SHOOTING SPIDER-MAN 2
"After the first movie we asked ourselves, "What do we wish to have more of for the next installment?'" says producer Avi Arad. "And the answer was 'New York.' After all, Peter Parker is the quintessential New Yorker. And Jameson? Jameson is New York. Also, we wanted to capture more of the vertigo of the city -- its tall buildings, its bridges, its tunnels. Considering the advances in filmmaking technology we didn't really have to shoot in New York at all. But we wanted the authenticity of the streets and the skyline."
Principal photography on Spider-Man 2 began on April 12, 2003 in New York City, where the production spent approximately three weeks shooting at various locations in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, as well as on a Yonkers stage. From ground-level street shots to rooftops high above the city, the filmmakers efficiently utilized the time they spent in New York, giving them the opportunity to expand on the city's unique environment, which had leant such vibrancy to the first Spider-Man.
"In the first film we established New York as a character in the movie. With Spider-Man 2, we went even further," says production designer Neil Spisak. "We used a lot more of the city, including (photographic) plates of real buildings and real streets. Improvements in technology over the past three years enabled (visual effects designer) John Dykstra and I to marry existing buildings to scenery buildings to CG buildings even better than the first time around. It's a much more complete experience."
Again, director Sam Raimi worked closely with Spisak to help "take the edge off reality" when presenting the cityscape. "Neil has created a very consistent New York," says Raimi. "It's not an absolutely real New York, nor is it some fantasy town. Neil was able to find the fantastic in the New York we know. Then he concentrated and condensed it so that you absolutely believe it's the world Spider-Man inhabits."
"We got more of a feeling of New York in this movie," adds Ziskin. "The movie is being shot in widescreen, which is appropriate because this is a different story, so it required a different approach."
Production began on the campus of Columbia University in uptown Manhattan, which serves as the university Peter Parker attends while he struggles with the responsibilities of his academic workload and his superhero duties. Revered comic book artist John Romita, Sr., who is best known for his work as the artist for "Spider-Man" comics after the departure of the series' co-creator Steve Ditko, visited the set during a classroom scene.
The rooftop of the Hotel Intercontinental, across from the Waldorf Astoria, was the location where Spider-Man contemplates his next move, while downtown, in the Wall Street area, another rooftop served as the "launch-pad" for the Spydercam camera, as it dipped and swooped over several blocks to replicate one of Spider-Man's high-stakes aerial journeys through the city.
"We executed one of the longest wire shots the Spydercam has ever done," says executive producer Joseph M. Caracciolo. "The Wall Street shot was around 2400 feet. I'm an ex New Yorker, so I didn't find the location shoot particularly daunting. But there are always difficulties when you're doing wire work in New York, including the placement of the cranes on the buildings, the movement of the cast, crew and equipment, and of course, the crowds."
"It was a challenge for us to move our production to the tops of buildings, but we couldn't have been happier, because rooftops are Spider-Man's world and that is his view of the city as he swings through it," notes co-producer Grant Curtis. "It was breathtaking to see the world from 70 stories up -- a world unto itself. You can't fully really appreciate the beautiful architecture of New York's skyscrapers from ground level. We showed some of that in the first film, but we wanted to show more of Spider-Man's vertiginous world, and I think we really captured that with this film."
The company returned to a Queens neighborhood, familiar from the original Spider-Man as the street where Peter lived with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, with M.J. as his next-door neighbor. Peter, who has moved to a tiny apartment in Manhattan, returns for a conciliatory talk with his beloved Aunt May and has a conversation with M.J. over the back fence.
Brooklyn's Cypress Hills Cemetery is the setting for Peter and Aunt May's sad visit to Uncle Ben's grave, and the exterior of the Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan's East Village is the site of chaos in the aftermath of a terrible explosion during Dr. Octavius' fusion demonstration.
Peter and M.J. have another conversation during a walk in Chinatown, and the exterior of The Rose Center (which includes the Hayden Planetarium) at The Museum of Natural History serves as the location for a benefit gala where M.J. has an uncomfortable run-in with Peter, who is covering the event for the Daily Bugle.
Returning to Los Angeles, Spider-Man 2 shot on several stages on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City. Stage 15 was home to the Daily Bugle offices, as well as Peter's tiny apartment and Dr. Octavius' elaborate home laboratory. On Stage 29, the Osborn mansion, where Harry Osborn now lives, was recreated. Stage 27 housed M.J.'s apartment set, a giant spider web, the interior of the Planetarium, the massive clock tower set as well as various other set pieces.
A series of elevated trains were built on Stage 14, where Spider-Man and "Doc Ock" match wits.
One of the most elaborate sets for Spider-Man 2 was the pier set, designed by Spisak and built over the course of 15 weeks on soundstage 30. The pier is "Doc Ock's" East River refuge, where he continues to work on his fusion experiments. But since his terrible transformation, the experiments have taken on a twisted sense of purpose. It was on this set that some of the more complex and pivotal scenes in the film were shot.
"In contrast to Dr. Octavius' lab, which was part of his apartment -- a streamlined, organized and clean space -- the pier is a maniacal, decaying, decrepit space," explains Spisak. "It follows his character development in terms of his becoming a wilder, more dangerous and more formidable adversary for Spider-Man."
The set, approximately 60 feet wide by 120 feet long and 40 feet tall, was constructed over a water tank and enhanced by several different components, including CG/plate work and miniatures.
"Before we built the set, we created an exact 3/4" scale model of it, about 7 feet long and 4 feet wide, from drawings and blueprints. The model was extremely useful to the carpenters, who could take measurements to help them construct the full-sized pier, as well as for the miniatures team, so they could ascertain the dimensions, textures and materials that were used," explains art director Tom Wilkins. "We shot plates down in San Pedro, where we panned from a real pier to the water. In post-production a New York background was added. We also built a miniature pier -- interiors and exteriors -- to complete the composition on the East River."
The art department team designed a 136 feet by 40 ft. high vinyl backing to represent Ock's view of Manhattan through a large window at the end of the pier set. Wave machines were rigged in the water to create movement under the pier.
