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Washington Square Arch

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The Washington Square Arch is a marble triumphal arch in Greenwich Village's Washington Square Park in Manhattan at the southern terminus of 5th Avenue.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters II[]

On New Years Eve, 1989, the Washington Square Ghost manifested at the Washington Square Arch. Bystanders and drivers nearby ran away in the opposite direction of the arch. The ghost walked through the arch and growled at everyone.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]

One night in the summer of 2024, Phoebe Spengler went to Washington Square Park and set up chess on a table. The opposing pieces moved on their own. Melody manifested to Phoebe's disappointment. Melody was weirded out by Phoebe not running away like most people. Phoebe offered to leave. They continued playing. Phoebe complimented her flames. Melody thanked her and explained she turned alive in a horrible tenement fire. Phoebe contended she was lucky she was not burnt to a crisp. Melody clarified she died before her face melted off. Phoebe thought that was a bonus. Melody declared checkmate, to Phoebe's surprise. Melody pointed out she had a long time to practice. Phoebe reset the board. They revealed their names to each other. Phoebe told her hers was a cool name. Melody thanked her and remarked she inherited it then took out a Melody Diner matchbox. Phoebe explained she was being sarcastic. Melody admitted she kinda liked her. They played another round. Phoebe asked what was the worst part of being a ghost. Melody replied it was being 16 years old for an eternity unless she finished her uncompleted business. Phoebe asked what the best part was. Melody replied "doing this." Phoebe looked up and Melody was gone. Two nights later, Phoebe returned to Washington Square Park after she sneaked out of the Firehouse. Melody appeared behind her and Phoebe smiled.

Secondary Canon History[]

IDW Comics[]

About two days after Winston Zeddemore was hired by the Ghostbusters, they went out on a call to the Excelsior State University. Winston was the first to encounter the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe transmogrified into several ravens and flew to nearby Washington Square Park. Egon confirmed the ghost's signal left the building but it was still nearby. Civilians were chased away then the ravens began pecking at the ground. They awakened a slumbering Black Cat Ghost then left the park. Ray noticed Poe took off. Peter quipped that was just like him but he got no response. He asked if he was the only one who read his biography. Egon countered he read the notes given to him and emphasized the new ghost was the bigger problem. Winston was surprised it was so big. Egon noted this manifestation was the kind of thing that could happen on the site of a former graveyard. He mused he would include it in an employee manual if they ever wrote one. He then asked Winston if he was okay to continue because the job wasn't going to get any easier.

Winston admitted he was afraid but stated if you ain't afraid of a dangerous situation, you're not taking it seriously enough. Winston snagged the ghost on his first try but the others forgot to join in. The ghost was free enough to stomp at them. All four barely dodged in time. Winston helped Egon up while Peter and Ray wrangled the ghost. Peter pardoned Egon for the error and noted they were all still learning. Egon asked Winston if he knew how to use a Trap. Winston replied he only knew how to empty them. Egon instructed him on the spot and Winston trapped the ghost. Egon remembered at the last second and yelled not to look in the Trap. It was too late. Winston rubbed his yes. Peter was amused and mentioned Egon once did the same thing. Egon chided him. Ray held up the Trap and congratulated Winston on completing his first real bust. Winston was surprised that was it. Ray speculated if it hadn't just gotten up, they would have had a real time trying to put it down. He emphasized the important thing was he hung in there. Winston couldn't believe he trapped Poe. Peter corrected him and stated Poe flew off but since he was gone, they did their job of clearing the university. Winston recalled his earlier advice and added no haggling. Peter noted he learned fast.

Ray Stantz oversaw one of three teams of 101 Cadets at the Washington Square Arch. He thanked them for coming on very short notice then instructed them to follow the maps and Ecto Goggles and neutralize the Ley Lines with positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime. Peter Venkman showed up in Ecto-1 to pick up Ray and announced to the 31 cadets they were all getting 10% coupons for their next 101 experience good till the end of the year. While Zoe Zawadzki and Evan Torres squabbled, Garrett Parker started spraying slime.

