Miller and Knightley film in town

Keira Knightley plays Dylan Thomas' lifelong friend Vera Killick

Residents have spoken of the "buzz of excitement" after two Hollywood stars started filming in a tiny seaside town in Ceredgion.

Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley are shooting The Edge of Love with Welsh actor Matthew Rhys in New Quay.

It is based on a reputed love triangle involving poet Dylan Thomas.

Dozens of locals have signed up as extras and the local economy has been given a boost too, with holiday homes and hotels hosting the film crew.

On Bank Holiday Monday, a small crowd got their first taste of the movie when Miller and Knightley clambered over rocks in costume in an area called Cei Bach.

Miller plays Dylan Thomas' wife Caitlin while Knightley portrays the poet's childhood friend Vera Killick.

Machine gun

The movie centres on a real-life attack on Thomas' home by Vera's husband William, when the poet lived briefly in New Quay with his young family in 1945.

Following an argument in the town's Black Lion pub, Killick was accused of firing a machine gun at Thomas' home, but he was cleared when the matter went to court.

Many locals have signed up to play extras in the movie about the Welsh poet's tangled relationship, but one insider said they had been told to keep tight-lipped about the film.

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The extra said: "Posters were put up in the town offering extras work for £60 per day, but we have had to sign something and say we wouldn't speak about the film otherwise we wouldn't be paid.

"They are filming here throughout May, and people in the town seem really excited."

It is believed that scenes will also be shot in nearby Lampeter and Cardigan, but nothing has been confirmed.

At the Black Lion, said to be Dylan Thomas' favourite New Quay pub, landlord Martin Colvin said he was unsure if it would feature in the film.

He added: "I don't think anyone outside New Quay really knows much about the filming, but there's quite a buzz in the town."

Gift shop owner Liz Williams said: "There's a buzz of excitement because lots and lots of locals have applied to be extras."