(Exterior scenes for "Doc Ock's" pier headquarters were shot on Terminal Island in San Pedro).
Other Los Angeles-area locations include the former Bank of America headquarters on Spring Street in downtown L.A., the site of an explosive bank withdrawal by "Doc Ock."
The production then moved to the Universal backlot for two weeks of shooting. Several city streets were transformed into a variety of New York neighborhoods including the exterior of the Lyric Theater where M.J. performs in an off-Broadway production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." A laundromat was built and dressed for a humorous scene involving Peter Parker and some dirty clothes, and Ari's Village Deli and Bakery became the site of an extremely complex scene involving a quiet conversation between Peter and M.J., which is interrupted by Peter's "spider sense" -- and a car careening though the plate glass window, followed by the arrival of "Doc Ock."
"It was a great luxury to be able to build that set from every aspect, so that we could do everything we needed for the scene," says Spisak. "The walls were made of trench plate so that when the car smashed through it, the buildings around it were protected. We were able to design what we thought it should look like visually, then as tricks, gags and stunts became clearer, we were able to add them to the set before it was completely finished."
"The deli was a full, 360 degree set, with a kitchen, deli counters, pastries, ceiling fans and chandeliers," adds art director Steve Saklad, who worked closely with Spisak. "We dressed the exterior streets so that you could look out the window and see the intersection of Lafayette Street and Astor Place. It required an enormous amount of signage, billboards, street dressing, trees and traffic lights. Set decorator Jay Hart and his crew even brought in lampposts and papered them with handbills as they would look in New York."
For Raimi, "The diner was a complex technical scene, because it brought together so many different departments, each relying on the other to fulfill their function and to communicate with each other so that each individual shot would work. We utilized mechanical effects and the stunt department had to take an automobile, spin it and flip it through the deli window, with the prop department providing the breakaway items. What made it even more complex was that we had to fly 'Doc Ock' in, using something we dubbed the 'walk rig.'"
The "walk rig" was created for "Doc Ock," because the character not only moves himself, but his tentacles move him around as well. When he walks on the tentacles, they support his weight, so a device was constructed to harness him and move him through space as if the tentacles were supporting him. The visual effects department also created "virtual" tentacles where practical ones weren't feasible.
Spisak and his team designed and dressed more than 100 sets and locations for Spider-Man 2.
"There are probably 10 enormous sets, while some are simply street corners. We covered eleven blocks in downtown Los Angeles and used many rooftops, streets and buildings in New York City," notes Spisak. "This is certainly the biggest film I've ever done."
Spisak worked with director of photography Bill Pope on the color palette for the sets, and they poured over research and location pictures to inspire them for the story's lighting requirements. "In the first film, Peter Parker was younger, less aware and just beginning to discover his new powers. That was reflected in the overall look of the movie," says Spisak. "With this film, he has been Spider-Man for a while, so his frustration over how to deal with his life versus his duty is more complex. That's reflected in the color palette and the tone of this film -- it's a little more sophisticated, more complicated and deeper, in terms of color and look."
One of the film's motifs is the use of clocks throughout the story, the largest of which is a giant clock tower where Spider-Man and "Doc Ock" have a meeting. "In the beginning of the movie, there are many images of clocks, because Peter is always running late -- he's always racing to get somewhere and his Spider-Man life is getting in the way of his regular life," notes Spisak. "Thus, the clock tower seemed a fitting place for them to meet."
"People have asked me what my challenges were on the second movie," says Dykstra. "And I told them that, not only has Spider-Man raised the bar in visual effects, but over the intervening years, other films have been released that have also been incredibly successful and had some spectacular effects breakthroughs. So, the challenge for us has been to project into the future how high the bar was going to be by the time Spider-Man 2 reached theaters."
Among the tools Dykstra and his team utilized to achieve the shot's presenting Spider-Man's point-of-view, while he is soaring over the city, was Earl Wiggins' Spydercam. During the New York portion of the shoot, the specialized camera was launched using a remote controlled computer suspended on a cable from a Wall Street-area rooftop more than 30 stories in the air, which recorded what Spider-Man saw as he swung over the city. The camera traveled along a line suspended over four blocks, dipping down into the street and over the tops of several blocks of vehicles and background art that had been placed for the sequence.
"We were dropping the camera and moving it up and down over the course of the shot to follow Spider-Man's trajectory as he swings through the arch, releasing a web, and shooting a new web as he swings into the traffic below," explains Dykstra.
"One of the successes of the first film was the empathy the audience had for the main character. He was very sympathetic," Dykstra says. "This movie explores the character in greater depth, and in terms of the visual effects, we're hoping to give audiences an even more intimate sense of what it's like to be Spider-Man. In the first film, we get to fly with him. The idea here is to make the flying sequences poetic enough and evocative enough that you will get an even stronger sense of what it's like to fly like Spider-Man."
That approach is reinforced by Raimi, says Ziskin. "One of the really striking aspects about Sam is that he is the audience for this film. He makes the movie for the audience, identifies with the characters and is always aware of the rhythms and how each sequence will play -- both to him and the other members of the audience. That makes him the perfect director for this kind of material. Also, he's at a point in his directing career where he's at the top of his game. He is brilliant technically, but also works extraordinarily well with the actors. Ultimately, his personal connection to Peter Parker and the other main characters is a great gift to the audience."
"These are tough, scary times and during such periods we look to heroic stories to give us hope," notes Raimi. "Maybe that has something to do with why the audience was so taken with Spider-Man when he first appeared two years ago. With Spider-Man 2, I truly hope that audiences will feel that they're seeing a love story, that they're participating in another episode of Peter Parker's life and are seeing the challenges and conflicts he faces and how he overcomes them. I hope it will leave them feeling uplifted and exhilarated."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

