Collecticon.org recently reported that Transformers 3 production will close Chicago's Magnificent Mile for three days (after business hours) as they film footage in the area. The site had also previously reported the productions intention of using the area for this film.
Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, also known as “The Magnificent Mile”, will be closed to foot and vehicular traffic on July 15th at 8 PM through July 19th at 5 AM for commencement of filming for Transformers 3. There will be lots of explosions and crashing cars during this time. The general public will not be allowed to enter the area directly surrounding Michigan Avenue and the filming is expected to be intense. Businesses along Michigan Avenue are currently receiving information regarding the filming schedule. This will in effect close down the busiest shopping district in Chicago for 3 & 1/2 full days! Security is expected to be very tight.
UPDATE-- A recent article from the Chicago Sun Times discusses Transformers 3 impending invasion of the city starting from July 10th to August 19th. According to the article, the six week shoot is expected to "pump $20 million into the local economy and create 200 jobs, including 10 internships for inner-city students."
“You’re gonna see a little bit of mayhem. You know, I mean it wouldn’t be ‘Transformers’ without it,” Di Bonaventura said. “Hopefully, it’ll be fun. What we find is, people really end up enjoying the spectacle of what we’re doing.”
[Mayor] Daley said a certain degree of mayhem is fine with him so long as “safety comes first. . . . They’re very conscious of that. You don’t want to say where you can go, where you can’t go. They replace everything. They don’t destroy buildings,” he said. “This is all about creativity. They have to figure out their audiences. . . . Younger people are attached to this.”
Seventeen-year-old Montel Williams certainly is. A student at North Lawndale College Prep, he’s one of the film-loving Chicago Public School students lucky enough to be hired as an intern for the filming. “I have a passion for film. It’s in my heart deeply. . . . I’m ready for hands-on,” Williams said. “This is my career. I’m looking for anything out there that’s gonna benefit me and my career.”
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