Film shots in NYC
110 years of filming in 6 years of everyday life
BY Kelly Kiki
Published August 10, 2018
How often do you see a filmmaking shot, when you walk around NYC? Well, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) provided almost 48K film permits, from 2012 to 2017; each filming event had lasted for about 20 hours on average. In other words, filming duration sums to about… 110 years within 6 calendar years. Keep reading if you would like to know where all these shots happened and what type of events they are about.
"No parking" warnings in Harlem (left) and in Midtown Manhattan (right), while film shots are in progress.
Walk around Manhattan in October and you might be on the screen
More than 8K film permits are given on average per year, according to data provided from 2012 onwards. In 2015, MOME provided 8,958 film permits, which means that shots increased by 30% in comparison to 2012, when 6,910 shots took place.October seems to be the most film-friendly month each year, which means that NYC streets are “occupied” by busy film makers, especially in Midtown Manhattan and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, which are the most popular backdrops for film shots. Regarding movie shots in particular, Broadway Av, 5th Av, Ingraham Str in Brooklyn and the Riverside Drive are the most beloved locations. However, Amsterdam Av dominates regarding most long-lasting shots of any type and total filming duration in the street is 89 days in 6 years.
Mapping film permits in NYC (2012-2017)
Midtown Manhattan and Williamsburg in Brooklyn are the most popular areas for a shot
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Number of movie shots by top street
Broadway Av and 5th Av seem to be the most common sceneries for cinematography shots
Top-10 streets in long-lasting shots
Shots of any type totaled more than 89 days in Amsterdam Av, from 2012 to 2017
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Film permits by month over the years
Film shots have been increasing in October; producers are less active in May and June.
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Lights are on for a film shot along West 125 Street in Harlem.
Cinema vs Television
Film makers love using NYC streets as the backdrop for their films. If we also take into account the dominance of US film industry, we all know why New York is so familiar to everyone even before they firstly visit the city – everyone can recall iconic New York scenes in movie history. In recent years, it seems that if Broadway Av, 5th Av and the Riverside Drive are the most popular film locations in Manhattan, Ingraham Str is the beloved Brooklyn scenery by far; film makers who love Queens share their scots between 35 Str and Laurel Hill Blvd. However, it is a fact that television is dominant out there: 54% of film permits provided, from 2012 to 2017, had been for television productions: 76% of them had been for episodic series, while only 4% of them had been for the news.
Top filming locations in Manhattan for movies
Most movie shots have been hosted in Broadway Av
Most beloved streets in Brooklyn for movie makers
Ingraham Str comes first, counting 72 shots in 6 years
Top-streets in Queens as the backdrop for films
Shots are almost equally shared between 35 Str and Laurel Hill Blvd
Film permits shares by category
54% of film shots happened in NYC streets between 2012 and 2017 was for television productions
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Television shots in detail
As expected, most television shots are for episodic series (76%, incuding cable); news broadcasting share is 4%
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Film shots by borough
Manhattan's streets are the most preferred backdrop; television is dominant in every borough
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Movies vs Television by year
In 2016, percentage difference between movie and television shots hits 360.7%; the smallest percentage difference is recorded in 2013, when difference is limited to 76.2%
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
Streets which have been mostly on the news by year
Has everything been happening at Times Square or television reporters limit their backdrop preferences?
SOURCE: NYC Open Data, provided by MOME
