Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by James Mangold, ‘A Complete Unknown’ is a biographical drama movie based on the life and career of the iconic musician, Bob Dylan. When a 19-year-old relocates to the Big Apple with his guitar and hopes of making it big as a singer, he makes new connections with several music icons while he rises up the ranks in the music industry through his talents. Led by the stellar performance from Timothée Chalamet, the musical film also features Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Fogler, Norbert Leo Butz, and Scoot McNairy. Based on ‘Dylan Goes Electric!’ written by Elijah Wald, the movie is set mainly in 1960s New York City, taking the audience back in time through the realistic representation of the city.
A Complete Unknown Filming Locations
‘A Complete Unknown’ was primarily filmed across New Jersey, especially Hudson County, Essex County, and several other locations. The biopic was also reportedly shot in New York City, New York. The original plan was to begin shooting in August 2023, but it was postponed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Finally, after several delays, the principal photography got underway in March 2024 and wrapped up by late June of the same year. Due to unfavorable reviews at first, the filming unit reunited for some reshoots in August 2024. According to reports, Timothee Chalamet immersed himself in the role, switching off his phone for three months and even cutting off contact with friends or visitors on set. He was also referred to as “Bob” on set by the director.
Hudson County, New Jersey
The filming unit of ‘A Complete Unknown’ took over Jersey City, the county seat of Hudson County. Several real-life establishments in the city were transformed into film sets based in the 1960s. For instance, Snapdragon Coffee & Social at 190 Monticello Avenue stood for the Village Coffee House, while Miss America Diner at 322 West Side Avenue doubled as another diner in the movie. Other eateries that served as a filming site are White Mana Diner at 470 Tonnelle Avenue, WÜRSTBAR at 516 Jersey Avenue, Efes Mediterranean Grill Jersey City at 515 Jersey Avenue, and Subia’s Vegan Cafe at 506 Jersey Avenue.
The cast and crew members also took over the premises of the William J. Brennan Courthouse at 583 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, which stood for the Federal courtroom. Meanwhile, a Virile Barbershop was turned into the Folklore Center and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church at 85 Wayne Street became Alan Lomax’s office. Key portions were also taped on Jersey Avenue near Van Vorst Park as the area was redecorated as the 1960s Greenwich Village. In Hudson County, the city of Hoboken also served as a prominent production location for ‘A Complete Unknown.’
They set up camp inside a real apartment in the city to shoot some important indoor scenes set in Bob’s Greenwich Village apartment. Besides that, the production team also shot pivotal sequences across Hoboken, including Moran’s Pub at 501 Garden Street as McCann’s Bar and Restaurant, S&L Dental at 801 Washington Street as Gerde’s Folk City, Columbus Park as the West Village Park, Elks Lodge No. 74 at 1005 Washington Street, and Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield Street as a West Village record shop.
Essex County, New Jersey
For shooting purposes, the filming unit of ‘A Complete Unknown’ also traveled to Essex County, especially in the city of Newark. During the shooting process, the cast and crew members were spotted lensing key scenes in and around Dayton Street Public School at 226 Dayton Street, which served as the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital. Moreover, the 1963 San Francisco concert and 1962 movie theater scenes were shot in the Newark Symphony Hall. The township of Belleville also hosted the production of the Bob Dylan biopic.
Since Bob Dylan used to spend most of his days inside his Greenwich Village flat during the early part of his career, the production team worked hard on recreating the flat and making it appear as similar to his real-life flat as possible. By taking a look at nearly 200 photos of the apartment, they matched the colors of the walls, bedspread, and other pieces of furniture around the house, including ashtrays, a typewriter, a record player, and so on.
Other Locations in New Jersey
Several pivotal sequences for ‘A Complete Unknown’ were also recorded in the city and seaside resort of Cape May. Victorian Motel at 223 Congress Place doubled as Viking Hotel, while the Cape May Ferry Terminal was turned into Rhode Island’s Providence Ferry Terminal. When it comes to the exterior scenes of the Newport Folk Festival, they were shot in Cape May. Production designer Francois Adoury told Conde Nast Traveler, “I had never heard of Cape May before, and it is such a postcard. It feels like nowhere else in New Jersey. In fact, when you go over the bridge, the locals say that you enter a microclimate because it’s kind of on a peninsula—they always have better weather than the rest of the state. It has an island feel, and they’ve preserved so much. It has a tremendous amount of wood Queen Anne architecture and Victorian architecture, and some beautifully preserved hotels and weekend houses.”
The city of Paterson also served as a key filming site for ‘A Complete Unknown’ as the cast and crew members set up camp in and around Uceda English Institute at 111 Ellison Street, Paterson City Council at 155 Market Street, and Board of Health office at 125 Ellison Street. Various other sites across New Jersey were also turned into film sets, including Ritz Theatre & Performing Arts Center at 1148 East Jersey Street in Elizabeth, Bahrs Landing Famous Seafood Restaurant & Marina at 2 Bay Avenue in Highlands, Moby’s Lobster Deck at 2 South Bay Avenue in Highlands, Count Basie Center for the Arts at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, and Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum at 189 Hollow Road in Skillman.
In addition, Echo Lake Park at 1028 Springfield Avenue in Mountainside and Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church at 716 Watchung Avenue in Plainfield also served as important filming destinations for the movie. Moreover, the makers of the film set up camp in several other sites across New Jersey, such as Passaic, Blairstown, and Kinnelon. As per reports, they also traveled to New York City, supposedly to tape some exterior scenes or establishing shots of the city.
Los Angeles, California
In order to incorporate some of the additional shots during the reshoot in August 2024, the production team of ‘A Complete Unknown’ was spotted recording multiple scenes in Los Angeles, situated in Southern California. Being the home to the Hollywood industry, LA has hosted the production of many film and TV projects over the years, including ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ and ‘The Offer.’
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