Our first location was South Street, under the Manhattan Bridge. This was the location I chose for the final shot of the film, a scene in which Sarah (Helen P.) runs into the distance while the Homeless Guy narrates. The crew began assembling, but the grip/electric/camera truck was not there waiting for us. Teamsters are really expensive, but the truck is ALWAYS there before call time. After a few phone calls, we determined that the truck stopped at the office to pick something up instead of coming straight to set, then got lost. Here was the production staff's lesson of the day: DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO TO GET THE FIRST SHOT. Anything else can wait. The truck's unnecessary detour to midtown cost us almost an hour during which we accomplished absolutely nothing but waiting. The second lesson of the day was make sure your drivers know where they're going. To be fair, we had a pretty reduced production staff (no UPM, no Locations Manager), so problems like this were bound to happen.

When the truck finally arrived, we got Jeffrey's fancy jib arm set up. The shot starts on Helen running down the promenade, then the camera pans across the river and the Manhattan Bridge and finds the lower Manhattan skyline, Helen running past. Fade to black. A few takes and it was off to Coney Island.

The director waits with bowtie and hair gel as the camera is secured

It's funny how the simple things can become maddeningly and deceptively complicated and the impossible things can go off without a hitch. Astroland was a great example. I needed a location that would say "New York" and "Fun" in the same sentence. Of course, I thought the Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster would be perfect. When I cold called them, I assumed the answer to my request to film on the Cyclone would be "You got to be kidding," or "Sure, for ten grand." The woman I spoke to couldn't have been nicer, the price was extremely reasonable and the whole thing was like a dream. Bill talked to another grip that had filmed on the roller coaster and got the details on the gripology. Given the speed and velocity of the coaster, this is not a moment when you want to be reinventing the wheel.

Within forty minutes we sent the rig around the track. It held. Then the camera was mounted and it made a solo test trip. No problem, everything held fast. It was time to add the thespians into the mix. This was the scene I chose for my cameo. If my actors were going to expire from a camera cleaving them in two at 70 mph, then by god I would go down with them, or at least witness the carnage first-hand. Equipped with a white shirt, a bowtie, some tortoise shell glasses, and a bunch of hair gel, I sat a few cars behind the Dapper Man (Tim Bohn) and the Young Woman (Sarah Bloom). I made every effort to look completely terrified while Tim and Sarah had a fabulous time together. After three rides we were done. Fun, but inevitably a bit queasy.

We broke for lunch and walked over to Nathan's Famous hot dog stand where the surly help barely managed to serve us. Good dogs, though.

Helen had been dropped off at school after our first scene to go on a class field trip to, coincidentally, Coney Island. So, we picked her up on Coney Island Avenue and headed back to Manhattan. Our next stop was Chinatown, for another scene of Helen running. It was hugely crowded, but the NYPD officer assigned to us closed our little street and we were able to lay some dolly track and get several takes. We let the pedestrian traffic flow, which meant that people staring at the camera was a frequent problem, but fortunately Helen jogging past in her bright red outfit was also interesting enough to divert attention from the camera.

No time for egg rolls

Next stop, Central Park, for yet another running shot. I choose the Alice in Wonderland statue, a personal favorite. It is lovely and free, unlike some other New York icons. The process of finalizing this location is a great example of how the simple things can become your worst nightmare. The first location I chose was the giant cube on Astor Place. But, a brief scouting trip revealed that the cube is gone, removed by the Parks Department for repairs. So, next on my list was the Charging Bull on Wall Street.

The Bull (photographed on 9/11/01 by Bill McGowan)

The Mayor's Office for Film & TV informed us that we would have to get permission from the sculptor before filming the Bull. What? A public sculpture situated in a public City park, filmed and photographed by untold thousands of tourists every day? Ridiculous, but we made the call. $2,000 for a 20 second shot in an independent short film. Gee, no thanks. My next idea was the Public Library lions in front of the main branch on 42nd Street. Oh, goodness, to film the stately lions could not possibly happen without two weeks advance notice and a location fee of $3,000. Even more ridiculous. So, off to Alice we went. (for another shocking tale of trademark madness visit this blog entry on MNSpeak)

Jeffrey tried a couple of different angles and after several takes of each we were done for the day. Four complicated locations and a round trip to Brooklyn. An excellent day.

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