IF you saw a rampaging crowd of screaming beachgoers running from an imaginary tsunami on Coolangatta Beach this week, do not be alarmed.

The town is providing scenery for a new 3D shark action movie being filmed on the Gold Coast.

Bait 3D follows a group of tsunami survivors trapped inside a flooded supermarket with a pack of man-eating sharks.

Producer Gary Hamilton said the film would take the 3D reality of shark attacks to the next level.

“The team is going to deliver an amazing film that will be technically and dramatically unlike anything you have ever seen come out of Australia,” Mr Hamilton said.

The cast includes Twilight Eclipse star Xavier Samuel, Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon and Lincoln Lewis from Tomorrow When The War Began.

Other stars include Alice Parkinson, Phoebe Tonkin, Dan Wylie, Alex Russell, Martin Sacks and high-profile Singapore stars Adrian Pang and Yuwu Qi. Bait 3D is one of two feature films and a prime time television series recently lured to the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast City Council economic development committee chair Cr Susie Douglas said the projects were expected to generate more than 800 jobs.

“Our focus has been on getting the message out there that the city is not just a great holiday destination, we also have a highly skilled local workforce and an ideal location to invest,” she said.