Hollywood comes to Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – Ah, the magic of Hollywood. What else could produce a moonlighted sea and attract an all-ages crowd of onlookers to a suburban street corner on a rainy Wednesday night?”They are so flexible, they can make major adjustments to a scene in a moment even with all this equipment, all these people involved,” said Unit Publicist Scott Levine. “They can pretty much handle anything.”And there was certainly something going on at Atlantic Avenue, as the Mark Wahlberg comedy “Ted” began filming at an oceanfront house at the Swampscott and Marblehead line Wednesday evening.Nick Phillips and Toby Sanders said they came right after school to the beach, and pointed out the film’s star Mark Wahlberg as they watched the crew set up the scene in the home’s living room, which overlooks the beach through large plate-glass windows.”They can see us, because he waved,” the two boys reported proudly. “We tried to take video.”Levine said that the scene being filmed involves a “very classy” party that the main characters attend. But most of the work during the afternoon and evening, he explained, involved setting up the equipment and preparing the set. Lighted lanterns the size of exercise balls were placed along the property’s perimeter, while massive stadium lights illuminated the property’s landscaping, the beach and waves, and even neighboring houses.Inside the house, cameras and studio lights were moved about, followed by extras and stand-ins who were given precise instructions on where to stand to ensure that the light fell correctly and the camera wouldn’t capture any unflattering angle. Meanwhile, the main actors went to dinner, makeup and wardrobe, Levine said, and otherwise prepared to actually film the scene.But that wasn’t likely to happen anytime quickly. Those on set had a shift that ended at 7 a.m. Thursday, Levine said, and extras were still arriving in passenger vans as of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night. None of the major players – Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane or Mila Kunis – had returned to the set after leaving around 7:30 p.m.But that didn’t seem to dampen the rain-soaked onlookers.Abi Smith climbed the seawall to watch the cameras being set up in the house.Even though she said she didn’t know much about the movie, she said that she had wanted to come and catch a glimpse of the movie stars.”Oh, I love ‘Family Guy,'” she exclaimed when she heard that the movie was directed by that show’s creator.She said that she remembered catering an event at the house and that it was certainly glamorous enough for movie stars.”It has an indoor pool – it’s really nice,” she said.Abby Price waited across the street for her glimpse of a movie star.”I’ve always wanted to meet somebody famous,” she said. “We have such a small town though, I never thought they’d come to Swampscott. When I heard they were coming, I thought they should come to my house, we live right down the street.”Her mother Dawn was less intrigued by the idea.”I’m only here because I have a teenage daughter,” Dawn Price said. “I was hoping to spend the night at home, dry.”