I kind of love this picture. Having spent a lot of time in NYC on exchange and later visits I know exactly what the city looks like when it is turned into a film or television set. You could just be walking down, say 5th Ave and find yourself surrounded by trailers, grande starbucks coffee cups and big, bright lights. To get that 'AUTHENTIC' new york city look they call in yellow cabs, scatter well-dressed extras around and the sidewalk becomes a veritable soundstage, complete with dolly wheels, cameras, mega-wattage lights and that intern guy who has to walk, out of sight, holding the light reflecting plate so as to ensure maximum 'glow' on the stars faces. Most of the time they film at odd hours, like really early in the morning or just before nightfall so as to avoid the crowds, but sometimes - just sometimes, mind - they need the full harsh glare of daylight, and you can find yourself, whilst going about your daily business, confronted with the sight of your favourite movie stars, filming a scene. This happened to me in New York when I saw Clive Owen and Naomi Watts filming a car chase scene for "the international". We were down in Dumbo and our car was stopped because the road was closed temporarily. So we got out of the car and stood behind a barrier to watch these two people act out a chase scene. There was screaming and yelling and then the director would yell "Cut" and Naomi Watts would run to the side and read her children a bedtime story. It was completely surreal and totally New York.
This, of course, is Sex and the City - Carrie and Miranda to be exact - and one imagines that hovering, just out of sight, are the hoards of screaming fans that throng around the filming of this franchise. I just love the moment of reality captured here. The pinch on the arm that reminds us that what we see on the silver screen is the result of hours and hours of manual labour, of sweat, blood and many many tears, of artificial lighting and artificial taxis and artificial New York. For every time I watch a movie and wish i could live in that apartment, that city, that life, I remind myself that included in the package are the hundreds of crew members, hovering just behind the camera.
Someone once told me that there is an entire company in New York that just rents taxis out for the film and tv business. The guys who drive these "movie" cabs are all actors, struggling to make it. My friend who recently got back from New York told me all about this restaurant in Times Square where the waiters and waitresses sing/give you a show while you eat. They are all trying to catch a break on broadway, and the restaurant uses their tips to help get their staff to their auditions. Something to think about.
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