Assistant Location Manager, commenting “everyone was super helpful and very accommodating”, going on to say that local residents went, “out of their way to help with our filming and facilitating the shoot that was greatly appreciated”.
We can’t wait to see what it looks like when the film comes out next year!
