Still Feeling All Lit Up

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2005, at 02:17PM

Eric Richardson

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I'm in Day 3 of my saga trying to find out the permit information for the shoot that's lighting my apartment every night.

To briefly recap, I called the EIDC Monday and was told I would be called back. I wasn't. Tuesday I called back and was told they couldn't find me in the call log. The girl took down my information and told me that the coordinators had already left for the day (it was indeed only a few minutes before the end of their office hours), but that someone would call me in the morning. But they didn't.

So just now I called again, and spoke to a very friendly girl named Amy who promised to look into it and make sure someone called me today. And just before I went to post this, I did get a call back with the name of the location manager. The girl from the EIDC only gave me information on the nights they were permitted to film, though; she didn't have anything helpful on how a shoot gets permission to light a building. So now I get to call "Kei" and see what I can find from her.

Update (5pm): I just talked to Kei, the location manager for the film that's shooting, and she was very nice in explaining the process. After the jump I'll add what I learned from her.

It isn't as if I'm angry. I just want to know what the shoot was given permits for, and if those permits included lighting up a residential building into the late hours of the night (three nights now they've been on when I've fallen asleep, visible through my blinds). If the permit does include that permission, I want to know if the owner of my building signed off on it. If he did, I want an answer from him. If he didn't, I want an answer from someone else. All I want is to know who to get annoyed with.

My favorite bit of irony last night was seeing one of the lighting guys taking a nap on the roof of the smaller building next to the Palace. He had a full spread with pillow and sleeping bag. His choice of sleeping spots may well have been darker than mine.

The Location Approval Process

I just talked to Kei, location manager for the film. She explained that the film company will go to the building management to get them to sign off on location shooting. That includes any building in the mandated periphery of the shoot (500 feet from filming, 200 feet from parking). I asked her what sort of specificity they bring when they're getting approval for a shoot, and she indicated it varies and that often they don't know exactly where, for instance, they're going to be throwing lights until the director is on-set.

So now I'm especially curious to see what was signed for our building, and who signed it. The apartment manager told me the other day he didn't know what was going on with the filming, but somebody had to sign off.

I understand why apartment managers are allowed to sign instead of requiring that the shoot go door-to-door and survey tenants. The latter would be a bit of a mess logistically, and there are always going to be people who just object to everything.

At the same time, though, the current system is broken. By placing a third party in the process you create a situation where everyone can pass the onus off to someone else. The film company can say they got building approval, and the building management can say they didn't see notification, and all the while the resident has no way to say who's right.

The EIDC may be changing its name and moving Downtown, but until it enters this century and starts using technology to make the permitting process more transparent to the community, I can't really welcome them.

Comments

eecue writes:

The building I live in posts the notice from the Production company on the elevators and in the mail room whenever there is a shoot and then waits for a week or so for everyone to read it / voice their opinions about it before signing it and sending it back.

# on Dec.14.2005 AT 05:59 PM

Anonymous writes:

You live in Los Angeles, for pete's sake! If you can't stand some minor inconveniences from Hollywood once in awhile, then move to Kansas City or Bismarck. Along with tourism (which is directly affected by the movies anyway), film productions are one of the few entirely local, non-environmentally-damaging industries that Los Angeles has left, and our local economy thrives on it. That means everything from grips and location scouts down to taxi service, hair salons, and flower vendors. And that money get spent over and over again repeatedly throughout all sectors. My suggestion: replace your flimsy blinds with heavier drapes and shut up. Nobody likes a cry-baby.

