On the Set
Shooting a major motion picture in New York City is hard. Shooting a movie in New York City gets even harder when the city itself plays almost as large a role in the film as its cast of Hollywood stars.
This was the case when members from Local 817 started shooting the highly anticipated film “Sex in the City 2” in the streets of New York City last year. The city that serves as a backdrop to the popular television series and films is not a static set in a studio. It is a living, breathing metropolis that more than 8 million people call home—a home that isn’t necessarily accommodating to a production the size of “Sex in the City 2.”
“If you can shoot a movie in New York City, you can shoot anywhere,” said Mo Fitzgerald, a 20-year member of Local 817. “There’s nothing more challenging than shooting in this city.”
Unforseen Challenges
Fitzgerald has seen it all during his career shooting in the Big Apple. As a transportation captain he serves as part juggler and part ringmaster of the circus that a major motion picture can quickly become when things change on the fly.
“We have a lot of unforeseen challenges that affect us logistically each day,” Fitzgerald said. “Scripts and locations can change day in and day out without any warning. There are so many things you must deal with when you move to a new location on short notice in a city like this.”
For “Sex in the City 2,” the approximately 60 Teamsters on the shoot needed to navigate and park nearly 40 vehicles to each unique location. Depending on the scope of the shoot, that meant periodically shutting down blocks of busy city streets.
“Most of the time, we don’t have the luxury of parking in a lot near the location,” Fitzgerald said. “We have to find parking for every one of our pieces, and sometimes that’s not the easiest thing to do.”
Of course, the challenge of transporting equipment can sometimes pale in comparison to getting cast members from one point to another. And when you combine the star power of a cast with the devoted following that the “Sex in the City” franchise earned over the years, fans and paparazzi must be taken into account.
“When working with the four women on this film we needed to make sure we anticipated and planned for the fans and media that might show up at each location,” Fitzgerald said. “Our primary concern is getting them to the set safely every day.”
The film, which is currently in post-production, debuts in May 2010.
 |
