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The agenda for the next L.A. City Council meeting on March 31st “could shut down television production in Los Angeles” by creating permit timelines that would make it even more difficult for episodic TV and commercial production that typically work in a much tighter time frame. So claims Hollywood location managers for TV shows and feature films who have joined with Jodi Strong, director of production planning for Film LA, in protesting an RFP (Request For Proposal) that will make “our lives, frankly, miserable”. Some of the problematic rules require:
– FilmLA to submit permit to LAPD 5 days in advance of film date
– FilmLA to submit permit to LAPD 10 days for exceptional activity (gunfire, explosions, car chases, helicopter etc)
– FilmLA to submit request for posting, lane closures and street closures 7 days in advance of the film date
– FilmLA to receive community surveys 10 days in advance of a film date
Today a message went out to the LA City Council complaining “not one word of this RFP was written or approved by the committee of film industry officials, community filming representatives and others representing the full range of concerns about filming in LA. That committee [appointed by the Public Works Committee] … suspended its deliberations some months ago when it became clear that core issues (enforcement of film permit parameters, processing time requirements for permits, etc) could not be addressed until the LAPD and City Council determined the role of active, off duty LAPD officers vs. retired LAPD officers. Now, having failed to clarify what will happen with that, council is asked to approve an RFP that has not been developed through the process it proposed and containing all the elements requested by LAPD. I hope you will not vote on the RFP as concocted in a vacuum by the CAO and instead return to a process of consultation with representatives of all interest groups (not just LAPD) at a time when we should all be working together to encourage more filming, based on rational rules, throughout Los Angeles.”
The LA City Council is once again contemplating letting the LAPD make a grab to take back jurisdiction over TV and movie location sets by replacing movie cops with off-duty active police. As one location manager advocating the status quo system that’s worked well for decades told me, the LAPD wants this added responsibility “regardless of their ability to adequately man or administer the volume of work that the retired officers provide”. Now the location managers have started a “Hollywood In Crisis” website, and on-line petition, to point out how this will drastically increase production costs as well as liability issues.
Why Is LAPD Trying To Fix A Hollywood System On TV/Film Sets That Ain’t Broke?
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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My experience with retired LAPD cops working on these street closures has been nothing but awful. Since they lack proper oversight, they feel like they can be rude to pedestrians and say whatever they want without respect to the rights of people walking the streets.
I would be much more comfortable with active cops who can be properly reported and disciplined if problems arise.
Who says it isn’t broken? Maybe it’s the few bad apples ruining for the rest. I’m happy about some of the new guidelines.
Early this winter they were filming across from my building on a side street. After 10 pm there was sudden rapid and multiple gunfires (lemme say it’s loud and scary) on a weeknight! This was when it would be practically pitch dark by 5 pm. It happened two nights in a row. It was inappropriate and inconsiderate AND shouldn’t have been allowed.
NYC baby!
the answer to this is simple: film in Burbank. film in Santa Monica. Film in Beverly Hills. Film in Glendale, Pasadena. Film anywhere that is not in the city of LA. Watch them panic when the film money goes away. As little of a year embargo should straighten them out.
I have worked on numerous shoots with retired cops. They have been great. Really helpful and I’ve never seen them be awful to pedestrians. They sometimes have to help protect the integrity of the shoot — that is why they are there… but for the most part, they’re pros and love being part of production. It’d be a shame to take ths gig from the retired force.
Give me real cops any day who are working for other real cops and accountable. The retired cops are beyond useless. They work for the production in uniform, carrying guns and yet they’re not LAPD. They enable the Location Managers to ignore and push the limits of their permits, make themselves unwelcome in the neighborhoods they film and ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
If you want to drive production OUT of L.A. and unfortunately some short sighted people do, then have the off duty cops take over the jobs that the retired LAPD officers do today.
First, it will be much more expensive, to use off duty cops.
The retired cops have the experience and the judgment, that most off duty cops don’t have. They do the job everyday. I worked with many of them, on a show that generally did 5 company moves per day and went on location 5 out of 8 day of an episode. I don’t think anybody could have done better than the retired officers. The crews have the utmost respect for these retire officers. If Bill Bratton wants to get on the shit list, of some very powerful producers and drive production outside of the L.A. City limits, keep it up.
Its a difficult job keeping neighborhoods happy, its a balancing act, that a rookie will probably not be suited to do. The people to get mad at are the people that use their property over and over. I’d be mad too, if I had production trucks in front of my house every week. I know of some that pay their mortgage by renting out their home. That’s not the cops fault.
shelley – good call. hope you enjoy looking for work in toronto. people like you are killing the business
The LA City Council is an embarrassment that costs taxpayers millions. While the quality of life deteriorates and jobs disappear, they blow off council meetings and fritter away $150K of their own personal (taxpayer provided) slush funds every year. We deserve better and aren’t going to get it.
Probably some LAPD union backroom deal. Just like every other city council RFP.
@Jim active or retired, cops are cops.
They are not concierge or Maitre D’s.
For better or worse it’s a profession not known for being polite. Also can you point me to a cop who was ever disciplined for not being “nice”.
@Shelley if you suspect unpermitted filming activity is taking place you can either/or ask the cops on the set to see the permit or call LAPD.
