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Each month we will showcase a City agency employee or an industry specialist who helps to facilitate production in New York City.
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Dan Mercado: Setting Scenes in City's Greens March 31, 2004 New York City is full of amazing scenery, and some of the best spots to get the shots are the parks in lower Manhattan. Parks and Recreation Manager Dan Mercado has nineteen years' worth of experience with the City’s greens, and he puts it to use by helping filmmakers to shoot their scenes in downtown parks. City Hall Park has long been a favorite of filmmakers: most recently, it starred in Spiderman 2, which opens this July. Described by Mr. Mercado as “one of the best kept parks in the City,” it offers City Hall as a backdrop, the Woolworth Building across the street, a cascading fountain and blue stone pavements. Battery Park rivals City Hall for its city scenery, offering incredible views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Staten Island Ferry. The park includes the Eternal Flame of the World Trade Center Memorial, the World Trade Center Sphere, the promenade along the water and a picnic area. “It’s amazing how many of the City’s icons can be shot from this one spot,” Mr. Mercado said. Another favorite among producers and residents alike is Washington Square Park. “It’s where musicians go to jam, NYU students go to study and people just hang out,” Mr. Mercado said. “It’s one of the best parks in the City.” The park’s landmark, the Washington Square Arch, is scheduled to complete renovations in April. For Mr. Mercado, the draw of these parks is “the scenery, the buildings, the people walking around from every walk of life, the tourists.” The diversity of these locations means that, whether producers are looking for a playground, basketball court, park benches or views of the City, Mr. Mercado can usually help! In order to request permission to shoot in one of the parks managed by Mr. Mercado, filmmakers need to write him a detailed letter describing their plans. Although he asks for a minimum of one week’s notice in order to iron out the details, Mr. Mercado says he’s willing to work with producers when last-minute emergencies arise. Mr. Mercado also assists production companies in assessing appropriate donations to the Parks and Recreation department based upon the impact that their shooting will have on the location. The City’s parks have long been used by television shows like Sex and the City and Law and Order, but the possibilities are only increasing. That’s because the Parks and Recreation Department recently received $25.5 million from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to improve the parks in this area of the City. “It’s going to be awesome,” Mr. Mercado said. “Once it’s completed, these parks are going to be outstanding.” For more information on shooting in New York City parks, contact the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting by calling 311.  More Industry Stars | |
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 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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