Behind the Scenes[]

A crew from Apogee filmed at the arch after principal photography wrapped. A call was put out by Apogee for 300 extras. Filming at Washington Square Park took place on the last day of filming, March 30, 1989.[1] At the Washington Square shoot at 5 am, about 750 people had shown up in anticipation of being on Ghostbusters II. For the second take, the number of extras increased to 1200. By the third take, there were 2000 to 3000 people. Crew set up a Vistavision camera in the middle of scene and had the extras come out from three different streets and the Washington Square Arch screaming. Some started climbing over cabs and running into the crew. Crew had to block extras from running right into the camera.[2][3] An extra from the Washington Square Park scene named Jody Oliver filed a lawsuit in 1991 over being trampled during filming. The suit was dismissed in 1998.[4]

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • The first choice for the Shandor building was 1 Fifth Avenue because it was felt the Washington Square Arch would have been a suitable landmark for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to walk past. Plans were dropped when the co-op committee for the building voted against its use in the film, according to Michael Gross.[5]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • In the shot of people fleeing from Washington Square on the far left, one of the then teenage extras was the co-director of the Ghostbusters (Untitled Animated Movie), Chris Prynoski.[6]
  • At the 1:19:36 mark of the movie "Mars Attack," people are scrambling as the Martians attack. The shot right before ships attack Big Ben and Parliament is stock footage of a crowd running at Washington Square Park filmed for Ghostbusters II.
  • At the start of the movie "Against the Dark," the scene of Washington Square citizens running away is also reused.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trivia[]

  • The chess scene was filmed at Russell Square in London.[7]
  • Phoebe meeting a ghost through a chess board mirrors how she met Egon in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
  • The chess gag was done with cables and radio-controlled servos.[8]
  • Melody's flames was a mixture of brandy and hand sanitizer that was spread all over a dummy then lit. The VFX team filmed it. The visual effects house superimposed it onto Emily Alyn Lind in the scene.[9]
  • Washington Square Park was recreated using Lidar scans and photogrammetry. The matte painting team blended in blue screen plates with film tiles of cars in motion, photographs, and moving lights. Additional layers like the park bench and foliage provided an additional layer. The background by Melody was pre-treated with heat distortion and slightly desaturated and tinted. Melody was added in then color corrections were done. The team then worked on Melody's final look in the scene. Lastly, Phoebe and a blend of computer generated and practical chess pieces were composited on top.[10]

Ghostbusters III: Hellbent Trivia[]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • On the Regular Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #2, Washington Square Arch is noted on the map.
  • On page 16 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Egon mentions the ghost's manifestation happens on the site of a former graveyard. Washington Square Park is said to have been a potter's field in 1797 until the land was turned into military park grounds in 1826.

See also[]

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]

