NewYorkCity Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Who wants to see the Watchmen newsstand come to life? Here it is. And guess, what? That's not really New York City. No, fortunately (and unfortunately, kinda), 42nd Street no longer looks like that. Instead, that's a custom backlot built up in Vancouver. And there's more photos to whet your appetite, too, over at Warner Bros.' official site for the film. Looking at the pics, I feel like I'm seeing an establishing montage of the NYC of Watchmen. There's a grimy bus stop with the Treasure Island store behind it. There's the pun-named Gunga Diner. And best of all, there's a re-election campaign poster of Richard Nixon, with Rorschach walking by and some graffiti asking, "WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?" nearby (see image above). This new update also includes interesting facts about the backlot, such as information on its design, construction ("20,000 donuts were consumed by the construction crew") and requirements ("Street had to work for 1938, 1945, 1953, 1957, 1964, 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1985"). Of course, someone might complain that all this work and money could have gone to a Mars set (which director Zach Snyder said they couldn't afford to build), and real New York locations should have been used instead.

I may be a die-hard supporter of New York films actually being shot in the Big Apple, but there are numerous occasions where I'm forgiving. For instance, I completely get that Watchmen can't film here. Aside from the fact that the story takes place in the 1980s -- an alternate 1980s to be exact -- and aside from the fact that until the end of the graphic novel there is no significant use of any necessary NYC locales or landmarks, the movie is based on a comic book. And it's important for it to look like a comic book movie, because it is a story that's very much centered on a comic book world. I don't mean it should look like a cartoon. It actually should look gritty and realistic at times. But I think having the characters dropped into the actual streets of Manhattan -- even if those streets were dressed up (or down, as it would be) -- it would look even more fake than a constructed set, which might be able to compliment the characters and their costumes better. If Watchmen were shot in the real NYC, my beloved city might look as artificial and lame as it does in Enchanted.

Just when the city of New York is enjoying a surge in film production, hopefully cutting down on movies set in NYC but shot in Canada, a new decision is pissing off a lot of people in the movie business. The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has announced they are getting rid of a parking privilege that film shoots have in the city. Many in the industry, from location scouts to costume people, need to make quick stops around the city, an in the past have been able to acquire tags that exempt them from paying meters or getting tickets. The cut doesn't dig into the permits which enable shoots to take up block after block with trailers and trucks, which is the more visibly annoying element of having a production in your neighborhood, but it seems that the tags were upsetting enough for locals to complain. Mostly, the problems had to do with the industry abusing their tags.

It is a shame that some dishonest people have to go and ruin a good thing for the rest of the film workers, but things like this are always going to happen. I just hope that productions aren't deterred from filming in NYC because of this change. Seeing film shoots around every corner is part of what makes the city special, and putting up with them is part of living and working here. I can't say they've ever been enough of a bother that I would rather they weren't around. And though I used to get frustrated with the parking situation in New York, I now accept that no intelligent human being should be driving around Manhattan unless they are a delivery truck or a taxi (and I'll lump in film industry vehicles with delivery trucks).

• The New York City tax incentive program Made in NY has so far been a rousing success, drawing $600 million in new filmmaking business to the city, and creating more than 6,000 jobs. The progame has helped pay for a total of 350 film and TV productions this year, and it's not just about tax credits – the city also offers free advertising on any city-owned media property to productions that conduct at least 75% of their shoot here, which somewhat explains why I can't leave the house without seeing an ad for The Producers.
• In other non-Hollywood Hollywood news, Washington state is putting together its own incentive package to lure film production back to the states from Canada. The project, organized by a group of Seatlle-based industry leaders and soon to work itself through the Washington legislature, would offer rebates of up to $1 million per picture (which seems pathetically low for all but the most indie of productions). The state is said to be smarting over the loss of several recent, Seattle-set films to the more affordable British Columbia.
• And now, you've been patient, so here's your Lohan: Fox is moving the young bombshell's upcoming Just My Luck from March to May. They're apparently so confident in the film, they're setting it up to compete against Warner Brothers' huge-money remake, Poseidon.