If you were to ask five different people what Brooklyn Fire Proof (BFP) is, you may get six or seven different answers. And likely, each of the answers would be correct.
Brooklyn Fire Proof Workspaces provides studio rentals to artists and other creative types; Brooklyn Fire Proof Creative curates art and acts as a conduit for artists in the buildings; Brooklyn Fire Proof Stages helps films and television shows both big and small; and yes, Brooklyn Fire Proof East was a cafe on Ingraham Street that closed some time ago to be replaced by Terra Firma.
The sheer amount of activity in those buildings is nearly overwhelming. When the studios’ stage manager, Kenneth Filmer, gave me a tour of the facilities, it seemed that every door he opened and hallway he led me down revealed people working: someone cleaning paint equipment, someone setting up lunch for a film crew, someone speeding out or into the building, and countless members of film crews building, painting, and looking generally harried.
Filmer says that “in a typical week at Brooklyn Fire Proof, we’re seeing between 100 and 300 distinct crew people converging in Bushwick to work.” And as the only facility in the neighborhood that qualifies for the New York State Film Tax Credit Program, the studios see a lot of action.
Even a partial list of films, television shows, music videos, and miscellaneous projects is impressive and includes features such as “Sydney Hall” and “The Big Sick” which premiered at Sundance, music videos for Carly Rae Jepsen and The Wild Wild, and television shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “Jon Glaser Loves Gear.”
And as production season ramps up yet again, he says BFP plans “to have additional sound stage space available before too long—although there’s no timeline for that at this point—as well as some other film and art-related expansions that are much closer that we aren’t ready to announce yet.”
Additionally, Filmer plans on continuing the tradition of screenings, which started with the Summer Screening Series last summer in Terra Firma’s outdoor space, but no word yet on what he’ll be programming and when.
Check out more behind the scenes photos of film projects below:
If you’re ever on the corner of Porter Avenue and Ingraham Street, look a little closer. You may catch a glimpse of all that happens behind heavy studio doors.
Featured image Isabella Rossellini in “Green Porno” courtesy of Brooklyn Fire Proof Stages.