Makeup demos at New York on Location. Photo credit: Thanassi Karageorgiou
Sept. 9, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
The Museum of the Moving Image and Kaufman Astoria Studios will host a free outdoor event Sunday, Sept. 15, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how films and TV shows are produced in New York City.
The New York on Location event will run from noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday in the Kaufman Astoria Studios backlot on 36th Street between 34th and 35th Avenues. The event also extends to the streets surrounding the backlot.
The family-friendly event allows members of the public to explore 18 working movie trailers and trucks from productions shooting in New York and speak directly with movie professionals about what they do on set.
The trucks will include star dressing rooms, hair and makeup, special effects, wardrobe, props, cameras, electrical equipment and other key components of film and TV shoots.
Visitors will also be able to see how special effects craftspeople create weather effects, including snow and rain. At the same time, makeup artists and hair stylists will demonstrate the skills of their trade, from glamorous looks to cuts and bruises.
The event also features a camera car—a rigged vehicle that allows for the filming of scenes set in cars.
Admission to New York on Location is free, while the Museum of the Moving Image is offering a 20% discount for admission to the museum on the day.
Food will be available to purchase throughout the event from a selection of food trucks and from Mon Amour, which operates in the museum’s café and courtyard.
Kaufman Studios and the Museum of the Moving Image have teamed up with Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 and I.A.T.S.E. Local 52 to present the street fair.
“Behind the Screen” exhibition at MoMI. Photo credit: Sachyn Mital
Aziz Isham, executive director of the Museum of the Moving Image, said the event is a celebration of New York’s role in the entertainment industry, adding that it is also a reminder of the important role that people and unions play in producing the “magic we see on screen.”
“Sept. 15 will be a great day to explore the Museum, with free VR experiences and lowered admission to our galleries, where you can learn more about the crafts involved in making moving images and even try your hand at making your own,” Isham added.
Kaufman Astoria Studios President Hal Rosenbluth said the event would help people appreciate the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing film and TV.
“New York on Location allows families from across the city to peek behind the curtain and see how our favorite movies and TV shows are made,” Rosenbluth said. “The film and television industry employs thousands of New Yorkers, from electricians to carpenters to makeup artists. This program gives them their moment to shine.”
Tom O’Donnell, president of Theatrical Teamsters Local 817, said the event celebrates the integral role that members play in the industry.
“This event allows our members and those of other motion picture unions and guilds to come out from behind the screen to talk to New Yorkers about what we do,” O’Donnell said.
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