Bringing famous names to campus

We are a media-obsessed nation. We read "Star Tracks" in People Magazine, watch E! Entertainment Television, scan the tabloids, catch up with Regis and Kelly, and we won't deny it. So when camera crews are lingering around Blair Arch, it causes quite a stir among the Princeton undergraduate community. Questions of "who?" "what?" and "where?" fly from Blair to Butler, yet nobody seems to actually know the answers.

Princeton has one of the most recognizable campuses in the country due to its media exposure, and realizing this and students' interest I went to speak with Tom Quirk, who works in Princeton's Conference and Events Office, to learn about the presence of media on campus.

Most students do not realize that they just missed brushing shoulders with Nicole Kidman.

Because Princeton is such a well-known institution, as well as being especially aesthetically pleasing, many television shows, magazines, documentaries and motion pictures look to film here on campus. However, these groups cannot simply show up with their equipment and begin filming; they need to run their concepts and plans through the Communications office and then the Office of Conferences and Events. The people in these offices will check the integrity of each piece to make sure that all royalties and mention of the University are accounted for, and also that there is no degradation of the face of Princeton.

However, once these decisions are made, the ensuing media activity often takes place unnoticed. For example, Quirk was busy working this Wednesday and Thursday with a crew doing a documentary on Einstein, for which the narrator was taping opening segments in front of McCosh 50. In addition, this Thursday there was a crew filming an interview with Elaine Pagels of the Religion department. The topic of this interview concerned the history of Christianity and the impact of the recent questions that have arisen regarding the "missing books" of the New Testament.

Two professional productions in two days slipped by right under the students' noses.

On the other hand, one would not always recognize Princeton unless one knew the place, as a student would. Many shots are just of building exteriors, as is the case for the new Fox medical drama House. This new show includes shots of the exteriors of the Frist Campus center from the air and the ground, said to represent the outside of the "Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital," where the medical action takes place.

While major motion pictures on campus are fairly infrequent, Princeton is present in a number of notable productions. The first of these was most likely "I.Q.," soon followed by scenes from "Scent of a Woman," "One True Thing," "A Beautiful Mind," and others. Over last Christmas break "One Life to Live" shot four episodes at Rockefeller college.

However, contrary to the rumors, "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" was not filmed on campus —it has been verified and proven.

Princeton's gorgeously stereotypical Ivy-league campus is often home to photo shoots as well. Though these do not usually include major models, they are often for popular magazines and catalogues. A recent few have included Brooks Brothers, Abercrombie and Fitch, Marie Claire, Esquire and Italian Men's Vogue.

In all of these productions, there have been two notable "near misses." The first of these is "The Interpreter," with Nicole Kidman, which was to be shot in the Woodrow Wilson School, though in the end the crew decided to shoot at another location. Second, the office rejected the proposal for a movie called "Stealing Princeton." One might note the eventual release of a moderately-popular film entitled "Stealing Harvard."

Many students may have noticed the unexplainable façade blocking one end of Blair arch in the week before Fall Break. This was a prop for the movie "Annapolis" that was filmed on campus over the break. Students who remained on campus may have caught a glimpse of James Franco, Tyrese or Jordana Brewster. The film has been described as a "coming of age" story about a young man (Franco) from the wrong side of town who gets a second chance, an opportunity to attend the Naval Academy. There was also a scene filmed in the De-Nunzio pool that included the actors jumping off the 10 meter platform, a shot meant to represent Franco's character overcoming inhibition. The façade in Blair arch in fact displayed a memorial wall that was to be visited by Franco's character upon a return to the academy years later. While "Annapolis" is clearly still in the works, it should give more than a few recognizable glimpses of home when it is released.

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Other celebrities and notable media events on campus have included Cindy Crawford on MTV's House of Style in 1999, Oprah, NYPD Blue's Andre Brower narrating for a documentary and from time to time ESPN is on campus filming NCAA segments.

Such media activity on our campus might serve as a reminder of how celebrated Princeton University is. With such an attractive public face, who knows what celebrity students might see brooding in front of camera crews next week? Quirk has also requested that any student interested in assisting with these media projects contact him. Photo shoots are traditionally more relaxed than filming, however Quirk said that the student would have a chance of being in front of the camera if he or she assisted with a film production. If any student is interested or has any questions about the opportunity, Quirk can be reached at tomquirk@princeton.edu, or (609) 258-3901.