Movie set chaos

Lights, Camera...BANG!
The events that you are about to hear take place about 2 and a half years ago while I was working on the set of a motion picture named RENT, in San Francisco, California. We were filming on 6th and Market Streets. For all those not familiar with these streets, let me explain. Aside from rich tourists from around the world taking a wrong turn from Union Square (probably looking for Macy's) most of market street is flooded with homeless, gang banger's, strip clubs, drug dealers, you name it, basically anything any normal citizen would despise of. (Besides the strip clubs of course, hah) The Movie set was HUGE, this was a high budget film. They were trying to recreate San Francisco streets to mimic New York, in which the film was supposed to take place. The set was huge, it stretched over 2 oversized blocks on 6th street, involved massive amounts of fake snow, and a pyro technic show beyond most shows you would see on the 4th of july. My job, as well as Eddie's, was to work with the cops to keep cars off the street, and keep the slum from disturbing the set. This is normally a very easy task, but while working on Market street, and especially 6th street, the drug dealers and prostitutes don't like their corner work being disturbed. Worst of all, filming took place at night, which is prime time for these prized citizens to start their nightly prowl. The first event took place in a back ally near the set. I was with an officer who was talking to a drunk homeless man that was harassing crew members. The officer was first asking the man nicely to please move along, and requested he not return to the set. The man was talking to the officer, but making little sense, it sounded something similar to listening to Bill Cosby speak. "fuk sluhni shit liquor no fushit turt go". Just before the officer grew impatient, and after threatening to bring the drunk downtown, a gang banger approached the officer and the drunk homeless man, and asked the officer if he wanted him to "bring him down". The officer agreed, thinking he meant bring him to the precinct, and laughed it off thinking it was a joke. At that moment the large gang banger grabbed the drunk man by the arms, lifted him up, and threw him extremely hard, onto the pavement. The officer, myself, and a few other people were shocked, as we couldn't believe what just happened. The officer told the gang banger to leave. The drunk was barely moving. About a half hour later the drunk homeless man finally rose up, still in extreme pain, and stumbled off. After dinner, me and a few officers were watching the road closure on one end of the set, talking about random bull shit, laughing at the scum learking in the shadows. Sitting there, we suddenly hear tires screeching, which is a normal occurrence in San Francisco. Just as our heads turn, expecting to see nothing exciting, we see a car hit a man on a bicycle. The man was propelled at least 6 feet into the air and fell with a bone crunching smash to the pavement. Apparently 3 motorcycle officers were not enough to keep this car sticking around, because it sped off just as quickly and swiftly as it hit the man on the bike. Two officers grabbed their helmets, and sped off after the vehicle. While one stayed back with me. We listened on the radio as they chased down the car for 20 minutes and arrested the culprit. At about 4-am, as if these events as well as witnessing countless drug deals and business men buying hookers, gang banger's buying hookers, drug dealers buying hookers, hookers and buisness men buying drugs, and hell, even hookers buying hookers. What would that even be classified as? Hooker hookup? Damn, that would be a good TV show, "Hooker Hookup's". Back on track, as if that were not enough to keep me cautious and entertained, something would happen that topped the night off. As I grow tired, I head back to my truck for a 10 minute sit down rest with a Red-Bull. About 4 minutes in, I hear and see 6 - 8 continuous gun shots rain from a vehicle and hit a parked rival gang car on the next street. The gang bangers didn't notice the cop's sitting just one block down at the roadblock, and sped right towards them, AND ME. I quickly jumped out of my truck and hunched down near the hood for cover, I watched the officers run into the middle of the street with their guns drawn only feet from the speeding car yelling for it to stop, but the car sped by. The cops chose not to shoot because the gang bangers didn't point a gun at the officers while screeching by. The cops once again, hopped onto their bikes and sped off after the car. After a good half hour chase, the officers finally stopped the car only one block from where the shooting took place. The 3 men in the car were arrested, as well as the female shooter, yes, female.

Here is a picture from the movie of the scene filmed that night. If people only knew that the off camera events were more exciting than the movie....if they only knew. Thanks to me, now you do. Gnarly.