Secondary Canon Appearances[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 125. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Peter Giuliano will never forget the final day of New York City location shooting on March 30 because it was almost literally an entire day; the crew worked for twenty- two hours straight. They were also almost trampled by out-of-control extras."
  2. ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 33. Cinefex, USA. Line reads: "Both the theater ghost and the Washington Square ghost featured background material shot by Apogee while they were in New York to film the ghost train plates. Like the ILM crew that had shot plates earlier in production, the Apogee team encountered the incredible street-level popularity of the Ghostbusters."
  3. ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Ghostbusters Revisited, Cinefex magazine #40, page 33. Cinefex, USA. Peter Donen says: "We shot late at night, and while the call had gone our for about three hundred extras, somehow word got out that Ghostbusters was shooting and tow to three thousand people showed up. It was five in the morning in Washington Square and it was just pandemonium. The first take had about seven hundred and fifty people, the second had twelve hundred, and by the time we got to the third take there were thousands! Our Vistavision camera was set up in the middle of the scene and we had people flooding in from three different streets and underneath the arch. On cue, they all started screaming. Some climbed over cabs and others ran through traffic--and all of them ran right at us! At one point we had to jump in front of the camera to block them. It was like a riot. It was exactly as if King Kong were running rampant through New York and thousands of people were fleeing in terror."
  4. ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 140-141. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Columbia Pictures was met with another Ghostbusters II lawsuit in 1991 when an extra from the movie named Jody Oliver demanded a $1 million judgment over injuries sustained when she was trampled during the crowd scenes filmed at Washington Square Park. Oliver explained that "careless, reckless and negligent" behavior on the part of the filmmakers led to "riotous and unruly conditions" that left her "incapacitated from her employment and incapacitated from the normal pursuits of life." Among the injuries Oliver claimed were multiple body contusions, a sprained cervical spine, and a host of joint and ligament maladies. Columbia denied any wrongdoing and said Oliver "knew the hazards … and inherent risks" of appearing as an extra; "such risks were assumed and accepted by her in performing and engaging in said activities." The case dragged on for years until it was finally dismissed in 1998."
  5. ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 41 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Michael Gross says: "Plans to use the 1 Fifth Avenue building progressed to the point of designing preliminary rooftop sets for it, but were dropped when the co-op committee for the building voted against its use in the film."
  6. ↑ chrisprynoski Tweet 6/11/2022 Chris Prynoski says: "I was in Ghostbusters 2 when I was a teenager. I was hanging out in Washington Square Park in NY & they asked us if we wanted to be extras. They didn't have to ask twice. When I interviewed to direct on the Ghostbusters animated feature, the deck I presented included this image."
  7. ↑ Universal Extras "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" retrieved 4/21/2024
  8. ↑ Spook Central "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Production Notes" 3/22/2024 Line reads: "Van Der Pool's team pulled it off with a combination of cables and radio-controlled servos."
  9. ↑ Spook Central "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Production Notes" 3/22/2024 Line reads: "Perhaps inspired by the annual tradition of igniting the brandy-soaked cake, Van Der Pool created a mix of brandy and hand sanitizer that he could spread over a dummy. "We lit that and up it went into great ghostly flames," Van Der Pool continues. "The VFX team then shot that and gave it to the visual effects house, and they superimposed that onto the actress playing Melody"."
  10. ↑ Sony Pictures Imageworks – VFX "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | SIGGRAPH 2024 Production Session" 18:00-19:50 10/2/2024 Ben Aguillon says: "For the chess match, since it was shot against a blue screen in London, we ended up recreating Washington Square Park from lidar scans and photogrammetry. Our matte painting team led by Andrew Bain who's joining us here today. He'll share with us a little bit later. They did a great job putting everything together. They blended film tiles of car motion, photographs, moving lights, and other features to keep the background alive. They also provided additional layers like the bench and foliage on 3D cards to help with parallax during camera moves and then our comp team jumped in and pre-treated the background with heat distortion from the effect sim and slightly desaturated and tinted the area behind Melody then Melody was extracted from the blue screen plate, color corrections from the temp plate were added with slight adjustments to compensate for background changes and to keep continuity. A little bit of heat distortion was applied to her. Not too much. Mostly around her edges. And then an ethereal treatment was added, driven by the flame sim and brightness changes in the actor's plate which created those elongated highlights. A smoke pass was added strategically to add or reduce contrast in specific areas. And to finish off her look, the flames were added including occasional warm color accents for contrast. You can see our compers added peachy hues in some of the flames. And finally Phoebe and a blend of CG and practical chess pieces were composited on top."
  11. ↑ Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 160. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Their journey to Lucifer Towers takes them through other exaggerated versions of famous New York locales, like a Greenwich Village where everyone has comically severe piercings and a Washington Square Park overrun with hell dogs."


Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Behind The Scenes Images[]

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