Filming in Budapest (IV)

I can't help it! I've decided that this will have to be one of those regular themed posts that come back every now and then.

This one's another Spielberg story. The man's been annoying Budapest residents recently with his road closures and privacy nazis, but to give him his credit he has brought some employment to the area. A photographer friend has blagged a seat next to producer Barry Mendel and probably now spends most of his time squinting at a screen trying to airbrush nipples off (or maybe on) Marie-Josée Croze.

Read moreWalking to the bank this morning I passed through Szabadság tér (Freedom Square). Next door to the MTV building a few cranes were dangling cameras and lights to capture a scene inside an apartment. Even with the most modest of pan shots the distinctive parliament building will be on the screen so maybe this scene is meant to be from Budapest instead of Paris which I believe the scenes shot on Andrassy were for.

The side streets were clogged with trailers but seeing as most of these are dead-end streets and people were allowed to walk down them, I don't think many people will be complaining. I was walking down one of these streets when my name was called out by the fotofriend. A simple chance meeting that seems to occur a lot in Budapest. We had a riveting discussion on trailer toilets and batch-renaming of files before I had to leave.

On a side note. In the square there's a controversial monument to Soviet soldiers. The monument has been ringed by a fence and guarded for some months now, ever since some silly people wanted to chuck paint at it. When I walked through this morning, the fence was stacked away and it all looked pristine. It's possible that the risk of rioting has dispersed or they were tidying up the place for the film crew that were shooting there and it might appear in the film. Who knows?


Some links

Barry Mendel (pic)
Steven Spielberg
Richard Radkin

Filming in Budapest (III)
Filming in Budapest (II)
Filming in Budapest