# on Dec.20.2005 AT 11:39 AM

Richardson Palmer writes:

You seem to be a logical and methodical person - and I appreciate that! So many times I see people (either on blogs or in other public forums) complaining about things and more often than not, they do not appear to be thorough or logical about determining who truly should be the target of their ire. I have noticed, in recent years, a great deal of complaints about filming in our downtown district - and one of the things that probably irks me the most about it (the complaining) is that I don't seem to catch an equal amount of complaining about that other annoying things that go on down here... Like what? Like contruction noises ALL the time. Like industrial noise ALL night every night. Like homeless people acosting me at all hours of the day and night. Hey listen - I know it's politically incorrect to complain about the homeless - and yes I know it's George Bush and Ronald Reagan's fault they exist (I don't know who we're suppose to blame for most of industrialized history BEFORE that - but I'm sure it should be republicans))... BUT - since most of us truly complain based on our own selfish inconveniences, this should be no exception. For if we chose NOT to complain based on what's good and bad for our world - we would probably hear less complaining about an industry that is VERY good for our town and very much in danger of extinction here from everything I read. I'm always told that I have to put up with construction because it's good for us - good for the future of downtown, good for my property value, good for the community and good for jobs. OK - I buy it. I'm told to shut up about the homeless because THEY can't help it and after all - it's because of bad economic policies and bad politcal policies that they're their in the first place. OK- I don't buy all of that part, but I will in this case for the sake of argument. So then, WHY would we be absolutely HELLBENT on destroying an industry (bad economics) that creates lots of jobs - and traffic congestion - wooo wooo, and spends money locally - not outsourcing globally (bad politics) just because it's inconvenient? OK - do it then - kill those mothers... but admit it's for your convenience - not for anyone elses good. And by the way, send the homeless, the traffic, the smells and all you other annoying people where-ever you're sending the film industry too - - oh and leave that door open, in case someone is invconvenienced by YOU someday, so that you can be shoved out the door as well. Long winded - too many economics classes - too much coffee - too much obsession over what's "fair". Thanks!

# on Dec.20.2005 AT 12:01 PM

Robert Gould writes:

I am a documentary film maker and want to get people on both sides of this issue on camera to talk about their experiences with filming on their street and in their space. If Interested in being interviewed on this subject please contact me? Thanks Bob Gould

# on Dec.20.2005 AT 12:58 PM

Tim Quinn writes:

Some of the crews, no, make that many of them, are rude and unthinking. That is the experience of dealing with them. It doesn't seem to occur to them that they are disrupting my daily routine, again. How much of this crappy behavior do I have to put up with to do my part for your city? I bet they don't film in your neighborhood, blocking access and being rude. They do where I live, about one quarter of the days. This goes beyond anything else that happens, including daily harrassment by drug-addicts. It is an invasion, literally. and the occupying force expects everyone to get out of the way. It is not for just a few days now and then. It is a different crew every week. Occupying for a day or several days at a time. If this is the norm, if we need the film industry, then it must be normalized, made bearable for the residents being impacted. Mostly this would require the crews to treat residents with some respect. They are in my front-yard, I shouldn't have to get into a pissing match with a different location manager every week.

These film industry shills always act like it is no big deal. It is a big deal.

# on Dec.20.2005 AT 05:17 PM

Nic Cha Kim writes:

hey Anonymous, I'm curious why you wouldn't sign your name... calling somebody a cry-baby, but too afraid to say who said it. Believe me, Eric's got more balls than you...

Priceless. Nic

# on Dec.21.2005 AT 10:25 AM

Eric Richardson writes:

Wow, I leave for a few days and a whole fascinating argument breaks out.

I like filming. I think it's fun. I think it's one of the cool things about living Downtown to see the crews and set-ups. But it certainly can go too far. To me, it seems that a set-up which involves five days straight of overnight shoots with lights shining at the windows of a residential building is too far.

And certainly the filming where I live is anything but occasional. At the same time as this shoot was taking place there was setup for another shoot inside the Palace Theatre, and another company had the curbside lane blocked one day for a shoot across the street. That's excessive.

But no one wants to kill Hollywood. No one wants it to move out of town. That would be ridiculous. Hollywood's fun. At some point, though, the city is going to have to realize when issuing the permits that they do that actual people are being affected here. -e;

# on Dec.22.2005 AT 12:38 PM

sto writes:

Heh...well at least you dont live on the front side of the building..where you hear crackheads fighting all night!

# on Dec.22.2005 AT 09:50 PM