Street chase highlights first day of 'Bourne' shooting

MANILA, Philippines - The shooting for the upcoming action-thriller “The Bourne Legacy” started yesterday in the busy streets of Manila.

The Manila Police District (MPD) as well as personnel of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had their hands full containing the thousands of people who waited since early morning for the shooting to start.

Some spectators waited since Tuesday night to see actors Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) and Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardener,” “The Mummy,” “Enemy at the Gates”) to appear on the set as the production crew arrived and started setting up equipment and props for the blockbuster movie.

Weisz plays opposite Renner, who takes the lead role from Matt Damon in the movie about the workings of a shadowy Central Intelligence Agency unit that trains super spies.

The shooting was centered at Leveriza street in San Andres district where the supposed chase scene stretched to Quirino Avenue up to San Andres Street.

The area covering the first day of shooting was literally filled with people, not least foreign tourists who wanted to get a glimpse of the stars.

No crewmembers, local or foreign, were allowed to give out information as to the plans or scenes that would be shot in Manila.

The two main actors were also hidden from press photographers and cameramen, as local crewmembers repeatedly said, “No interviews, photos or video are allowed.”

The local production crew also secured the location shoot areas.

Weisz and Renner could also not be seen anywhere from where the members of the media had been waiting since early morning.

But some crewmembers revealed the actors were already in the area shooting.

Some residents said they were awakened when the film crew arrived as early as 2 a.m. and started to set up props for filming and stunts.

Barangay officials led by Rodrigo Catamora said the production crew had spruced up the area by repairing and reinforcing some of the houses to make them look older.

Catamora said the film’s production outfit had started coordinating with them since September.

The roofs of houses where some of the action scenes would be shot were finished last month.

Catamora said some 400 people were hired as extras.

He said the production crew explained to him that some scenes would be shot along narrow alleys near the barangay hall.

Several apartment buildings, four- or five-storeys high, were reinforced with steel bars and cables where action scenes would be shot.

Residents could not say what the scene was all about as they were told by the production crew to stay inside their homes as cameras rolled.

Catamora said the rooftop sequences are scheduled for February.

The shooting of the movie started yesterday and would last up to Jan. 15, and would resume on Feb. 19 and Feb. 22 to 25.

The other scenes for the movie will be shot on J. Bocobo St. corner Remedios Circle, on Riverside Road, Real and Sta. Lucia streets in Intramuros, on Jones Bridge and on Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard in Sta. Mesa.

Some scenes will be shot along Ayala Avenue in Makati City, at the Marikina City public market, and at the Navotas City Fish Port.

“The Bourne Legacy” will be shown worldwide on Aug. 3.

Traffic management

The MMDA, with its 120-strong Task Force Bourne, has been ordered to control the crowd and direct traffic rerouting during the 45-day shooting in various parts of Metro Manila.

The Manila District Traffic Enforcement Unit (MDTEU) said portions of Malate district would be closed to vehicular traffic during the filming.

Though the shooting of some scenes will be confined to Leveriza and San Andres streets, traffic will be rerouted around the shooting locations, MDTEU chief Superintendent Reynaldo Nava said.

The stretch of Leveriza from Quirino to San Andres will be closed from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. All vehicles passing Leveriza street will turn right to Quirino Avenue.

Nava said that on Friday and Saturday “stop and go” or traffic enforcer intervention shall be implemented along Leveriza from Quirino to San Andres from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We have to see the situation if closure of the roads will be implemented on those days. It might be possible that human intervention or the direction of traffic enforcers to motorists is simply needed,” Nava said.

Traffic had to be rerouted to allow the trucks loaded with tons of filming equipment to be parked near the areas during the shooting.

An ambulance was also on standby for any accidents that may occur.

MMDA Task Force Bourne commander Senior Superintendent Eduardo Untalan said their primary concern is traffic management during the filming.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the MMDA escorted the trucks of equipment and the crew to Leveriza Street so there would not be any delay. This is from the office of the local production crew in Taguig to San Andres and Leveriza,” Untalan said. “There were about ten trucks.”

Untalan declined to give specifics of the plan, as well as who have entered or exited the areas of filming, and those involved were instructed not to give out details of the movie.

“They give schedules but not ahead of time,” Untalan said.

He said the production would come in at 3 a.m. and yesterday it lasted until 12 midnight.

“This is really important for our country because a task force was even made for this particular filming. This would really help boost the tourism industry in the country. Other countries are even wanting to have this filmed in their own country,” Untalan said.

“We want to ensure that this film ends here without a hitch,” he said.

Untalan said this is the reason why the government is helping out here in order to show the good things in our country.

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the government should check on the progress of the shooting of the movie.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez said he was not certain if the movie would help raise the tourism industry because “it would depend on what kind of film they would produce.”

Pounding on rooftops

Residents said they were excited that it is the first time that their neighborhood was chosen as location for a Hollywood movie.

No one was complaining about being roused from sleep, as long as they experience seeing the Hollywood stars right at their doorstep.

The mood among locals was one of excitement, with fans jostling each other to catch a glimpse of Weisz and Renner as they shot scenes in dark, crowded alleys near a sprawling slum.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a Hollywood actor at arm’s length and in person. My heart is still thumping hard,” said Elmer Rufino, 43, a sailor who had returned home for a vacation.

“I’ve followed the Bourne movies, and now I can tell my shipmates this was shot in my neighborhood,” he said.

Ma. Victoria Jacela said the shooting started right in front of her house.

Jacela said they were requested by the production crew not to open their doors and windows as the shooting began, but she and her family managed to get a glimpse of Weisz and Renner as they peeped through window curtains.

“Mukhang suplada si Rachel. Hindi siya ngumingiti (She seemed like a snob. She wasn’t smiling),” said Jacela of Weisz, as the actress gamely sat outside the door of their house before shooting started.

According to Jacela, in the scene Weisz was shot while buying something at the pharmacy. A group of extras dressed as Manila policemen then arrived and a chase in the alley began.

The scene ended with the arrival of Renner riding a motorcycle. Jacela said she personally saw Renner after he removed his crash helmet.

Ulalo, a resident who rents out her two bedroom apartment to ten young female students, said this is the first time she witnessed in their neighborhood the filming of a movie.

The girls also took out their cameras and started taking photos of the production crew while setting up equipment.

Ulalo said some of the crew rented out some of the apartments near her unit to be used in the filming.

“It was very loud. Like pounding of hammers and walking on the rooftop, right on top of our apartment. We were disturbed. But it’s okay. We are very excited,” she said.

“This is the first time we experienced this. We were advised as early as October that Matt Damon was coming, but this was changed to Jeremy Renner. He’s the star of the movie, we read in the newspapers,” she said.

Ulalo said Renner himself checked out her place.

Indian tourist Cyrus Singh said he heard that the movie Bourne Legacy was being shot in Leveriza, so he visited the place.

“I have some friends here anyway, so I also wanted to see the shooting,” Singh said.

One resident, 44-year old fruit vendor Giose Valdenor, was hired to be an extra for the film.

Valdenor said he would be paid P500 for a bit scene of him pushing a cart laden with watermelons before being hit by speeding car. He said this would be risky but it’s worth it. - Nestor Etolle, Mike Frialde, Evelyn Macairan