New York City has five boroughs forming its landscape, including Brooklyn and Manhattan. You'll find renowned landmarks in the city like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, which you might have seen featured in "King Kong." "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," "Spider-Man," and "GoodFellas" are other classic favorites that showcase areas of NYC and what it's like living in The Big Apple.
Central Park is one of its other well-known attractions and among the world's most visited and filmed locations. New York is the country's second-largest film production hub, after Los Angeles, producing an estimated 200 feature movies annually and many more independent flicks.
The "City That Never Sleeps" has given many a chance to chase after their American dreams, including filming compelling narratives and visual content. Giggster has many production listings to kickstart your next project, whether you need a film studio with a control room or the perfect setting for your photos.
Why Giggster for Your Production in New York
Create your next project in a well-equipped production studio with a control room, or book a photo shoot location with plenty of natural light. Giggster can link you with an ideal production space with over 4312 listings in New York.
- Book a Brooklyn loft studio for your music video or photo shoot. Imagine a sun-drenched space featuring a 15 ft ceiling, strobe lights, modifiers, and various types of stands. Check for a loading dock and freight elevator to quickly offload/load your production equipment.
- Do you need a multi-set location with lots of natural light for your video or photo shoot? Book a well-lit photo studio located in East Williamsburg to fit the bill. An extensive list of photography equipment, including strobe lights, C Stands, and sandbags, makes for an equipped venue.
- Why not search for a townhouse in Brooklyn that's perfect for historic productions? Seek out a dated/retro/rustic-style house with an English Cottage aesthetic.
- Create lifestyle content or shoot your music video in a Spartan Bar. This type of location can be found in Queens as an industrial-style venue. It's ideal for wrap parties and other celebratory occasions.
Incredible Production Venues in New York Start at $18/hour
Exceptional Variety & Quality: Your search for a production space is over once you browse Giggster's extensive list. Whether your project requires a flexible Chelsea studio or a Greenwich Village brownstone, you will find a perfect setting.
Hassle-Free Booking: Our site's straightforward booking process simplifies your studio space search. Each listing details everything you should know so that there are no surprises.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: Giggster understands that sudden weather changes and other unexpected issues might force you to reschedule or cancel your booking. Our 24-hour cancellation policy covers you for such instances.
Platform Protections: Attach an optional liability insurance cover when checking out your studio booking. Many Giggster studios also use video surveillance for security and swift dispute/insurance resolutions.
Pros and Cons of Film Production Spaces in New York
NYC has a perfect production studio suited for all creative projects. Giggster places the ideal film setting at your fingertips, with thousands of listings ready to host you and your crew. Before you sign off on a production space like a Cre8ive 3-3: Flexible Chelsea Space, it's best to understand how the city's merits and possible drawbacks might impact your booking.
Advantages
- New York is a cultural melting pot, best displayed by its diverse neighborhoods and food scene. The demographic is a resource for documentary and feature filmmakers, who often need talent representing a diversified community.
- NYC has beautiful scenery from the High Line to the Empire State Building and Central Park. It's a feast for the eyes on the screen, and you can also consider production spaces near the snow-covered Belleayre Mountain in winter.
- The city experiences all seasons, with warm summers, lovely springs, and gorgeous fall weather. Filmmakers can easily predict the conditions at different times and schedule shoots accordingly.
Disadvantages
- Traffic delays can halt production, and you'll want to book a studio space away from the downtown area to avoid getting caught up in snarlups. It also helps to pick nearby venues for on-location shoots to ease movements between sets.
- Winters are dreary in NYC, with temperatures dropping below freezing at night. The bone-chilling wind and inches of snow can create production delays or even force you to cancel shoots.
- Besides vehicle snarlups, New York is one of the most congested cities. Due to its dense population and scores of tourists constantly visiting, your best bet is to avoid filming around public spaces or the city's top attractions.
The Best Production Locations in New York
Giggster makes finding an ideal production studio or on-location film space in New York accessible by offering a curated list of the top venues for rent. With 4312 film and photo spaces in New York, our site promises to link you with the best production space.
