Silvercup Studios is the largest film and television production facility in New York City. The studio is located in Long Island City, Queens, with another facility in the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx. The studio complex has been operating since 1983 in the former Silvercup Bakery building. It is owned and operated by brothers Alan and Stuart Suna.
History
During its early years the facility was used mostly for the filming of music videos and commercials, although occasionally scenes for motion pictures were shot there, including Highlander and Garbo Talks. Norman Leigh, well known among New York City filmmakers for his electrical/gaffing work on the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, oversaw the studio during its first few years. Over the years, use of the studio's space has shifted toward the production of television series.
Productions
Silvercup was the primary shooting facility for ABC's Hope & Faith, and HBO's Sex and the City and The Sopranos. Other film and television productions that have made use of the studio include:
The sign was shown in Terms of Endearment. The building also serves as a location for magazine photo shoots and music video productions. In Spring 2011, the alternative rock band Just Visiting's "Life In A Shoebox" music video featured the band playing on the Silvercup rooftop, and had a shot of the iconic sign. In Fall 2007, an American Express TV commercial starring Tina Fey featured shots of the outside and inside of the studio. The facility can be seen from the New York City Subway's west of the Queensboro Plaza station, and is also visible from the Queensboro Bridge to and from Manhattan. It is also the location of part of the final battle in Highlander, with the character "The Kurgan" destroying the iconic sign during the battle. The studio building is seen multiple times throughout the TV series Friends as the location where Days of Our Lives is shot, although the actual show is filmed in Los Angeles. Shots taped at the foot of the rear of the sign appeared in WNBC-TV's 1992 "Four New York" image campaign. Silvercup has a second studio complex, also in Long Island City. and opened a third location in the Bronx in 2016. The sign was featured several times in episodes of Disney's Gargoyles. in particular it was the scene of several fights and battles.
