Spare parts

Life The field in Sefton Park that our flat overlooks has been busy this week -- the Jesus Army staged a minor skirmish at the weekend and over the past couple of lunchtimes there’s been a tiny five-a-side tournament with a proper pitch with barriers and prize givings and pony rides and everything.

Up here we see all and this morning we’re being visited by a film crew. I was impressed that could recognise it as such as soon as the random vans and people deployed on the car park which goes to show that Ricky Gervais’ sitcom Extras was educational as well as funny. I can tell who the director must be, the producer, the costumers and make up artists and prop people.

Half the fun with these things is trying to work out what is in production. There is an unrecognisable actor in a football shirt and shorts, a collection of background artists in winter togs, a selection of kids games such as cricket bought from Toys’R’US and a rather large dog. The footballer sits in an open car boot rhythmically banging his boots together as the background artists pretend to be people visiting the park looking nothing like people who visit the park at least not in this weather.

I stand at the window puzzling at the scene for a while. An advert for the toy shop? Sky Sports? Tesco? Pick ups for a football film? Eventually I telephoned the Liverpool Film Office who explain that it is a scene for an advert, for the National Heart Foundation -- and so the rhythmic boot banging is perhaps supposed mimic the beat of the human pump -- which is actually a really clever idea.

They’re just ordering the background artists around a bit ready for the next shot. There is a lot of waiting around but it is interesting to note actually how quickly everyone is working -- no one is strolling -- there’s a job to do and has to be done professionally so that they can move on to the next thing. Apart from the two runners with bats and balls have a knock about behind one of the vans …