Jez Colborne – Unlimited and on top of the world

 

a crane with a camera at the end films jez on the roofNot many people get to stand on the roof of the Royal Festival Hall and have a camera on a crane fly at and past them – placing them in the centre of London’s iconic landmarks. Yesterday Jez Colborne had this experience as we filmed him for the PUSH ME documentary, winding his siren and calling all our attention.

Jez being filmed on the bridge looking to the London EyeThe morning was spent capturing Jez in a number of locations, and seeing just how loud we could let the siren go without drawing too much attention to ourselves!

We started the shoot on the bridge over to the embankment, overlooking the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on one side of the river and the London Eye on the other.

jez winding his siren on the beach being filmed with st pauls in the backgroundJez sitting on the thames beach playing his whistle, being filmedThen we hit the graffiti covered walls of the underpass under the Southbank Centre to get some more siren-action, then came our trip to the beach. I never knew there was a beach at the Thames! The tide was coming in quick though – we almost lost the siren to the waves at one point!

Jez playing a tin whistle next to a teenager playing a drum kit in front of a wall of graffitiAnd just as we thought we’d wrap for the morning, Jez spotted a drummer setting up and asked if he could jam for a while. Never one to miss an opportunity we extended the shoot just enough to capture him in action.

Jez left us to go and meet his ‘crew’. A team of actors and musicians from Mind the Gap had just arrived in preparation for a busy few days.

Jez performs outdoors tonight and tomorrow night at 10pm outside the National Theatre with Irresistible – his Mind the Gap show (with an additional show tomorrow at 6.15pm). They are also on indoors at the Southbank in the Clore Ballroom on Saturday at 4pm (followed by a chance to ask questions of Jez and the team).