The last time I was in Seville was ten years ago or so. For a movie. The <span style="text-decoration:line-through;">abomination</span> movie someone made of my first book, <em>Semana Santa.</em> Here I am again, I walk out on the first morning, decide to go look at the Giralda. And a charming chap comes out and stops me. Can’t walk down there. Not right now. Someone's making a movie.

Oh well. I can come back later. They're handling the disruption very well indeed I must say. And I approve wholeheartedly of Hollywood coming over and using Europe as a set. We're better than anything a set designer can build in Burbank. Also, well we need the money, don't we? The movie concerned is called <em>Knight and Day</em> and stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, a 'comedy thriller' apparently. Here are a couple of little secrets about movie making apparent when you see the process in the flesh.

<!--more-->

First. It takes forever. These guys have been setting up in the shadow of the beautiful Giralda tower of Seville cathedral for ages and will doubtless be working well into the night (excuse the quality of the photos -- they are from my phone).

<a href="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/giralda.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/giralda-tm.jpg" alt="giralda.jpg" width="450" height="300" /></a>

There are millions of them. Well, not <em>millions</em>. But an awful lot. Movie making is an amazingly people-dependent business. Crew and cast are just a small part. They're the locals recruited to keep out other nosy locals. Catering (god knows the crew need catering, and helpfully there was a sign next to it saying it was for crew and crew only.

Then there are special effects. There will definitely be a scene with someone -- Diaz is my guess -- driving an open top Mini through Seville. They're setting up the shot here. Note the camera rig in front to get that, 'Oo look... she's really driving' feel.

<a href="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/IMAG0006.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/IMAG0006-tm.jpg" alt="IMAG0006.jpg" width="450" height="300" /></a>

But my favourite coming fx is this. Someone -- it's <em>got</em> to be Cruise -- is going to be riding a Ducati bike like a maniac, dodgin and weaving through all these lovely narrow alleys. This is how it's done.

<a href="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/IMAG0008.jpg"><img class="alignnone" src="http://davidhewson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/movie-camera.jpgwp-content/uploads/2009/11/IMAG0008-tm.jpg" alt="IMAG0008.jpg" width="450" height="300" /></a>

Dead motorbike strapped to a control vehicle in front. Actor can swerve and do all that macho stuff. But he's got a rig to make sure he doesn't fall over. That white sign on the fuel tank? It says something about there being no battery in the bike. Not only does it not work, it <em>cannot</em> work. My guess: the sign's there to stop anyone thinking they can nick it.

Movies. It's all coming back.