Benjamin Pezzillo on September 25, 2007, at 10:17PM – #1

The Board of Public Works released its agenda for Friday's meeting at 12:03p via ENS with the PROPOSED closure of 4th between Spring and Main on Saturday from 7a to 10p (agenda item #12)

FilmLA released its e-Notification regarding the shoot noting a Street Closure of 4th from Spring to Main on Saturday from 7a-10p.

Can anyone explain to me how FilmLA can notify the community of a closure which has NOT yet been approved by the Board of Public Works?

Isn't that assuming a public agency is automatically going to approve the closure without either a traffic impact study or a survey of the community's stakeholders?

Or am I just being naive?

Bert Green on September 25, 2007, at 11:27PM – #2

No, Ben you are not naive. Things are a mess regarding the public process.

But there is something brilliant here. If FilmLA would simply permit elephants to accompany all film shoots, I think that it would solve all the issues the neighborhood is having with filming.

But that's just me.

Benjamin Pezzillo on September 25, 2007, at 11:56PM – #3

If it weren't for the cops and robbers scenes the same production company shoots for another product in the days before in the same vicinity, I might agree. I can just here the Director's pitch now, "It'll look like the Beastie Boys 'Sabotage' video from the mid 1990s". I digress.

The trend of late seems to be commercial production companies setting up shop for a few days and then knocking out two shoots back to back. That is more than "infrequent" intent to me.

In the meantime, it looks like the forecast for 'Gilvillie' is heavy filming this Thursday through Saturday -- like there wasn't a parking crunch around there already.

Maybe some picketers will show up from the neighboring conversion project? I mean, are those going to be union elephants?

But why go to Pete's when the Liberty Grill has hassle free parking and a patio out back that doesn't involve interfacing with Downtown sidewalk life? They're open for breakfast too. Full bar.

South Park and the Financial District are looking more and more attractive to us as a place to buy simply because of the over-filming nightmares on our block and immediate adjacent area. (Sorry, Barry.) The Arts District is also becoming a more attractive area to us to buy because of their pre-existing Special Conditions.

This morning, bright and early some production decided it just HAD to back a man-lift into place. At first I really thought it was my alarm clock and it's not the first time I can say that has happened. Show me another neighborhood where that would be acceptable in front of a half-million dollar home?

I think what really gets me is that for all of Hollywood's "creativity" they don't seem to be able to find many original locations -- or am I being naive again and Downtown is location of choice because The Industry continues to test the limits of their economic sway?

BusTard on September 26, 2007, at 12:26AM – #4

Years before I moved to New York (yes, I am back again; do not ask), I usta live on 7th and Hartford as well as have an office at 6th and Spring. Both places brought into conflict most everyone present against the pompous film crews. What that latter lot learned was that there were three types most folk in Pico-Union and downtown—back then—would not step down to: Rampart, baseheads and film crews. (The Friendly Cafe on 7th was a constant bother; oddly enough, one of my own former magazines appeared in a Daniel Clowes inspired film right after a scene in that shitty little, too-often closed cafe in the shadow of the Mayfair. Still, I hated the constant disruption.) Nevertheless, all threw tried, whether driven by orders, crack or artless tenacity. And all three were equal in leaving behind all manner of trash. However, I would never suggest the one remedy that made two of the three leave quickly: piss balloons. (The crackheads could not care about anything, in case one wonders about the one.)

The last waste of celluloid was Phone Booth (filmed on 5th between Spring and Broadway); I have yet to see Fellini, Kurosawa or any one of hundreds of other truly talented writers/directors/et al rise up or come forth to righteously waste some space. The paucity of talent that seems to be the most wasteful (and I am not gonna waste my time whinging about commercials) of resources in downtown L.A. is what should NEVER know the taste of a well-aimed balloon full of piss from any given true artist's loft.

Bert Green on September 26, 2007, at 01:17AM – #5

OK, BusTard, that was brilliant.

I recently suggested to a location manager that he should be happy that the piss balloons and hot water drops onto the heads of film crews shooting late into the night, with or without permit, had largely stopped.

But no. I, and the filming committee of the Neighborhood Council, are the source of all evil, the single most pernicious influence that would drive filming out of Los Angeles.

