Molly's World in Uptown Girls

From the earliest stages of the project, Yakin and the producers always wanted Uptown Girls to feature New York City in its most glittering version of itself - lush, bright, exciting, and one of the most captivating places on earth. They were therefore thrilled to land famed cinematographer Michael Ballhaus to photograph the film. Ballhaus has brought New York City to the screen on many occasions, having collaborated with directors like Martin Scorcese and Mike Nichols on such films as Goodfellas, Working Girl, Sleepers, The Age of Innocence and Gangs of New York. Stevens says, "It's great to be able to shoot in New York City with a guy who has made New York look better than almost anybody."

The idea of using the camera in a creative and playful way was one of the most appealing things about making his first comedy. "For me, this was like an exercise," says Yakin. "I wanted to teach myself camera movement in a way I had never done before, and I tried to go for an elegant, fluid, flowing style."

For production designer Kalina Ivanov, another tool in creating the Uptown Girls world was the use of color. "My concept was that whenever Molly showed up anywhere, she brought color with her," says Ivanov. "The rest of the characters are in a very muted, controlled palette. Molly's world is the true color in the movie."

Ivanov and Yakin also used geography and architecture to further express the characters. They created a visual contrast between Molly and Ray by setting them in opposing New York City neighborhoods - the East side versus the West side. Ray's apartment is on Fifth Avenue, and the architecture is very straight - all corners and rectangles. "Very much like Ray's character," says Ivanov, "with a sense of formality about it."

For Molly, circular patterns were created to compliment the flowing camera movement. "She is such a free spirit that you want the architecture to support that," notes Ivanov. The perfect perch for Molly's palace of an apartment was inspired by the dome of a famous West side building, the Ansonia. The Ansonia was photographed as the exterior of Molly's apartment building, but the interior of Molly's apartment was a set built at Silvercup Studios in Queens.

For the décor of each character's home, Ivanov first reflected upon who would have been in charge of decorating each space. "You have to imagine who these people are in order to approach it and pick the furniture," she says. "What are their resources? Where would they shop?"

In the Schleine apartment, Roma's controlling yet status-conscious presence is felt. Although the architecture is that of an old Upper East Side building, the décor is sleek and very contemporary, in muted colors, with shiny surfaces added for a splash of rock and roll. Says Ivanov, "It all looks like she hired an interior decorator and an architect, and no expense was spared. Roma is the type who would have her apartment photographed for an interior design magazine. There is nothing out of place. She would have fresh cut flowers everyday, perfectly arranged. It's not an apartment where you feel you can kick off your shoes. I mean, she has a white couch," she laughs.

Conversely, Molly Gunn's apartment is a bit of a grown up doll house, evoking both her creative parents and her prolonged childhood. Because Molly's parents were rockers, Ivanov imagined them having huge parties in the apartment. "You know, people fell asleep on the floor, and when you woke up, there were ten people still asleep in the living room," she says. The apartment is also a bit of a period piece, because it remains how the parents originally decorated it, probably in the eighties, only now it's faded and looks as if Molly never has anyone in to clean it up.

In decorating Molly's place, there are some rock and roll staples, like shag carpet and a big round bed in the old bedroom. The flea market and shabby-chic pieces are thrown together with designer items for a whimsical feel. William Morris wallpaper is paired with patterns that are inspired by Indian architecture, star motifs adorn the ceilings and floors, and light boxes add glimmer to the "shrine" of Tommy Gunn's rock star talismans.

In keeping with the riches to rags arc of the story, design-wise Molly journeys from this palace into smaller spaces throughout the film. "She begins in this magical world," muses Ivanov, "until, by the end, she is in this tiny place with a Murphy bed and barely a kitchen. But she is so much happier. It is no longer about her environment, but her inner happiness."

Uptown Girls was filmed entirely in New York. Boaz Yakin, a native New Yorker, had done other films about New York, filmed in New York, but they were darker. He was drawn to Uptown Girls in part for the opportunity and fun to do a film that showed the side of New York that is "a beautiful, charming jewel of a place." He also had strong feelings that it would be great to shoot something in New York that really celebrated its beauty.

Throughout a hot summer of 2002, from July 1st through September 13th, the crew filmed in such quintessential New York City spots as Bow Bridge and Sheep Meadow in Central Park, the Upper East and West sides, the exterior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Coney Island amusement park, Henri Bendel's department store, Stingy Lulu's diner in the East Village, Williamsburg, Brooklyn and night clubs Manray, Centrofly and The Tunnel. The exteriors were complimented by sets at Silvercup Studios in Queens.

The director and producers felt very passionately about filming in "the City." Producer Penotti echoes the whole team's sentiments when he says, "New York is like a character in the film - this is a love letter to New York City." There simply was no substitute for the ambience provided by a New York location shoot.

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