SAM RAIMI (Director) returns to helm a new adventure with one of the world's most popular comic book superheroes in Spider-Man 2 after directing the record-breaking worldwide phenomenon Spider-Man.
Raimi previously directed the supernatural thriller The Gift, and also directed the acclaimed suspense thriller A Simple Plan. Additional directorial credits include the baseball homage For Love of the Game starring Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston.
Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic The Evil Dead, which became an immediate favorite when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and spawned the equally impressive The Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn.
Raimi then proved his mastery of the fantasy thriller genre, writing and directing Darkman, which he followed up with Army of Darkness, a comic sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Raimi also served as executive producer for John Woo's Hard Target, and co-wrote (with Joel and Ethan Coen) The Hudsucker Proxy. He Raimi also directed the western The Quick and the Dead.
Raimi's extensive television work includes the hit syndicated series "Xena: Warrior Princess," which he executive produced with Tapert. Raimi and Tapert also executive produced the enormously popular "Hercules: Legendary Journeys" and served as executive producer for the CBS series "American Gothic."
Raimi's interest in filmmaking began as a youngster in Michigan, where he directed his own Super 8 films. Later, he left Michigan State University to form Renaissance Pictures with Tapert and longtime friend and actor Bruce Campbell.

ALVIN SARGENT (Screenplay by) is a two-time Academy Award® winner for his screenplays for Julia and Ordinary People and an Academy Award® nominee for Paper Moon. He has won three Writers Guild Awards (for Julia, Ordinary People and Paper Moon), a BAFTA award for Julia and, in 1991, received the Writers Guild Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.
Most recently, Sargent wrote the script for Unfaithful. His other films include Anywhere But Here, Other People's Money, White Palace, Dominick and Eugene, Nuts, Straight Time, Bobby Deerfield, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, I Walk the Line, The Sterile Cuckoo, The Stalking Moon and Gambit.

ALFRED GOUGH & MILES MILLAR (Screen Story by) wrote the 2000 hit action comedy Shanghai Noon, as well as its sequel Shanghai Knights. Since the first film, this dynamic team has gone on to success on the big and small screen. Gough and Millar currently serve as executive producers and creators of the critically acclaimed action-adventure drama "Smallville," which is the #1 show on the WB network. Also accomplished screenwriters, their upcoming features include the much-anticipated Iron Man. Other feature film credits include Showtime and Lethal Weapon 4. Gough and Millar first made a name for themselves as students in the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC in Los Angeles. While still in film school they made a high-profile sale of the 1994 script Mango.

MICHAEL CHABON (Screen Story by) is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. His other books include The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, A Model World, Wonder Boys and Werewolves in Their Youth. His work has appeared in such periodicals as The New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire and Playboy as well as in a number of anthologies, among them Prize Stories 1999: The O. Henry Awards. Chabon lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Ayelet Waldman, also a novelist, and their four children.

THE EVOLUTION OF A SUPERHERO
DOC OCK: FROM MAN TO MENACE

SPIDER-MAN
SPIDER-MAN 3

RETURN TO HOME PAGE