So Close To Paul Rudd, And Yet So Far From Paul Rudd...

"The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot,

so you have to work it all out for yourself from the clues."

~Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

Yesterday, I grabbed the cameras, and the hubby, and we headed over to San Francisco to chase down Paul Rudd. Well, not chase him down per se, but rather to find the location of where his new movie, Ant-Man is being filmed. It was fairly easy to find really, once again, like a couple years ago when Blue Jasmine was being filmed in the city, Twitter, and On Location Vacations provided the time and the place to be! In yesterday's case it was at the corner of Java street, and Buena Vista West. Just off Buena Vista Park, and the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. In other words, one of my favorite neighborhoods of the city!

Unlike two years ago, and my stalking... um... enthusiastic pursuit... of  Woody Allen, I was able to find Woody, and walk on the same side of the street as he was, in-between time for him to be inside making movie magic! I could have walked right passed him had I wanted to, but yesterday, it was NO DICE. The closest anyone could realistically get was about a half a block. Which I did, but I didn't get to see Paul Rudd or Michael Douglas, or any of the other stars of Ant-Man, and add them to my folder of candid celebrity moments. 

But all was not lost. I was able to buzz the neighborhood and get some photos of the cameras and some long shots of the general area. I love the behind the scenes stuff, and really enjoy all the technical details, so I am a happy girl! It would have been fantastic to have a photo of Paul Rudd, but for me the fun is in the photography safari, and what you might see along the way! Driving through Haight/Ashbury you have the opportunity to see almost everything, and there was one or two sights that caught my eye, but we will speak more on that later. For now, enjoy the shots of the Ant-Man filming that I did get. They aren't stellar or anything, but it is a cool memory for me. 

Yesterday, I was only a half a block away from Paul Rudd. That doesn't happen every day!

Ant-Man Gallery

Buena Vista West and Java Street

San Francisco

August 20th 2014

 

 

 

 

And now a look at the neighborhood and street where the filming

 was being done by way of Google Maps...

 

More and more films and TV shows are being shot in and around San Francisco, so this is far from my last chance to have some fun chasing down movie magic!

The fun, for me, is definitely behind the camera!

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :) 

Oooh... an intriguing update! The photo on the left is of the first official "Ant-Man" photo, posted on Marvel Entertainment's official Twitter page.The picture on the right is a photo I did yesterday in the Buena Vista Park area. Did I accidentally photograph Ant-Man's van? Interesting!

:)

About 3 Seconds Long

"It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen."

~Anthony Burgess

Okay, so filming is underway in San Francisco, for the newest in the "Terminator" series, Terminator 5: Genesis. It officially began last night at around 10:00 P.M. and was due to film through the wee hours. I am not there, of course, but hopefully I will be able to make it over to San Francisco one day this week, with my camera by my side, to capture some of the behind the scenes fun! Or at least what Craft Services has available for the cast to munch on! 

Watching a movie being filmed is a little like watching paint dry. I have learned that whether there is a snack table for extras or not, always bring your own food. Both times I was promised food in exchange for being an extra in a film, I found that what we were told would be available was a striking overstatement. BYOF! Now, if you are merely watching the filming for the sake of having some fun and getting some behind the scenes photos, you tend to have more options, and there are usually several open restaurants in the general neighborhood that you can duck into. Still, I prefer to eat before I go, or eat after I am finished with my photo taking. But that's a personal choice. When I went to watch Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine, my blood sugar was out of control, all I had was some water and still my BG was over 200. Stress is stress... even the good kind!

This time around the celebrity is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who really doesn't due much for me! Not a fan! I used to be, then he became the governor of California and frankly, he put so many families in so much pain, based on his bone-headed decisions I couldn't even watch his films for a long time. I don't think about how hard things got for us, it's a waste of time now, but I haven't completely forgotten those times either. That would be difficult to almost impossible. But California is on it's way to healing, and it's a much brighter future, so let the filming on the next big blockbuster begin! I wish the film luck! And I am very happy for San Francisco! We need more filming to be done here! Apparently it's pretty easier to work here, because one onlooker described the scene being filmed in the Mission district as only being 3 seconds long! LOL. Sounds about how... ahem... filming with Schwarzenegger would be. I can only imagine, but the mind does reel!

Quiet 

Rolling

1 2 3

And Scene!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Round Robin Challenge: On Location

Painted Ladies or The Six Sisters
Alamo Square Park
San Francisco, California

"You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person."

~Alec Waugh

RRC: On Location

Hollywood Location Scouts listen up! I have found your next awesome places to feature in a movie!



I bet you have seen this lovely row of six Victorian houses somewhere before! If they look kind of familiar, bet you can't place them, let me help. They were featured in the opening credits of the ABC comedy, Full House, and have at least made an appearance in approximately 70 or so other TV shows and movies! The park across the street from the houses, Alamo Square Park, is lovely and interesting all o it's own. Not only does it face these famous houses, but features a rather interesting attraction called a shoe garden, which contains every size, shape, color and style of shoes you can think of, all placed in loving tribute to someone. That's the cool thing about places like San Francisco, there is so much beauty right in front of you, but you never know what wonderful, magical gem might be just across the street, hidden away, waiting to be discovered.

Now, I Give You San Francisco At Christmas...


Union Square
December, 2012
San Francisco, California

It's not that Union Square, in San Francisco, hasn't been seen in a major motion picture, as a matter of fact it can be seen in the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but wouldn't a movie about a romance set during Christmas be beautifully filmed in San Francisco? Our skating rinks could give the Rockefeller Center ice rink run for it's money!

Need A Great Picturesque Place For A Character To Grab A Bite To Eat?


Tony's Cable Car (Menu)
2500 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, California

Look no further! Tony's Cable Car serves up the BEST burgers in San Francisco! Not only is it conveniently located on Geary boulevard, but it would be adorable featured in a movie as just what it is... a quaint neighborhood burger place. God, I get hungry for their burgers just considering it! Hollywood needs to make this place a STAR!

And Now For The East Bay... Berkeley


Tilden Park Berkeley, California

If you can't find a place to relax in Tilden Park... you don't want to relax! On the other hand, if you can find something to do in Tilden Park... you don't want to do anything fun! Tilden has Little Farm, The open space botanic garden, Lake Anza for swimming, plenty of trails for jogging, the carousel and steam trains for the kids. I love this place! Berkeley in general is a pretty photogenic place, and it's not that it hasn't had it's share of movie moments! The Graduate was partially filmed here, but I think 40 years later, it should get another chance to shine!

More From Berkeley...



Last, But Not Least, I Bring You To One Very Photogenic Spot In Sacramento...

 
Tower Bridge
Sacramento, California

Wouldn't the Tower Bridge make a spooky movie... spookier? I always have the best time photographing this bridge. And to make it all a little bit more spooky, it is located near Old Sacramento, which gives one a small step back in time to wooden streets and Old West storefronts!

Hollywood... Have I Made My Case?

Okay, now that you have seen my On Location  destinations, go see what the other participants are up to. Just click the link at the beginning of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog where you can find the list of participants, and all the information you need to play along!

See You At The Movies!

~Me :)