L.A. City Council lists top 10 places where bureaucracy makes it hard to film
The Los Angeles City Council, in an attempt to stem runaway production and make television and motion picture filming less of a hassle in the city, ordered up a list of the 10 most popular locations where bureaucratic regulations and other factors make it hard to film, with hopes of eventually fixing the situation.
The worst of the worst are, in no particular order: the
The location mangers said those sites are difficult to film for a variety of reasons, including rental costs, difficulty securing permits, government regulations restricting public access and even things such as restrictions on providing food for crew members.
“Los Angeles is the film capital of the world, but there are too many places in which we tell filming to go away,’’ said Council President Eric Garcetti.
The worst of the worst are, in no particular order: the
- Griffith Park Observatory.
- Los Angeles Zoo.
- Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce headquarters.
- AT&T Building downtown.
- Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center.
- Farmers and Merchants Bank downtown.
- Japanese American National Museum.
- Library Park, also known as Maguire Gardens, at the Los Angeles Central Library.
- Terminal Annex Post Office near Union Station downtown.
The location mangers said those sites are difficult to film for a variety of reasons, including rental costs, difficulty securing permits, government regulations restricting public access and even things such as restrictions on providing food for crew members.
“Los Angeles is the film capital of the world, but there are too many places in which we tell filming to go away,’’ said Council President Eric Garcetti.
According to the California Film Commission, the state’s share of U.S. feature film production fell to 31% in 2008 from 66% in 2003. Most of that drop-off was in the Los Angeles area, where feature filming in 2008 was nearly half what it was at its peak in 1996.
Both the council and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are looking for ways to make it easier to film in the city, in part to stop production companies from heading to locations in Canada or other states.
Villaraigosa has already ordered general managers to appoint film “liaisons" in every department to help production companies cut through the bureaucracy and coordinate work, and to identify city buildings, parking lots and other facilities that producers could use for films, television shows, commercials and other projects.
The council is already considering offering tax refunds to production companies and tax credits to building owners who make their sites available for filming.
-- Phil Willon at L.A. City Hall
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EDITOR'S PICKS:
NO ONE makes it harder to film in their backyards than movie producers, directors, stars, executives and big-whigs. UNLESS maybe the movie is their OWN and they're profiting from it, and even THEN they fight it tooth and nail.
These people demand peace and privacy on their own streets, and if a neighbor had the audacity to rent out a place that inconveniences them, lawsuits galore!!!!
Hypocrites. Do NOT try to dupe or demonize the middle-class person with "you're bad for L A's economy" garbage when they justifiably oppose a film crew taking over their street and turning their investment, their homes, into hell instead of repose and refuge.
The trucks that clock the street, the fumes and noise, the obstruction of access and tranquility, the arrogance...
Of course people who have experienced this at least once will fight it more while newbies enthralled with the thought of "the movie stars" in Palookaville will be more receptive. Once.
Posted by: sue | November 18, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Just because this mayor is bought and sold by film companies does this mean all the city council is bought and sold as well? Film companies are a huge inconvenience to anyone who is around them. They make it hard to drive, park and live in LA. How dare they push themselves into hospitals and the Zoo and places where real business is being conducted. They cause damage and affect the quality of life. This is not the golden age of Hollywood when MGM and 20th Century and Warner Bros. had backlots. Most of these companies are fly-by-night. The places they have gone to also get sick of them fast. Enough of these pushy, rude leeches.
Posted by: RichDavid | November 19, 2009 at 08:02 AM