Bed-Stuy Is Ready For Its Close-Up

Just over a week ago a film crew spent several days on my block. After a little research I found out that the crew was filming a movie called “The Project.” It is being directed by Ryan Piotrowicz and it sounds interesting based on the plot summary posted on IMDb. Here it is:

 Justin Stager and Dana Murphy, white, young, and naive, move to Brooklyn to make a documentary about inner city life. The film takes a media-immersion approach: Dana follows inner city youths, Justin films NYPD officers on patrol, and John Healy, a hired cinematographer, documents the filmmakers. The focus of Dana’s story is Thomas Coventry, a 15-year-old black youth trying to navigate his way through his strained family and social life. Thomas is poised to move up from the hardships of ghetto life, but his volatile friend, Nate, who is hell bent on stealing the spotlight, is keeping Thomas down. Surrounded by violence and drugs, nothing comes easy to Thomas in the dangerous environment he calls home. On the flipside, Justin documents the everyday lives of NYPD officers Dan Masterson and his partner Alex Mora. Masterson is a seemingly good cop who puts his life on the line everyday. However, it slowly becomes evident that views towards certain races get in the way of his duties. After performing a heroic act, Masterson granted some time off. He uses this time to uncover a plot, the origins of which, unmask the motives behind Masterson’s racist behavior. As the filming progresses, violence and emotions get into the way of Justin and Dana’s objectivity. As the filmmakers grow apart their stories merge together, forcing them to become active participants in the underground world they hoped to observe through the lens. What was once considered an ambitious idea soon spirals out of control, with irreversible results. Written by SenArt Films

IMDb says that the movie is currently in post-production. There was no information on the movie’s release date–the site only indicates that it will be in theatres sometime next year. Click here to view the movie’s site on IMDb.

I also saw a rap artist filming a music video on Nostrand. He was lip-synching to a song in front of a corner bodega. I didn’t recognize him or the song, but I think I might have made it into the video because I walked behind him while he was performing. I realized after the fact that I will probably get edited out of the video because I was carrying a yoga mat and a water bottle. I don’t think those items are the traditional accoutrements of rap video stars. If I can find out the name of this artist I’ll definitely post it. It would be neat to see which images of the neighborhood he uses in his video.