On the film set of RENT!!!

I would like to thank the person on the Renthead board (compulsivebowlers.org) for posting the details about RENT shooting in Alphabet City yesterday because I went and had the best time!! They were shooting "I'll Cover You" with Jesse Martin (Collins), Wilson Heredia (Angel), Adam Pascal (Roger), and Anthony Rapp (Mark)!

As most of you know, RENT is one of my favorite Bway musicals of all time. For years plans to make a film of this show have started up and fallen through again and again. At one point the project had Spike Lee attached to direct and rumors of everyone from Justin Timberlake to Britney Spears auditioning. Pleh!

Well this time it is happening for real. Chris Columbus is directing and 90% of the original Broadway cast was signed to recreate their original roles on film. Woo hoo! The majority of the movie is being filmed at some studios in San Francisco but since last week they have been filming exterior shots here in NYC. I'm thrilled that they are actually filming the exteriors when the story of the show takes place - on the lower east side, specifically around Avenue A and B.

Yesterday morning was beautful, clear, sunny, not too cold. Born and raised here I have seen movie, tv, commercial etc set all over the city all my life. Usually they block of the street and then keep bystanders at a safe distance. So I wasn't sure what I would actually get to see. I had no idea how close I was going to get!

At one point I think I was definitely not where I was supposed to be. I just kept walking and no one stopped me. I walked behind the cameras and the monitors, sat on the steps of one the buildings. Thats when Chris Columbus walked by and started talking with people in front of me. And then Anthony Rapp (Mark) sat in front of me. Hmmm. Then I moved and was standing with what I thought were other fans. Nope! They were from the costuming department!

Jonathan Larson's parents came to the set. (Quick note to anyone unfamiliar with RENT - Jonathan Larson wrote and composed RENT and died very suddenly in his mid-thirties just before the show debuted on Bway.) They looked really thrilled and were hugging the cast members. It was really incredible. At one point they were walking around so I said hello to Mr. Larson and asked if he was excited about the movie. He said "More than you know."

So this is what the shot consisted of. Mark, Roger, Collins and Angel walk out of a subway station exit (which was incredibly realistic). Mark and Roger walk away across the street. Collins and Angel begin walking together through the street vendors and sing "I'll Cover You." The newly-recorded version sounded incredible. The played back the recording as a guide for the actors while they sang along out loud. And they of course filmed in a million times. But it was very boring to me!

People were talking about stuff they have read online about fans complaining on different message boards - changing some of the original costumes, moving the story around slightly so it works better on film. They were saying that so much of the information that the fans have is incorrect, that the script that has been circulating is hardly close to the shooting script (thank god), and that some fans go so far as to say "this isn't what Jonathan Larson would have wanted." And how ridiculous a statement that is when they never knew him.

It was a pretty amazing day. The actors were so generous with their time. One of the crew members said we could take as many photos as we liked as long as we didn't use a flash while they were shooting a scene. Chris Columbus even invited a bunch of film students to watch him work.

Apparently they are shooting here the rest of the week, Thursday and Friday are at night. I hope if someone sees the No Parking signs around the set they'll post about it again! :o)

Now for photos! I took FOUR roles of film. And thanks to a very nice girl and her mother (Hi Monica!) who I met at the set, I took my picture with each cast member that was filming that day! Right now I am unable to post photos to my blog. SO you can view all the pictures my father (thanks Dad!) has so kindly scanned thus far here:

http://photobucket.com/albums/y44/Feathah/RENT%20FILM%20SET%20MARCH%2015%202005/

There are about a billion more pix to go. As more are scanned I'll update the page and post any updates here.

Enjoy!