Movie Making

Today’s Post by By Mildred Alpern

Making movies and shooting TV episodes are ongoing activities in New York City. Parking spaces are blocked off for the wealth of multi-door caravans that fill the adjacent streets for the day. Stars as well as assistants scurry back and forth to set up the scenes. Massive equipment is readied for use.

Yet most New Yorkers go about their day, carefully stepping over cable wires and ignoring the surrounding hubbub. Of course, for a photographer, it is a chance to get some cool shots of the ongoing preparation and filming for a thirty second sequence in a film or TV program. For many of the cast, there is interminable waiting for their scene to be shot. Extras and stand-ins hang around, but earn a day’s pay and get fed. The leading actors, however, have their own special trailer from which they emerge beautifully coiffed and made up for their assigned role.

On this day, the shooting was for the Amazon TV program, “Mozart in the Jungle.” Perhaps you will recognize one of the stars. Since my taste runs to old-time classic movies on TV, I was unfamiliar with the cast but knew she was a leading actress when I saw her, and Lola Kirke was graciously willing to pose for me.

The photo of the equipment was taken with the Olympus E-M5 and the Panasonic Lumix 25mm f/1.4 lens with an exposure of 1/80 sec at f/4, -1EV, ISO 200. the other two were taken with the Olympus E-M5 Mark II and the Olympus M. Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 lens. The silver trailers with an exposure of 1/200 sec at f/3.2, + EV, ISO 1250; the “star” with an exposure of 1/200 sec at f/9, -1/3 EV, ISO 1250.

You can see Mildred Alpern’s work in person at the St. Agnes public library in NYC located at Amsterdam and 81St. Tel. no. (212) 621-0619. The exhibit will feature 26 metal prints and several posters showcasing her images of Winter Gardens and Seedheads. The poster (at left) is Mildred’s personal homage to Piet Oudolf .