At the Heart of Brooklyn, But Very Much 'Fringe' Territory

Brooklyn College may be situated smack in the center of New York City's largest borough but apparently it also resides deep in the heart of "Fringe" territory.

"Fringe," a television series that made its debut on the Fox network at the start of the current fall season, has been compared favorably to the "X-Files." It is produced by the same production company that created the shows "Alias" and "Lost," assuring its cinematic pedigree.

But "Fringe" is not the first or only program to make use of the Brooklyn College campus. According to Kevin Carmine, of Vice President for Finance and Administration Steve Little's office, "Gossip Girl," "Canterbury Tales" and "Law and Order," as well as several other feature film productions have shot here.

"The trick is to try to make the experience good for the College and good for the filmmakers," noted Carmine. "Filmmakers say we have done just that."

"The administration at the College could not have been more welcoming," enthused Lynn Powers, location manager for the TV series. "They made everything very easy for us and were very accommodating."

Powers, a veteran of nearly 15 years in the television industry, was the person responsible for negotiating a weeklong production deal with the College. It included a complete day of shooting at several locations around campus as well as several days of setup and breakdown before and after actual filming over Yom Kippur.

"Esthetically, the Brooklyn College campus is beautiful," she added. "Much of the show is set in and around Boston and your campus looks a lot like Harvard."

Said Powers: "This was our first time working at the College and we didn't get the chance to make use of the beauty because all our shooting was done in a basement.

"But we'll be back," she promised.