'The Next Spielberg' drops in this exclusive eyewitness report from the set of the new "War of the Worlds" adaptation currently shooting in and around the US North East: "Friday morning (Nov. 19) I drove up to Bayonne to visit the set of The War Of The Worlds at Kennedy Blvd. and 1st Street. The morning got off to a slow start, with a bunch of extras running from aliens. At first I was watching from a distance, as Spielberg's security closes off a great portion of the set. Then I began speaking to a police officer, telling him my story about why I was there and who Spielberg was to me. He told me to come back after lunch and he would see what he could do for me to try and get me deeper onto the set and possibly meet Spielberg. So I walked around looking for better viewing areas.
Security was tight on the streets, so I actually ended up going through some backyards to get a closer look. As I was hanging out by a fence trying to get a glimpse at the action, Dakota Fanning walked right past me. A little time goes by and everybody went on lunch break. So I continued to walk around. I ended up around the park under the Bayonne Bridge, and I spoke to a different cop who informed me that the last day of shooting was in fact Friday the 19th, and the signs on the street poles helped confirm that.
From where I was standing, I could see a mechanic taking off the anti-lock brakes on the run down van that Tom Cruise's character drives. The purpose of this was to allow the blue-ish van to skid along the street after Ray (the name of Tom's character in the film) drives off. After walking past a bunch of security guards (honestly, I don't know how they didn't see me, or maybe they just didn't care), I ended up parking myself approximately 10 feet away from Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, and the camera. By the time I realized it was actually Steven Spielberg, the head of security had asked me to leave, but not before I allowed Spielberg to know that I recognized him and he smiled back at me. It sucks that I didn't get to shake his hand and formally meet him, but for now, I'll settle for a smile.
And one last thing...about the gas station blowing up...the Port Authority wouldn't allow it due to the construction on the bridge and the fuel lines that ran underneath the fields, therefore they are completely doing it digitally, not one bit of it will explode in reality".
Thanks to 'TNS'.
