Scenes from the latest instalment of the popular American superhero film The Avengers, which were shot in Johannesburg in February, will promote the city and the country as a film destination, owing to its enormous economic and marketing value.

This is according to Johannesburg Tourism company public relations and communications manager Laura Vercueil, who spoke to Engineering News on the eve of the premier of The Avengers: Age of Ultron film last month.

The film was produced by American television and motion picture studio Marvel Studios and is being distributed by multi- national mass media and entertainment conglomerate Walt Disney Company’s motion picture distribution division, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The film’s budget was about $250-million.

The ten-day shoot in Johannesburg was allocated a budget of R4-million, Walt Disney Company Africa senior VP and country manager Christine Service said on the eve of the premier last month.

Further, 300 local crew members were used during production, which created employment and skills transfer opportunities. Some members were also selected to travel to other locations worldwide to shoot further scenes. Service said this displayed the depth of talent in South Africa.

“The showcasing of Johannesburg as a city is important, and to see the city and market it from a tourism point of view is beneficial. In the broader film industry, seeing South Africa and Johannesburg being used for a major film production will have a knock-on effect on other film productions,” said Service.

Meanwhile, speaking at the film’s premier on April 22, Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Molebatsi Bopape said South Africa had an abundance of production skills. She added that the film’s production team had contributed to the national economy and Gauteng’s economy.

US ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard stated at the premier that he hoped that the film would inspire other Hollywood directors to choose Johannesburg as a film destination.

Deputy Minister for Small Business Development Elizabeth Thabethe said government believed that the film industry had the potential to be a driver of economic development and create direct and indirect jobs.

The objective, she said, was to attract foreign direct investment through large international productions.

Meanwhile, Service told Engineering News that the Marvel production team had a good filming experience in Johannesburg, which was important to create confidence that the relevant systems and local skills were in place for future productions of this magnitude.

Vercueil stated that promoting Johannesburg as a filming destination would be encouraged, owing to the significant global exposure that came with filming international productions.

“We are here to create an enabling environment to enable locals and foreigners who are interested in investing in film to do so confidently and produce their work here effectively. “A city like Johannesburg is known as a value-for-money destination,” she said.

Johannesburg’s Close-Up
The scene shot in Johannesburg was a major fight scene between the superheroes Iron Man and the Hulk.

Film director Joss Whedon required a major metropolitan city as a backdrop to the scene and scouted locations in Johannesburg before settling on the central business district (CBD). Roads in the city were closed during filming.

The local scenes used local infrastructure, crew and property.

Vercueil thanked residents working and living in the CBD who experienced the traffic delays. “There is such a huge spin-off from a marketing and an economic aspect that, in future, please bear with us when these kinds of things do happen because there are many benefits to allowing a production like this to come to our city.”

Service noted that production in Johannesburg was a collaboration between all levels of government, the film’s production team and the residents of Johannesburg.

Future projects, such as a feature film, parts of which will be shot in Gauteng this month, and a new historical-period television series that will be shot in the Western Cape, will be shot in South Africa.