Brad Pitt film scares my chickens

The film, lost City of Z, is being shot on location near Ballygally by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B.

Last week, the Larne Times web site featured a video of the set, showing the backdrop for the movie, which stars Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson and

Charlie Hunnam.

Since then, local residents have shared pictures of explosions at the location, as well as fires billowing smoke.

“I was sitting outside and the chickens had just come back when there was another explosion, even louder than the last.

“On Friday morning it sounded like a war was going on, and later there was another explosion.

“My neighbour was feeding bulls in the field when it happened they stampeded and knocked him and the feeding trough over.

“I support companies filming here but they need to keep local people in the loop.

“If we had a schedule we could put the animals into barns. At the minute we are on tenterhooks.”

Jason says there has also been an increase in traffic and that bright lights from the set at night are causing problems for drivers.

“At night time it is lit up like a city it is so bright,” he continued.

“The lights are blinding coming along the road and it is putting a lot of people off. We weren’t aware there was going to be filming taking place until we saw it on Facebook.

“One of my neighbours, an elderly farmer, went to the set to find out what was going on and security people came over and said he wasn’t allowed there.

“Later that night the police came to his door to tell him not to go up there, it was a bit over-the-top. The neighbours should have been notified in good time, it’s common courtesy, people could have put their livestock away and their horses in barns if we had had a schedule but there is nothing.

“It’s great they are filming here, it’s just the disruption it has caused and we know nothing about it.”

Jason says that the normally tranquil agricultural area has been thrown into “chaos” over the shoot.

“It’s totally agricultural here, totally tranquil, there’s never a sound and that makes it more disruptive as the animals aren’t used to the noise and they just went hysterical.

“This is supposed to be an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and tranquillity. It was madness for a week and we don’t know if filming is finished yet. It has been quiet over the weekend but all the vans and the marquees are still there.”

An NI Screen spokeswoman said that while the organisation is not involved in the “day-to-day shoot,” she would contact the film’s production team and LA publicist over the concerns.

Story courtesy of the Larne Times.