A bill before the New York City Council this afternoon would require the timely posting of film and television production locations and times, in a searchable format, to the city's website.
The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment currently requires productions to distribute letters notifying local residents and merchants at least 48 hours in advance of a shoot, an agency spokesperson said in an email. Productions are also obliged to post "No Parking" signs with a contact number 48 hours before a shoot begins, and residents are encouraged to contact the Mayor's Office with their concerns immediately via 311.
But bill sponsors Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer and Council member Ben Kallos think these measures aren't giving residents enough warning. The proposed legislation is one part of Kallos and Brewer's larger effort to make more public data freely available online and the city government more transparent.
“I think most often people know there’s a production because they see a sign saying 'No Parking,’ or when they go to find their car, it’s no longer there because it’s been moved for a film production," Kallos said. (According to the city's website, production companies pay to tow cars the night before or morning of a shoot, and they are expected to keep a list of the spots where relocated vehicles are parked.)
Brewer told Capital she has fielded hundreds of complaints and inquiries by telephone, citing the after-hours posting of signs as a particular concern.
"It’s 6 o’clock in the evening, and there’s nobody to call in the city of New York, so if it was up on the web, that would be a perfect example of how to use the information," she said.
8 comments:
Several years ago we had a "shoot" on my street and I complied with the posted sign by not having a vehicle parked at the curb.
I was certainly surprised when a woman appeared at my door demanding I remove my car from my driveway as it was affecting the timeline of the film.
My response was no. She then threatened to have my car towed away. I invited her to do so and asked for her name and address so my attorney would know where to contact her.
She stormed away saying that I was delaying the shoot and it was costing the film "Untolled thousands of dollars in delays".
They shot the film and the film of my car and driveway ended up on the cutting room floor.
One time in the 90's I saw Jack Nicholson hopping on the sidewalk amongst passerby.there were no trailers or catering tables,not even a cop there.Traffic flowed and drivers were able to park around the area.It was for the movie "as good as it gets".
The point is that these productions get constant approval and widespread permits and cause obstructions everywhere and headaches for citizens.I can only imagine how freaked out a person would get if his/her car were moved for a shoot for some shit movie or lame tv show,thinking it was stolen.
kudos to gale for taking action,but of course more needs to be done.The results from all these productions has not made one good movie or tolerable tv show.And all the streets still have cracks and potholes,so where is all the money that they allegedly making for the city to justify all this freewheeling rubber stamping.
this and zoning areas for tower building are what's destroying the city.this has got to stop.
was the shoots for annie hall and taxi driver this intrusive?
Anon #1: if it was me, I'd have asked her "how much?" to move the car. And "where do I send my invoice?" C'mon people, this is America where you can make a buck.
The Mayor's Office issuing all these permits don't give a shit about anything these media corporation do as long as the news divisions don't give him and all his other hack pols in Queens bad press.
For example: Look at those homeless shelter protesters in Elmhurst. Those people getting shit on made the friggan TV news in China --including China Radio International (CRI in English) 6.020 and 7.415mhz shortwave) yet local CBS, NBC, ABC, Warner avoid dirty facts and sneaky "stealth moves" the mayor, city hall and the NSA make like the black plague.
Only 6 company's (all global corporations with liberal left agenda's) control 90% of what you see and hear on cable, satellite & airwaves in the United States!!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/26/business/a-21st-century-fox-time-warner-merger-would-narrow-already-dwindling-competition.html?_r=0
Re: .1 - the whole "We are an army of occupation and we have the NYPD here to threaten you with arrest at our slightest whim" attitude has to change.
Anon No. 5: Rupert Murdoch's media operations have a liberal left agenda? Really?
When it was film it was transparent, now silicon is opaque, just physics.
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