Hopkins goes Hollywood

As the cameras started rolling at Johns Hopkins University Monday, students gathered on the Wyman quad, laughing, taking pictures and struggling to catch a glimpse of celebrities.

“We were looking for Justin Timberlake, but I don’t think he’s here,” Sophie Grossman, a Hopkins freshman, said.

The gold and sable of the Hopkins campus turned a shade of crimson as Hollywood magic turned the Baltimore institution into Harvard.

“The Social Network,” a film written by Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) and directed by David Fincher (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), tells the story behind the creation of popular social-networking Web site Facebook. The filmmakers used the Hopkins campus as a stand-in on Monday and Tuesday in place of Harvard University, which does not allow commercial filming. Most of the movie is being shot in Boston and Silicon Valley.

The film stars Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake. Timberlake was not in the scenes shooting in Baltimore, so he was not in town, much to some fans’ dismay.

According to Tracey Reeves, director of Hopkins’ office of news and information, the school was contacted by the filmmakers through the Maryland Film Office.

“They liked what they saw and proceeded to work with us to pinpoint areas of the campus to use in the film,” she said in an e-mail.

Reeves said the filming acts as a shot in the arm for not just Hopkins and the community, but also the local film industry.

“For Hopkins, the filming will once again give the University a chance to showcase its wonderful grounds and architecture. And the opportunity for students to work on the film, or possibly [be] in the movie, will only benefit their overall Johns Hopkins experience,” she said.

Students gathered Monday afternoon to watch filming in front of Shaffer Hall. Filming took place at night outside academic and residential buildings.

Jason Hoffman, a senior history major who minors in film, took the opportunity to get a real-life lesson, but only from afar.

“I get to see what equipment they use and stuff like that,” he said.

Grossman said she spent more than 45 minutes watching across from Shaffer Hall as the crew filmed a scene.

“It’s interesting to watch the process. I’ve never seen a movie be filmed before,” she said.

Some students were bitter about Hopkins doubling for an Ivy League rival, as were Harvard students about the movie not using their campus.

According to Jacob Rabadi , a Hopkins freshman bio-medical engineering major, Facebook groups sprouted up about the conflict.

“It was very hilarious to see that so many students enjoy the fact that we were chosen over Harvard, but it may not be due to the fact that Johns Hopkins was preferable,” he said.

Classes were not disrupted by the filming, according to students, thanks to alternate entrances for students and filming taking place mostly at night.

 

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