Universal Studios (www.filmmakersdestination.com) announces the opening of four acres of newly rebuilt New York Street backlot locations. A fixture in Hollywood for decades, New York Street (which consists of 13 city blocks of buildings) has been the setting of countless commercials, television shows and feature films such as “The Sting,” “Blues Brothers,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Back To The Future,” “Frost/Nixon” and “Bruce Almighty” to name a few. The shooting location burned in an accidental fire on June 1, 2008 along with the King Kong theme park attraction and a video vault. The site offers a wealth of creative opportunities for film and television production and an exciting behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood moviemaking for Universal Studios Hollywood theme park guests.
“This is a proud day for Universal Studios. The opening of New York Street shows the company’s commitment to film and television production in Los Angeles and to supporting filmmakers worldwide,” said Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal Studios.
To show the company’s on-going gratitude, Universal Studios is donating $100,000 over five years to local firefighting departments to buy additional equipment to ensure firefighter safety. “I am so proud that the heart of the entertainment industry is right here in California, and I am committed to making sure it remains here,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “The film industry is a crucial economic driver for our state, because it creates jobs and draws tourism, and that’s exactly why I created an incentive program last year that is playing an important role in keeping television and film productions here in our state.”
Immediately following the fire, Jim Watters, President & General Manager of NBC Universal Operations Group, and Dave Beanes, Senior Vice-President of NBC Universal Production Services, began assembling a world renowned creative team to design the new street.
Steven Spielberg, who has had a long relationship with Universal, offered his support and creative vision as he has done in the past. Spielberg contacted one of his long time production designers, Rick Carter, Academy Award winner for “Avatar,” to be a part of the design process. Having designed “Back to the Future,” Carter had a very personal connection and passion for rebuilding. Headed by art director Beala Neel, this team of award-winning production designers and graphic artists would eventually expand to a staff of twenty-five. Carter and Neel collaborated on the initial design concepts and scope of the rebuild. The construction project became known as The Phoenix Project.
Based on his production experience and comments over the years from filmmakers, Beanes guided the core design team. He decided to keep the original east-west main street and added new locations: a modern New York block with a glass and steel look, Paris Square, London Square and Central Park. The modern New York block will be fully completed on June 30th. The King Kong theme park attraction was moved to expand the location and provide additional production parking. The new King Kong 360-3D attraction created by Peter Jackson will open this summer and will be the world’s largest and most intense 3D experience.
“With the completion of New York Street, we have secured Universal Studios backlot as the premier shooting location in the world,” said Jim Watters.
New Features
The overall design concept concentrated on detail work that would cater to modern filmmaking needs. The facade heights were increased 10 to 25 feet for an average total height of 40 to 50 ft. to give the big city downtown feel. The width of the main street was narrowed so the camera could capture both sides of the street in the same shot. The new facades have unobstructed interior shooting spaces that can be built out so productions can shoot interiors and exteriors without returning to a sound stage. Long vista shots through archways are now possible to give added depth to scenes.
For chase sequences, cameras can be positioned on the reinforced facade roofs or mounted on a crane to follow the action. The fire escapes are practical for use with actors and stunt people. The new Courthouse Square has a fire station large enough to hold a full sized fire truck. Next door to the fire station is a modular gas station that can be dismantled and stored according to the needs of production. As an added touch of realism, the manhole covers can emit special effects steam. London Square has chimneys rigged for special effect smoke.
A New Era for The Studio Tour
A signature attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, The Studio Tour has taken over 135 million visitors behind the scenes of the movie and television industry since the first distinctive trams rolled along the Universal backlot in 1964. Recently upgraded with hi-definition TV monitors in each tram car, new video content and high-grade digital audio systems, The Studio Tour’s behind-the-scenes experience of a working studio environment has evolved as Hollywood’s longest-running hit production.
“This year marks the beginning of an exciting new era for our world-famous Studio Tour. With the arrival of the highly anticipated King Kong 360-3D, taking the 3D experience to a powerful new level, and the completion of the iconic New York Street locations, we’re offering a more compelling behind-the-scenes experience than at any time in our history,” said Larry Kurzweil, President & COO, Universal Studios Hollywood.
Safety Features
Universal Studios partnered with the LA County Fire and Building & Safety departments to create new guidelines for fire safety in the innovative facades. They have fully automatic sprinkler systems, central fire alarm system, built-in fire separation areas and a separate water supply infrastructure for the hydrants and the sprinkler systems.
