A touch of Egypt in Auckland: What’s behind this rooftop movie set?

A tall temporary Egyptian-themed movie set has been built over the car park of Auckland’s Les Mills Internationals.

Phillip Mills, managing director of the global fitness business, said the multi-level stage structure was a film set that will be used to showcase the company’s BodyCombat classes, which will be shown online to millions of people

BodyCombat is a high-energy, martial arts-inspired workout based in part on tae kwon do and kung fu.

These films are used by 100,000 instructors in 22,000 gyms around the world, he said, referring to Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

They were in 120 countries, he said.

The interiors of Les Mills Auckland City would also be used to make the new film. Special sets would be built for this work, Mills said.

New York’s Peter Klein designed the set design in collaboration with set designers and art directors at Auckland Studio RA. Steve Bakers The Bakery Collective worked with both companies to coordinate set construction and filming.

We are filming our quarterly classes, this time featuring the 100th release of BodyCombat. We have 100 of the world’s best instructors in town to film this class. They’re going to be on this giant stage, Phillip Mills said.

These 100 instructors will climb ladders and stand on all levels of the film set giving instructions to about 200 people who will follow them on both sides of the parking lot.

There will be about 200 people taking part in the class, on the ground floor on both sides of the Wellesley St building, Mills said.

The car park was also used as a film set during Covid and was very successful. People were surprised to see so many members exercising together in particularly distanced formats when many in other countries were locked inside, Mills said.

The film, which is being made here this month, will not be released worldwide until September, when it will be screened in gymnasiums.

Les Mills International makes BodyCombat films every quarter: three in this country, the fourth overseas.

BodyCombat films have been made for the past four years and is growing internationally. We have more cameras and instructors, so the concept expanded. The films that Les Mills makes are licensed for this business, but they are sold to other gyms around the world, so the company collects royalties from those client gyms. We train the teachers and distribute the classes online so that BodyPump, BodyCombat and others can be shown in your own home.

Construction of the gyms car park is by Leighs Construction, which in 2018 began work on the 333-vehicle block next to the existing Les Mills Auckland City at 186 Victoria St, opposite Spark and above Victoria Park.

Jak Phillips, director of PR and content for Les Mills Internationals, said today that BodyCombat was the world’s most popular martial arts-based workout, invented by the company 25 years ago.

It has been able to constantly reinvent itself and ensure it remains relevant to changing trends and to attract new audiences, said the London-based executive.

Virtual reality BodyCombat had been launched in the past two years, he said.

BodyCombat VR has become the most popular and best-selling virtual reality fitness game in the world, he said.

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated BodyCombat virtual reality last year for celebrities.

Phillips said VR fans tend to spend a lot of time gaming on the Internet, but added: We’ve been able to achieve a level of fitness that’s almost stealthy, and we found that through their games. So they join the gym. It has brought a whole new generation into gyms and is helping more people reap the rewards of an active lifestyle, he said.

BodyCombat was physically and mentally empowering, Phillips said, and its Auckland-based program directors are Dan Cohen and Rachael Newsham.

Anne Gibson has been the Heralds property editor for 24 years, has written books and covered property extensively here and abroad.