Welsh beach used for blockbuster movie filming
Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire Wales is busy currently, as the filming of a new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett takes place. The beach was also used in May for the final film in the Harry Potter series with a giant ‘shell’ cottage built on the sands.
A 800 strong cast plus 130 horses, are due to shoot a major battle scene for the Robin Hood film made by Universal Pictures at the Pembrokeshire beach. A fleet of boats for the battle are currently being assembled in Pembroke Dock and temporarily moored off Dale.
Part of the film is based around the seaweed hut near the main car park at the beach. Although the beach remains open to the public there will be road closures with nearby residents issued passes.
Permission to use the site has been granted by a number of organisations including the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, the National Trust and Pembrokeshire Council. A joint statement said: “We recognise that the filming will inevitably cause some disruption in the area as well as great public interest.
“We hope people will help us to accommodate the film companies and we hope that filming on this scale will bring numerous benefits to the local economy, both during filming and following through knock-on tourism spend.
“While it is difficult to quantify it is estimated in the region of £1m, including temporary employment, repeat visits by crews and cast, raising the profile of the area and use of local services – from food to vehicle hire, from laundry services to security.”
The park authority said it had worked with Universal Pictures to protect the sand dunes and beach. “The routes for access to the beach have been chosen carefully and fencing is in place to direct people,” it said. “Facility bases for the film crews have been selected outside of any Sites of Special Scientific Interest.”
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