Brightview camels hit big screen

SOME say they have a face only a mother could love, but two camels from Brightview have defied some humps to make it on to the big screen.

Jazz and Coowee have made their owner Peter Dempsey very proud, having claimed the starring roles in upcoming movie Sinbad and the Minotaur alongside Home and Away actress Holy Brisley.

The movie, which was shot on the Gold Coast near Warner Brothers Movie Studios, is a sequel to Sin bad and the Sailor. The otherwise timid camels can usually be spotted sprinting around a racing track, participating in camel races across the state, but Mr Dempsey thought the movie opportunity was too good to pass up.

“It was a great experience and they both really enjoyed the three days of filming,” Mr Dempsey said.

Despite each filming session only taking between two to three hours, Mr Dempsey said it took Jazz a little while to get used to the limelight.

“Jazz was a little camera shy. As soon as the cameras came out she started to play up a little bit,” he said.

“Coowee enjoyed every minute of it and followed everything step by step.”

Mr Dempsey said he was a little concerned at first as to how his six-year-old pets would take to their new roles on stage.

“There is no rehearsing. They basically come straight out of the truck and on to stage,” he said.

“But the movie scene was great, with all the spotlights and everyone running around the place trying to get everything organised.

“It was a lot of fun for everyone. Jazz and Coowee were all dressed up and put into character for their starring roles.”

Mr Dempsey first heard about the movie’s production through his good mate Frank Green, who lives at Thagoona and also supplies a lot of animals for roles in movie sets.

“Thanks to his help, Jazz and Coowee could be in a lot more movies,” he said.

South-east Queensland-based production company Limelight International is behind the film, with scene shoots continuing until the end of March around the Gold Coast and in Brisbane.

Sinbad and the Minotaur is scheduled to hit theatres later this year.