Lofts – Video and Photo Shoots. Studio lofts create the perfect photo shoot settings, with open-space formats and floor-to-ceiling windows flooding light into the space. New York has CYC studios, photography spaces, and multi-use lofts.
Recording Studios – Music Video Shoots. Recording studios can double as spaces to create music and produce videos. Most feature a control room, green room, and music recording booth, which can all serve as distinct production spaces.
Bars – Film Shoots. NYC bars and lounges can double as movie settings. They are the best places for filming club scenes, live band performances, or dance events. As functional watering holes, they have fully stocked bars and service staff.
Theaters – Stage Productions. New York is known for its Broadway scene, and its theaters are among the perfect production locations. The venues can host everything from plays and dance recitals to movie awards. If you have a similar project lined up, check out our massive theater decorated with stunning interiors.
Restaurants and Bistros – Movie Shoots. Bistros and restaurants are the best settings for dining scenes. Giggster's rustic Pizzeria has brick walls, decorated ceilings, and tile floors, which can add interest to your movie shoot.
Planning Your Production in New York
Proper pre-production is the key to a successful shoot, and it starts with securing the best studio space or on-location sets. Giggster does half the work by connecting you to top production spaces around Manhattan and the greater NYC area, and these tips can help you plan a successful shoot in The Big Apple.
Go on Location Recces – Giggser can help you find the best studio to produce stunning photos or a production location to film your Indie flick. However, it's best to contact the property owners on the phone and request site visits before committing to any film space. Assess the space for potential noise issues and other production setbacks that could affect your shoot date.
Get Local Support – From local authorities to camera operators and caterers, it's best to team up with New York's film professionals. They'll assist with everything from applying for permits to getting your studio space ready for the shoot so that you can focus more on the creative aspects.
Maintain an Equipment Log – It's easy to forget crucial equipment when moving from a studio to the next film space, which makes it especially important to have an equipment log. Assign department heads to oversee it and ensure that you leave each space with all your gear. Use an app to keep track of everything.
Work with a Production Schedule – Whether it's a day-long photo shoot in a studio or a movie production scheduled for several months in different locations, work with a production schedule. It's your road map to staying on track and keeping everyone on the same page.
Saving Money on Your Production in New York
From assembling a winning team to getting the best equipment and renting an ideal studio space, it's fair to say that working on a production is a costly affair! However, these handy tips can shave off a chunk of your production budget.
Team up with student filmmakers.
The New York Film Academy produces some of the industry's respected talent, and you can collaborate with students in a quid pro quo arrangement for your project.
Use a production studio.
A studio features production-quality lights, sound, and cameras, allowing you to create content at a fraction of the cost. You can request the services of their in-house team of professionals to assist with technical aspects.
Can you rent instead of buying equipment?
Production equipment is quite costly, and renting what you need is always best. The same applies to props; many costume and prop houses have selections you can rent for a couple of hours.
New York Productions with Giggster
Giggster allows you to focus on the most critical aspects of working on your production by providing a perfectly curated list of the top film and photo shoot locations in New York. Start your pre-production process by securing a befitting studio space for your shoot.
Filming locations from the best crime movies shot in NYC
The New York City people imagine—whether they are lifelong New Yorkers or have yet to visit—is now mostly the stuff of fiction, an image dreamed up on the big screen. In recent years, some might say the city has been Disneyfied, stripped of its grit and grime in favor of coffee shop chains and gentrified boroughs. But if there's anything that immediately transports us back to the gaudy and gorgeously anti-glamorous streets we've come to associate with the City that Never Sleeps, it's the innumerable crime films that were shot there.
There's just something utterly timeless and irresistible about this dark and seedy side of NYC and, luckily for cinephiles, some of the most memorable monuments from such crime classics as "The Godfather" and "Taxi Driver" still remain. This means you can still go and visit some relics from the New York of yesteryear itself.
