(My daughter asked me to post this ... this is NOT my idea)

We will be in NYC later this week, and she heard on the TV that they have started filming Spiderman 3. Does anyone know if by any chance they are filming outdoor shots in NYC yet? And if so, where, of course.

Is anyone aware of any specific, exact, locations where movies or TV shows are being shot this week? I saw the Sopranos were shooting at a church in Brooklyn last week.

Thanks in advance for any assistance ...(my daughter thanks you also).

I can't give you any specifics as to filming locations but as someone who has relatives in show-biz I can tell you that watching a movie or TV show being filmed is actually rather boring. For the most part the technical people spend hours setting up the equipment, rehersals and camera set-ups are done with stand ins - not the actual stars who stay inside their motor coaches. When everything is ready and the lighting conditions are just right the talent appears, they film the scene (maybe doing 2 or 3 takes) and in about 20 or 30 minutes the stars are gone and the technicians strike the set (unless they are going to film another scene around the cornor or at night in which case the process begins anew. During all of this the public is kept pretty far from the action (so they are out of camera range) and unless you are willing to stand around for hours waiting for the precise few minutes of actual filming (you never know when the actual filming will begin) you are likely not to see anything of interest. Even if you are fortunate to be standing at the front of the spectator group when filming begins you should know most scenes just show the stars either coming out or going into a building or perhaps just walking down the street - it's not very exciting.

I don't mean to throw a damper on your daughter's enthusian but merely trying to point out your time would be better spent seeing the real sights and attractions NYC has to offer.

What A_Traveller is trying to say is watching a movie being filmed is like watching grass grow.

The above posts are all correct. Besides, any location shoots will be accompanied by NYPD roadblocks keeping passers-by away from the actual filming. A lot of the location work is second-unit shooting that doesn't involve the "name" actors.

Having said that, you MIGHT see famous actors on-set. Chances are you won't. Better to spend your time seeing the City in its considerable summertime glory (I'll be there next month, and I can't wait!).

Specific locations for location shoots are impossible to discover ahead of time unless you know someone with the production or the NYPD. I have heard that fan sites on the Internet trade in location gossip, mostly unreliable.
That said, I stumbled upon a couple of location shoots in DC in the '80's and got to meet Jack Nicholson and wave at Meryl Streep (the movie was "Heartburn"). I thought it was fun to watch the goings-on. Once I saw Susan Sarandon get out of a car and run across the street, oh, ten times! ("Lorenzo's Oil")
Anyway--keep in mind, too, that Spiderman and other CG-heavy movies are usually filmed entirely on a lot or in a studio, not in an actual city.
I wish you luck--sorry I couldn't help!

Your daugher may enjoy a movie themed tour of the city. I don't have the link for the company on this computer, but you may want to google to find info. The van tour of Manhattan also includes segments of the movie footage on the screen as you travel the city.

While I admit that most of my films were shot in hotel rooms many years ago, you can also find info by calling that particular city's office of cultural affairs or other departments which issue permits for such things.

Everyone who has said watching filiming is excrutiating is correct. And you are unlikely to get close enough to really see any of the stars. (You will do better hanging around the neighborhoods in which they live frankly.)

But there is almost always filiming of something going on - but usually TV - and you can get info from the city office of film (go to the NYC web site). I've seen Law & Order being filmed lots of times - they tend to use my neighborhood since it's residential and all the trailers etc clog up traffic less. Still- you hardly ever see the actors - mostly just crew.

I would look at the blogs/fan sites involving the movie and the stars to see if they have info - and you can check the sites they list - but they're equally likely to be wrong - or late - as right.

You also might check the city website for films, often there is a posting of films being shot in the city. Traveling around the city you actually may run into a shoot. There will be lots of vans parked. I run into shoots all the time all over the city.
Alot of "Third Watch" was shot in our neighborhood, which was a pain beause parking would be limited and streets would be closed off.

Have a great time while you are here.