Wobbly idea gels for film-makers

BY STACEY WOOD

Last updated 05:00 28/05/2010

KENT BLECHYNDEN/The Dominion Post

JELLY SILLy SITUATION: Film-maker Chris Dawson puts his all into "the most ridiculous" thing he has done.

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Practising for a wibbly-wobbly world record attempt, Wellington film-maker Chris Dawson has been encased in a bathtub full of raspberry jelly.

Dawson, 25, and his mate George Hampton, 28, are part of a team that competed in this year's 48HOURS short film festival. Since they missed out on the finals, they wanted to get their film The Breadmaker's Wife seen.

That's where the jelly comes in.

They promised fans that, if their online video attracted 10,000 hits by the end of May, Dawson would be jellied. Last night, they filled Hampton's bath with 200 litres of jelly made from 200 packets, and filmed Dawson in it for more than an hour.

Afterwards, he said it was "the most ridiculous" thing he had done. "It was very very cold. It was the weirdest sensation because it was gloopy."

When they get to 50,000 hits, it will be the car's turn – and if they can jelly a 1989 Honda Concerto, it will be a world record.

Hampton said the big challenge was making the jelly set quickly. Encasing the car would be "the Everest of jelly", Dawson said. "High estimates are [we'll need] eight tonnes of jelly – we're hoping more like four, especially with the problems we could have cooling it. We'll need a bit of Kiwi ingenuity, plus maybe an empty freezing works, a Para pool and a crane."

Of course, being film-makers, they are putting together a documentary following their gelatinous adventures.

Dawson said he had some concerns last night and, despite his inhaling some jelly, the stunt went to plan. He had thermal underwear, a wetsuit and a snorkel.