Huntington's Paramount ready for its Spielberg close-up
The scene around the Steven Spielberg movie shoot at The Paramount in Huntington on Tuesday. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Downtown Huntington was transformed into a movie set on Tuesday as director Steven Spielberg filmed inside The Paramount.
Film trucks and cameras were parked outside the New York Avenue theater while movie extras wearing wrestling gear and American flag hats mingled at the entrance to The Paramount. Yellow signs pointed to the film set.
Crew trucks also were parked more than a mile away at the Huntington Station LIRR parking lot 22.
Spielberg was filming a wrestling scene for the untitled movie, with the plot still under wraps. The film's cast includes Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo.
The stars and Spielberg weren't outside the theater on Tuesday morning, but several unmarked movie trailers were parked around Huntington village, behind The Paramount and in parking lots along New Street.
A few spectators passing by stopped to look across the street or snap pictures of The Paramount and the cameras and lights stationed outside.
"I think it's cool to have famous people around," Michelle Kaiser, 32, of Huntington, said on her way to work on Tuesday morning. "It's always fun to see a movie come to Long Island."
Hayden Meisner, 23, and Vanessa Guillermo, 22, both of Melville, were working across the street at The Special Cup coffee shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of the film's stars or Spielberg.
"It's really cool seeing a film being made so close by," Meisner said.
Downtown Huntington was relatively quiet otherwise Tuesday morning. Traffic was moving smoothly, though portions of New York Avenue were blocked off for production trucks while street parking elsewhere was free.
Guillermo and Meisner said they'd watched the crews moving in since Monday.
"I've been looking out every day I've been working and when it's a little slower, I go to the window to try to get a peek of someone," Guillermo said. "I might have to keep it cool if someone comes in or sneak a picture and say hi."
Connie Tabacchi, 64, and Victoria Mitchell, 70, both of Huntington, said they had applied to be extras in the movie but were not selected.
"It generates interest for the town," Mitchell said.
"It hasn't been disruptive," Tabacchi said. "I thought the street would be closed, and it hasn't impacted traffic at all."
Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth has prioritized attracting filming as he seeks to boost the town's profile and reap the economic benefits from the cast and crew patronizing businesses.
"The most direct benefit on a random Tuesday during the first week in March has close to 700 people in the village. We anticipate those people involved with filming will patronize our merchants and restaurants," he said.
Smyth said Spielberg’s production company paid the town $17,500 for a permit, basically for parking.
"The initial fee was $25,000, then it was negotiated down to $17,500 after the production company reduced their need for town services," he said. "The money covers all lost parking revenue, additional public safety officers," highway and general services department staff, and assets such as flatbeds to assist with the moving of cars, he said.
Smyth previously told Newsday the town takes in parking revenue of about $1,067 daily from about 500 metered spaces downtown.
The town’s office of film and television has a list of items that production companies can choose from, all with an associated cost, Smyth said. This production did not require streets to be shut down or the use of town-owned property, which would have come with a higher price, he said.
"In terms of validating the mission of the town’s office and film and television, it doesn’t get any bigger than Steven Spielberg," Smyth said.
With Deborah S. Morris
Downtown Huntington was transformed into a movie set on Tuesday as director Steven Spielberg filmed inside The Paramount.
Film trucks and cameras were parked outside the New York Avenue theater while movie extras wearing wrestling gear and American flag hats mingled at the entrance to The Paramount. Yellow signs pointed to the film set.
Crew trucks also were parked more than a mile away at the Huntington Station LIRR parking lot 22.
Spielberg was filming a wrestling scene for the untitled movie, with the plot still under wraps. The film's cast includes Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo.
The stars and Spielberg weren't outside the theater on Tuesday morning, but several unmarked movie trailers were parked around Huntington village, behind The Paramount and in parking lots along New Street.
A few spectators passing by stopped to look across the street or snap pictures of The Paramount and the cameras and lights stationed outside.
"I think it's cool to have famous people around," Michelle Kaiser, 32, of Huntington, said on her way to work on Tuesday morning. "It's always fun to see a movie come to Long Island."
Hayden Meisner, 23, and Vanessa Guillermo, 22, both of Melville, were working across the street at The Special Cup coffee shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of the film's stars or Spielberg.
"It's really cool seeing a film being made so close by," Meisner said.
Downtown Huntington was relatively quiet otherwise Tuesday morning. Traffic was moving smoothly, though portions of New York Avenue were blocked off for production trucks while street parking elsewhere was free.
Guillermo and Meisner said they'd watched the crews moving in since Monday.
"I've been looking out every day I've been working and when it's a little slower, I go to the window to try to get a peek of someone," Guillermo said. "I might have to keep it cool if someone comes in or sneak a picture and say hi."
Connie Tabacchi, 64, and Victoria Mitchell, 70, both of Huntington, said they had applied to be extras in the movie but were not selected.
"It generates interest for the town," Mitchell said.
"It hasn't been disruptive," Tabacchi said. "I thought the street would be closed, and it hasn't impacted traffic at all."
Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth has prioritized attracting filming as he seeks to boost the town's profile and reap the economic benefits from the cast and crew patronizing businesses.
"The most direct benefit on a random Tuesday during the first week in March has close to 700 people in the village. We anticipate those people involved with filming will patronize our merchants and restaurants," he said.
Smyth said Spielberg’s production company paid the town $17,500 for a permit, basically for parking.
"The initial fee was $25,000, then it was negotiated down to $17,500 after the production company reduced their need for town services," he said. "The money covers all lost parking revenue, additional public safety officers," highway and general services department staff, and assets such as flatbeds to assist with the moving of cars, he said.
Smyth previously told Newsday the town takes in parking revenue of about $1,067 daily from about 500 metered spaces downtown.
The town’s office of film and television has a list of items that production companies can choose from, all with an associated cost, Smyth said. This production did not require streets to be shut down or the use of town-owned property, which would have come with a higher price, he said.
"In terms of validating the mission of the town’s office and film and television, it doesn’t get any bigger than Steven Spielberg," Smyth said.
With Deborah S. Morris
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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