Photo: Minds Eye Entertainment
‘Dangerous’, a movie that stars Mel Gibson, Scott Eastwood and Tyrese Gibson, just finished filming in the North Okanagan.
The film’s cast and crew were shooting scenes at the Restoration Lands glass factory in Lavington over the weekend.
“Crew members have actually been building sets for the movie in our factory for the past few months that have been used at the other shot locations in B.C.,” says Mike Molnar, owner of Restoration Lands. “The set they built to shoot at in our factory is actually the feature of the whole movie.”
The majority of filming took place this past Saturday and Sunday, which worked well with the business’ work schedule. The set was insulated so the factory workers could go about their business, with the exception of a few instances where the crew needed silence to shoot some scenes.
“Mel Gibson and Famke Janssen were the only stars that didn’t shoot at our factory, but we got to meet and chat with the rest of the cast from a safe distance,” says Molnar. “They were all so friendly and personable.”
Molnar says the film’s production was under very strict COVID-19 protocols, and he noted that other than when the actors were on camera, every single person in the cast and crew were wearing masks and following guidelines.
The scenes that were shot in the factory were not just your average sit-and-talk scenes, there were some pretty big action sequences involved.
“There were some really cool props inside and outside,” says Molnar. “There were some explosions and pyrotechnics too, and nothing burned down so it was a successful shoot for both us and them.”
‘Dangerous’ is the third film to be shot at Restoration Lands, and Molnar says this has easily been the most high-profile and high-cost movie to be shot there.
“I will definitely be going to see this movie,” he says.
“It’s got a great story, great sets and great special effects. I got to see some of the footage they shot in the other locations and it looks awesome.”
Molnar hopes that more films will come to shoot at Restoration Lands, and he is even considering building some studios in the building to attract other productions.
“This is an important industry that can bring in a significant economic boost to the areas that host these shoots,” he says.
“For the three months that they’re here, they are hiring local workers to build the sets, renting equipment, purchasing materials, staying in nearby hotels and eating locally. I wouldn’t doubt that this production provided at least a $100,000 boost to the local economy.”
‘Dangerous’ is still in production and has yet to announce an official release date.
