Each month we will showcase a City agency employee or an industry specialist who helps to facilitate production in New York City. Peter Basich, Department of Transportation Peter Basich, Bridge to the Stars With background training in cinematography and commercial still photography, it was seemingly no accident that Peter Basich ended up handling requests from film and television crews, to shoot on New York City bridges. "I enjoy working with these folks; I can understand what they're asking for and we click right away," he says. Mr. Basich took on the duty of film liaison three years into his tenure at the Department of Transportation (DOT,) after the departure of a former employee. A veteran of the department, Peter has served as the Office Manager for Bridge Maintenance, Inspection and Operations, Bureau of Bridges at DOT for the past 12 years. The unit is responsible for the "care and feeding" of over 700 New York City bridges, including the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges – and even elevated portions of the FDR and West Side Highway. In addition to fielding requests from entertainment production companies, Mr. Basich handles general office management, serves as the liaison to the many support shops in the field which handle carpentry, electricity and ironworks for the City's bridges, coordinates the bridge crossings with the NYC Marathon and the Five Borough Bike Tour, and handles photography needs for his department. He wears many hats, but when it comes to working with film and television crews, he says, this hat "is becoming more fully plumed." Having assisted hundreds of feature films, commercials and television shows over the years, Mr. Basich knows how to expedite the process for shooting on a bridge. Production companies are referred to him by the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting after an initial discussion and agreement on the nature of their work. Companies then need to supply a letter of intent to Mr. Basich, detailing the work planned and equipment used. He then checks the scheduled work on the bridge to avoid any conflicts with the activity of DOT tradespeople or contractors. On more complex requests, he can also arrange for engineers to meet with the production company. His major requirement? Don't block pedestrian, vehicular or bike traffic - most bridges are busy with commuters and tourists. The Sopranos, Sex & The City, NYPD Blue, Third Watch, and the feature films Stay and The Forgotten are just some of the projects that have been keeping him busy lately. But he also coordinated the ambitious work of Kate & Leopold back in 2001, which recreated the atmosphere of the Brooklyn Bridge in the early 1880s. And as a testament to his ingenuity, he was able to arrange for the film Frequency (1999) to flip a fake gasoline truck and stage a fireball crash under the 125th Street overpass to the West Side Highway - right after the structure had been painted and rehabilitated. Having once paid the rent as a full-time photographer, Mr. Basich can also make practical suggestions with a creative payoff: "When they ask for a certain angle or view, I've sometimes suggested a better one, translating it in my mind's eye. I can fully appreciate what they're trying to do." Oftentimes he can even coordinate standby electricians to keep the necklace lights on a bridge illuminated past 1AM for certain bridge scenes. He was able to pull this off just recently for The Sopranos, when they shot the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges from Fulton Ferry State Park. In short, not only does Mr. Basich help to keep the City's bridges camera ready, but he is production's passport to some of the most stunning views in all of New York. More Industry Stars design by    The City of New York Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting 1697 Broadway Suite 602, New York, New York 10019.
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