Malibu attempts to tame excessive filming

[bluestateguy]

MALIBU, CALIF. - Mike Flannery has never forgotten the night he awoke at 1 a.m. to the sounds of bullhorns and low-flying helicopters. He threw open the drapes to watch a major studio film crew tromping through his flower bed and snapping sprinkler heads.

"It would be one thing if it were a rare occurrence," says the printer who moved here in 1971 to get away from the hustle and bustle of congested life elsewhere. "But between two of my neighbors who were renting their houses out to TV and film crews, it got to be every other day. I just don't think you should have so much commercial activity like that in an area with residential zoning."

For the 12,575 residents who live in this tiny enclave along the picturesque coastline the onslaught of reality TV crews filming everything from "The Bachelor" to "The Osbournes" has become too much. Enough complaints have reached city hall, which issues 500 permits a year, from residents like Mr. Flannery that the city is considering tougher permit rules.

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David Halver, a location specialist who has worked in several areas of the film business for decades, says the extortion tactics of residents making demands on production crews have increased over the years. Those tactics include using leaf blowers, chain saws, and loud music just as shooting begins, in order to coerce producers to write them checks to stop.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/csm/20050727/ts_csm/afilmprod_1

[ConfuZed]

1. So they'll just film in canada... wait...

the teamsters will cry about that.

[tridim]

2. Stay out of Malibu, Lebowski!

Stay out of Malibu, deadbeat! Keep your ugly fucking goldbricking ass out of my beach community!

[NV Whino]

3. I was happy to leave Agoura (over the hill from Malibu)

to get away from film companies only to find more waiting in the wine country. ACH!

[Ravenseye]

4. Cry Me A River

So few of those homes are primary residences anyway, that's why they rent them out. Well it's not WHY they rent them out, but they aren't using them.

I feel really bad for someone who can afford beachfront property in Malibu and has to put up with the film crew next door.

Sorry, i'm sure this is a real issue to some people, but I just can't find it in my heart to care about how Richy Rich's cocktail pary was spoiled by the movie crew next door. Boo fucking hoo.

[bluestateguy]

5. I think the extortion tactics are kind of funny

I imagine a scene like this:

My neighbors rent their property for a movie. They pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars for it, while I get nothing, except for traffic jams in my neighborhood, noise and litter.

So I just go out into my front yard while the crew is filming and start cutting weeds with the loudest weed wacker I can find.

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Director: "Can you not do that? We are making a film.

Me: "Oh well, you know, this work has do get done! Filmakers don't want to rent my house for their movies, so I can't afford to hire a gardener to do it for me"

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

[Lautremont]

6. John Huston had a solution for that.

He hired wizards and magicians to place hexes on the extortionist weed-whackers. No joke - this is what he did; it's in his autobiography. Apparently it often worked.

[Ravenseye]

7. Yeah they are funny

I'd totally do that too if it was a common thing. Film crew for a few weeks one summer, I'd be nice. A regular thing all year round?

BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!