"Oh, my god, you are one of those people?"

Pathetic.

Bring on the elephants!

Benjamin Pezzillo on September 26, 2007, at 10:53PM – #6

Video games already outsell movies as a form of entertainment.

Dropout screens for digital images have been surpassing matte backdrops onstage for the better part of a decade.

It's very conceivable that location filming could be replaced by globally outsourced immersive CGI (computer generated imagery) within a generation.

Los Angeles will continue to dominate the entertainment industry because of the wealth of sound stages, equipment, talent and personnel.

I'd say Los Angeles is better served catering to the video game companies and digital image houses than location production.

It would be great to see Electronic Arts or another major video game player open up research labs Downtown.

There are plenty of great spaces for digital image operations and more connectivity and sheer bandwidth, I suspect, Downtown than anywhere else in Southern California.

Ginny-Marie Case on September 26, 2007, at 11:06PM – #7

Personally, I'm excited for the elephants, because that means for one day...one day...there won't be any asses on the street. Just elephants.

HA HA HA HA HA HA

Okay, maybe not so funny. But, I have a simple mind.

Benjamin Pezzillo on September 27, 2007, at 07:57AM – #8

Some quotes from an article in yesterday's Financial Times:

“For our company and its further globalisation, growth for us is not just in . . . domestic markets. It’s largely outside the US,” said Dick Parsons, chief executive of Time Warner.

Most of Hollywood’s ticket sales are now generated outside the US. In an effort to develop foreign markets, Warner and other studios are investing in local productions in China, Russia, India and elsewhere.

“We’re anxious not just to be exporters of American films, but to be partners and support local films,” said Barry Meyer, Warner’s chief executive.

Mellor on September 27, 2007, at 07:40PM – #9

South Park and the Financial District are looking more and more attractive to us as a place to buy simply because of the over-filming nightmares on our block and immediate adjacent area.

Moreover, the areas around Spring, Broadway and Main Streets always will be a major hang-out for transients and "riff-raff" activity.

The banking industry came and went (before Spring St lost its designation of "Wall Street of the West"), large, old-time movie theaters came and went, major department stores came and went, and eventually so will the entertainment industry. But the one thing that will remain firmly locked in place and probably intractable forever is the infamous homeless population (and people like the felons released from nearby jails) of Los Angeles.

Benjamin Pezzillo on September 27, 2007, at 07:44PM – #10

Mellor, it's a wonder Downtown has such remarkable low crime rates -- often the second lowest of any LAPD division in Los Angeles.

Bert Green on September 28, 2007, at 01:09AM – #11

Mellor-

Why would a criminal element be a permanent presence except for it being encouraged and abetted by public policy?

There are no intractable certainties to homelessness and prisoner dumping. They are deliberate policies and can be changed.

Dennis Smith on September 28, 2007, at 04:45PM – #12

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Just to compound the anticipated traffic chaos from an elephant laden fim shoot on Saturday, an anti-war protest has been scheduled to convene at Olympic & Broadway at noon on September 29. Don't plan on any easy access via car or bus in or out of Downtown tomorrow in the late morning and early afternoon. The subway will be your best bet as it will travel unimpeded by the road closures above ground. The signs warning of road closures from the protest march just started going up today.

Anon on September 28, 2007, at 04:51PM – #13

Elephants v. anti-war protesters -- how symbolic does it get?

Dennis Smith on September 29, 2007, at 12:03PM – #14

What if they held a demonstration and nobody bothered to show up?

That's not exactly accurate as the police outnumber the protesters at Olympic & Broadway at 11:30 this morning. In fact there must be close to a hundred police, parking enforcement and BID security personnel on duty for a protest march that failed to materialize. I haven't had a chance to walk over to 4th & Main this morning but I sure hope they managed to round up more pachyderms than pacifists or that won't end up being much of a bank commercial to remember.

I retract my previous warning and I invite everyone to shop and saunter about Downtown on this glorious early autumn afternoon.

Mellor on September 29, 2007, at 06:57PM – #16

Why would a criminal element be a permanent presence except for it being encouraged and abetted by public policy?

Two words: Daniel Green