To help get your cinematic pilgrimage off to a start, Giggster looked at noteworthy shooting locations you can visit from the best crime movies shot in New York City. To qualify as one of the best, the film had to have at least a 7.5 user rating on IMDb.
]Don Corleone's resting place in 'The Godfather'
- Location: Calvary Cemetery, Greenpoint Avenue, Queens
Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery that stretches across 365 acres, making it one of the largest—as well as one of the oldest—cemeteries in the United States. The grounds are home to a few centuries worth of notable politicians and performers, as well as real-life mobsters like Stefano Ferrigno, deeming it an appropriate setting for one of the most emotionally charged scenes in "The Godfather."
It was in a section of the cemetery known as "First Calvary Cemetery" where Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) was laid to rest after suffering a heart attack while playing in the garden with his grandson. The funeral scene required 150 extras, 20 hearses, limousines, and thousands of dollars worth of flowers. As a spectacular site of historical preservation, the cemetery looks largely unchanged from how it was depicted in the movie—save for the warm, grainy camera filter.
The bank exterior in 'Inside Man'
- Location: 20 Exchange Place, Manhattan
20 Exchange Place, formerly known as the City Bank-Farmers Trust Building, is a skyscraper located in the financial district of lower Manhattan, which boasts a facade bejeweled with high-end stones. In 2006, it appeared in Spike Lee's heist film "Inside Man" as a fictional bank branch named Manhattan Trust Bank.
Once a relic of New York's wave of art deco architecture in the 1920s, it has since been modernized. Though in the film, it was restored to its former glory and made to look like a financial institution from a former time. The building is basically a location scout's paradise, not least because of the ease of the city's Made in NY marketing incentives program, but also because, according to film location scout Nick Carr, who'd previously scouted the building for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," filmmakers tend to get their run of the place here.
The last pickup location in 'Taxi Driver'
- Location: St. Regis Hotel, 2 E. 55th St., Manhattan
Martin Scorcese's "Taxi Driver" is an expressionistic vision of NYC in the 1970s, before the city's so-called Disneyfication. The film is a lonely and claustrophobic journey through the psyche of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), but there's some light relief when he gives Cybill Shepherd's character, Betsy, a free ride to the St. Regis Hotel on Fifth Avenue. While the city has undergone an extensive transformation since then, the St. Regis Hotel—known throughout the city for its glamour and prestige—has mostly gone untouched. The building itself is still largely the same, though the outside awning has been jazzed up a little with lights and black accents.
The fountain Howie is thrown into in 'Uncut Gems'
- Location: 1245 6th Ave., Manhattan
As lifelong residents of New York City, the Safdie brothers have been committed to depicting the city at its sleaziest and best. In "Uncut Gems," their best-known film, Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, an on-edge jeweler attempting to barter his way through midtown Manhattan's diamond district. It's a location in perfect proximity to some of New York's most iconic sights—Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower, as well as 30 Rock, where Sandler got his start on "Saturday Night Live"—and now the film has made an icon of a water fountain on Sixth Avenue in the district.
In one memorable scene, after being punched in the face by two goons, Howard gets thrown into the fountain. While filming, Sandler was spotted bloodied and drenched in the fountain by passersby; the Safdies generally like to plant their cameras across the block, making the scenes as realistic as possible.
Where the famous car chase starts in 'The French Connection'
- Location: 2415 Stillwell Ave., Brooklyn
See it once and it will be burned into your brain forever. In one of the most famous car chase scenes in cinema history, Detective Jimmy Doyle (Gene Hackman) races through packed New York City streets in an attempt to arrest a man who commandeered a subway train. Doyle's wicked temper is in full force as tires screech across the pavements of Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn.
Director William Friedkin has famously said that the scene wasn't entirely scripted but rather conceptualized on location—and off the cuff. Apparently, one reason for this is that the district only permitted the filmmaker to use one particular Brooklyn line: the West End stretch from Coney Island into Manhattan, the West End line. Since filming, the Avenue has expanded with apartment buildings, shops, and larger roads, but it still bears a remarkable resemblance to the area in the film.
