Hollywood comes to the capital

Hollywood film crews visited Edinburgh last week to shoot scenes for upcoming blockbuster Cloud Atlas, which is due for release next year.

Visitors to the city last Friday were hopeful that they could catch a glimpse of stars Tom Hanks or Halle Berry.

The film is based on the book of the same name, written by British author David Mitchell. 

The exact location of where the stars were filming in Edinburgh was kept discreet so as to keep disruption in the city centre to a minimum.

The City Chambers building was used as an ‘upmarket London hotel’ for one particular scene. It was reported that in this scene an actor climbed down the side of the building before running off in the opposite direction.

Several scenes were also shot at Scott Monument, near Princes Street Gardens.

The cast and crew had also visited Glasgow city centre from 16 to 18 September to film at locations south of Blythswood Square in the city. 

American actress Halle Berry apparently found it difficult to adjust to the Scottish climate. She was spotted using a hot water bottle on set to keep her hands warm. 

Edinburgh has become a much desired location for many filmmakers such as Danny Boyle and John Landis.

Belle Doyle, Locations department manager at Creative Scotland said: “We always try to get filming in all parts of Scotland and Edinburgh is seen as a good option because it is a city that is used to filming and has some amazing locations. We send out images of Edinburgh most days to people interested in filming.”

Figures released last year by Edinburgh Film Focus revealed that 375 productions had been shot over 1073 filming days.

In 2006, Tom Hanks filmed the final scenes of The Da Vinci Code at Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. 

Last month, One Day hit cinemas across the country and also featured scenes shot from Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh which starred Anne Hathaway.