A-List Stars Cause Street Closures
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/ALICE @ 97.3) - Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, and other actors and extras in the upcoming star-studded film "Contagion," will close some San Francisco streets through the weekend.
A latter portion of the action-thriller– centered on a deadly disease and a team of doctors dealing with the outbreak– is being filmed here for six days starting today.
And the right of way goes to… Jude Law and his "Contagion" co-stars.
READ MORE: 2,000 Locals To Be Cast For Movie With Matt Damon, Kate Winslet
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READ MORE: 'Contagion' To Film In San Francisco
So when you see the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium near City Hall, transformed into mayhem, with littler, emergency vehicles, burned vehicles and people lined up to get vaccines, don't worry, it's not real.
"The scenes that they're shooting look very complicated and I think it will highlight San Francisco as a city that can pull off scenes like this," said Susannah Greason Robbins, executive director of the San Francisco Film Commission.
But groupies don't get too excited– plenty of police officers will be there to direct traffic and gawkers away from the scene. Here's a list of street closures through Sunday:
Friday
-Grove Street from Larkin to Polk streets, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
-Laguna Street from Hayes to Fell streets and Linden Street from Octavia to Buchanan streets, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday
-Sansome Street from California to Pine streets, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
-Minna Street from Fifth to Mary streets, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Sunday
-Taylor Street from Filbert to Union streets and Aladdin Terrace from Taylor street to the Easterly Terminus intersection, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Crews will also be filming scenes at Candlestick Park and the Mission Bay neighborhood that will not involve street closures.
Since arriving in early January and through the end of this month, "Contagion" is expected to pump an estimated $5 million into the local economy with location fees, rentals, hotels, dining and local hires.
Although the film didn't qualify for a tax and city fees rebate program because of its short stay, 100 crew members did take advantage of the commission's new vendor discount program.
The feature film, directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh, isn't the only major production bringing in big bucks to the city this month.
A new TV series "Alcatraz" filmed a couple of days earlier this week. The Style Network show "Clean House" is shooting for a week starting Tuesday. And HBO's production "Hemingway & Gellhorn," starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen, is being filmed in its entirety here from Feb. 28 through May.
Filming for feature, commercial and still shoots was up 54 percent this January compared with the same time last year, Robbins said. Feature films alone are bringing in an estimated $2 million more this month.
"It's a great way to start out this new year," Robbins said. "But I think it's only a small part of what we can expect to see for the rest of 2011."
Surely, drivers can understand.
Originally written by Sarah & Vinnie Intern for our friends at Alice @ 97.3
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