SoCal Friday: No Parking

Once again, I offer evidence that no matter how far away you live from L.A.'s civic center, Hollywood is always nearby.

Click on the photo at left. This is what I saw when I drove my daughter to school this morning. Those are mobile dressing room trailers, folks -- enough of them to indicate that this particular shoot is probably not for something boring, like a commercial - but for either a television show or motion picture that you may get to see someday soon.

Signs like the one pictured here were posted up and down the street, which didn't help the rush to get the kids to school on time -- especially the littlest ones, as the production company decided to park their vehicles right in front of the entrace to the kindergarten yard. (Can you say "pissed-off mommys?")

The actual filming isn't taking place at the school, but at a house up the street. I don't know what the production is. I was tempted to ask the motorcycle cop who is required to be onsite whenever there is filming on city streets, but he didn't look too friendly, so I snapped my shots with my cellphone and hightailed it out of there. I can tell you one thing: the scene being shot included cheerleaders, and I overheard a guy telling someone that they had originally tried to get the Laker Girls for whatever it is.

This street that borders our school seems to be a popular one with location managers. Just last year, they used the home of one of my friends for a movie that starred Bruce Willis. She didn't tell anyone until after the shoot was over (smart lady -- I'd have blogged all over it!) I'm told he was very nice to the family and even posed for pictures with all of them.

If you are fortunate enough to live in a house on the kind of street that production designers want to use for their projects, you can earn a nice little income just by allowing a film crew to set up shop there. I've heard tales of productions paying for new landscaping, painting, etc., but that probably depends upon the budget of the shoot and how long they need to use your home. If they are inside your home and it's going to be for more than a day, you can expect the producers to put you up in a hotel and pay you for your inconvenience. That didn't happen with my friend; she said they only got a couple of hundred dollars when their home was used last year.

Just another day in L.A.

Comments

[Lorna]

I actually pay people to use my house---there's no justice in this world....

[Stephanie]

Donna....You know that I love those L.A. stories!!!!! How exciting!!!

[shaunna]

it would of been cool to see shots of the mommys confronting the production people (if they did instead of silently fuming).

and wouldn't you have pay taxes on whatever the value was of improvements?

[Lin]

Nobody should let their home be used for under $1200 a day for a STILL shoot. If it's a moving shoot, the rate goes up way higher because the inconvenience factor is WAY higher. The other great thing about letting your home be used for a shoot(besides the money) is the fact that California charges NO income tax on the first dozen shoots at your property. Not one cent. They want to keep the film and advertising industry in this state and this is one way to encourage it.

All that being said, it's a mixture between excitement and annoyance when there's a shoot in your way. Excitement like, oooo wonder if there's a star around and annoyance like, how much time is this going to cost me?

[Laurie]

I just love the Hollywood stuff. Can't help it. :)

[Mary]

I wish somebody wanted to use my house in a movie. I think.

L.A. looks beautiful this time of year.

[Dabbling Mum]

Reminds me when we went to Las Vegas with the kids and they got to see the shooting of Honey I shrunk the kids! The one when the little boy actually became as tall as a building. It was neat to see the visual effects, as the giant shoe took up the entire road.

Yes....filming could be so exciting as a passerby.