Video Vault
Universal Studios is two years into a three year plan to recreate the majority of film and video elements lost in the video vault. The elements stored in this vault were used to service NBC Universal’s domestic and international distribution businesses. Due the company’s long standing policy of geographically separating duplicate sets of masters in vault facilities on the West Coast and East Coast, many elements are being systematically replaced Universal Studios is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric and 20%-owned by Vivendi.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS NEW YORK STREET FACT SHEET
www.filmmakersdestination.com
Universal Studios announces the opening of 4 acres of newly rebuilt New York Street backlot locations that were burned in an accidental fire.
Date of Fire: June 1, 2008
Start of Construction: January 8, 2009
Open to Studio Tour: May 28, 2010
Open to Production Scouting: May 28, 2010
Open for Production: July 1, 2010
Investment in Total Rebuild (including King Kong attraction): $200 million
Key Players in the Rebuild:
– Ron Meyer, President & COO, Universal Studios
– Jim Watters, President & General Manager, NBC Universal Operations Group
– Dave Beanes, Senior Vice-President of NBC Universal Production Services
– Steven Spielberg, Filmmaker
– Rick Carter, Academy Award ® winning production designer
– Beala Neel, Lead Art Director, The Phoenix Project (New York Street Rebuild)
Names of shooting locations:
New York Street refers to the entire 4 acre site. The 15 shooting locations within New York Street include:
London Square
Paris Square
Royal Crescent Drive
West Village Street
Modern New York
Park Avenue
Central Park
Wall Street
Embassy Street
Broadway Theater District
Brownstone Street
Courthouse Square
Phoenix Place
Rooftops
Alleys
New Features Highlights
The overall design concept concentrated on detail work that would cater to modern filmmaking needs and reduce production expense.
-The facade heights were increased an average of 10 to 25 feet for an average total height of 40 to 50ft. to give the big city downtown feel and to mask the surrounding hills.
-The width of the main street was narrowed so the camera could capture both sides of the street in the same shot.
-The new facades have unobstructed interior shooting spaces that can be built out so productions can shoot interiors and exteriors without returning to a sound stage. This saves a production company an expensive move to another location.
-Long vista shots through archways are now possible to give added depth to scenes. For chase sequences, cameras can be positioned on the reinforced facade roofs or mounted on a crane to follow the action. Both of these features offer more creative options to cinematographers.
-The fire escapes are practical for use with actors and stunt people.
-The Courthouse Square now has a fire station large enough to hold a full sized fire truck.
-Next door to the fire station in Courthouse Square is a modular gas station that can be dismantled and stored according to production needs. When the station is removed, the empty space can be built out with a set.
-For more realism, the manhole covers emit special effects steam. London Square has chimneys rigged for special effect smoke.
-A 350 feet long Scenic Wall was constructed to hide a hill on the south side of the location. It was painted to look like the opposite side of the street from the London and Paris Squares and so that the painted wall provides the correct reflection in the windows. The Scenic Wall also has practical doors for actor entrances and exits.
-Every 20 ft, street light utility boxes with 110 power outlets were placed so that street lamps can be quickly installed. The outlets also provide an easy source of production power.
-Tree wells have been built into the sidewalks for easy installation of trees as set dressing.
Unions Involved in Construction:
Local 800-Art Directors Guild
IATSE, Local 44-Affiliated Property Craftspersons
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 40
Local 78-Plumbers
Local 755-Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons
IATSE Local 729-Motion Picture Set Painters & Sign Writers
IATSE Local 724-Studio Utility Employees
Teamsters Local 399
IATSE Local 80-Grips & Craft Service
OPEIU Local 174
Statistics on Materials and Scale of Project:
Following are some statistics about the amount of materials used in the project:
Cubic Yards of Concrete: 25,000
Tons of Reinforcing Steel: 175
Tons of Structural Steel: 1300
Tons of Asphalt Paving: 22,000
Board Feet of lumber: 1,400,000
Square Feet of Plywood: 700,000
Gallons of Paint: 15,000
Square Feet of Enhanced Fire Resistant Brick Form: 128,000
Number of City Blocks: 13
Total Square Feet of Floor Space (All Buildings): 317,700
Total Square Feet of Surface Area (All Buildings): 312,700
Total Number of Doors and Windows (All Buildings): 2,632
Comparison to Previous Street
Previous~Today
Width of Main Street:
46 feet~40 feet
Total Square Feet of Surface Area (All Buildings):
239,400 sq. ft.~312,700 sq. ft.
Façade heights average 10-25 ft higher than previous street
Number of people employed on project:
At the height of construction, 500 workers per day were employed on the project. By the end of construction, more than a million work-hours will have been completed.
Universal Films Shot on New York Street:
Changeling
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Sting
Torn Curtain
Back to the Future
Bruce Almighty
Blues Brothers
Frost/Nixon
Television Shows Currently Shooting on the Lot:
Parenthood
Ghost Whisperer
Desperate Housewives
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