I’d much rather see active cops go after criminals than fluffing movie stars on the set. They only work 3 days a week as LAPD and they are hassling for extra income for the remaining days. It’s a classic shake down. We’d have a much more effective police force if they worked 5 days a week on real police work instead of trying to hire themselves as private security.
Replacing retired police officers with active police officers seems to not be in the best interest of the public. Aren’t the active police officers better used to help fight crime?
It is interesting that with a city that is as spread out as LA the hostility towards filming seems to be greater than in NYC where it is more crowded.
I have always wondered if the making of films hadn’t come to LA over a century ago (Biograph’ Company’s A DARING HOLD-UP in 1906) what LA today would or wouldn’t be?
So, one day the LA City Council votes for incentives to keep filming here and then the next day they vote for a permitting process that will drive filming away. It’s called “co-ordination” people.
Oh, and those who think current LAPD cops would be so much better than retired cops have apparently failed to notice that LAPD is still under federal oversight for civil rights violations. Rampart anyone? And I don’t mean the hospital on Emergency.
Wouldn’t citizens of Los Angeles rather have active cops do overtime policing their communities rather than babysitting film & TV production?
I can see how the city wants to throw overtime they don’t have to pay for to active duty cops but frankly unless the active duty cops have nothing better to do (like say actual police work), the retired cops should keep doing film work. If I were an LA taxpayer I’d be pissed about the police my tax dollars are paying for doing what essentially is private security for the conglomerates rather than being available to deal with crime in the city. LA’s not exactly a town with as crime-free a reputation as say Mayberry RFD.
Well, people always complain about runaway productions. The reality is, it isn’t that LA can’t compete with these other cities, states and provinces; it’s that the governing bodies of LA and CA simply choose not to be competitive.
As a 1st Assistant Director in Los Angeles since 1994 I have nothing but the utmost respect for our Retired LAPD!! That’s right they all have 25+ years as Los Angeles Police Officers and know how to treat pedestrians Jim. (You are moronic) Bullies In Uniform one word for you (M.O.O.K.)!!! You haven’t a clue.
Am i going to have to waste valuable production time on the Episodic show i’m AD’ing explaining to some neophyte LAPD uniform what a runby is, or that we’re going onto an Insert Car for a two rig or explaining what a process trailer is!!! Comeon please, is this some sort of joke??!!!!
keep the retired cops! they’ve got stories. they earned that spot on the set by putting their lives on the line during their career. whenever we shoot outside of l.a. and we have to use a pasadena, or torrance or whatever,cop for street closure or whatever reason, they are just too keyed up from chasing criminals to relax. regular cops don’t want location work, they wanna be out busting heads.
the retired cops belong on set.
regular cops belong on the beat.
What the HELL are the “leaders” of LA thinking??????? Gawd this just grabs my ass. Can we arrange for a tea party against this crap!!!! I am not sorry to say how unbelievably STUPID THIS IDEA IS. Idiots in LA….including Gov., Mayor, Lisa what’s her name….in Sacramento….ENOUGH WITH THE BUREAUCRACY. GET PRODUCTION MOVING AND KEEP THE RETIRED COPS IN PLAY. Arrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m about ready to explode. Reading this is my last straw.
TV series work on compressed pre-production schedules (usually 8 days in which to prep all elements for an episode – including scouting and permitting all locations for the episode). Adding 5-10 days onto the permit process would require a longer pre-production period per episode which would add considerably to a show’s budget.
No production incentives could make up for this overage. If you think productions are running away now, make these ill informed proposals part of the permit process and look for the tumbleweed.
On a side note, anyone who lives in L.A. and complains about production may want to consider moving. This is an industry town. Complaining about filming in L.A. is like living in Detroit and complaining about all the cars they’re making. (The shocking thing is that the ones who complain the loudest are employed by the film & TV industry – take it from this former location manager).
Can it be inconvenient? Sure. But there are ways to address your concerns without killing the lifeblood of the city. See the location managers on set. Talk to the cops (retired or otherwise). Call the permit office. Set up a film liaison for your community.
Oh sure, they’re polite and all (sometimes), but as much use as tits on a bull. They don’t enforce permits, and seldom know what limits are set by them. They have no idea what’s going on (until it’s lunch time), and they get in the way as much as anything else. There’s a reason they’re retired… How about training real security professionals who are paid to be part of the production rather than dead weight getting easy money to rent out their uniforms.
Between this and SAG filming in L.A. could be a thing of the past.
The remedy is simply moving production away from the area, to a new state. NYC, Seattle, Boston, and Atlanta all have areas suitable for backdrops and filming, and would love the business.
Leave Hollywood/L.A. to the paps, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton.
I have been working on film sets around the country for 21 years, mostly in LA and have never seen or heard a story about troubles with the retired officers and pedestrians. They do what they are hired to do and do it well. Why would anybody want “real” officers on a film set when they could be concentrating on the job they have already. The film business is in such a downfall right now who needs another problem. It is bad enough that the producers and the IATSE are sleeping together … again.
I love it: People move here for the “glamor and excitement” of Hollywood, then bitch and moan when a film shoot on their street keeps them up one night. It’s like the folks who buy a house near an airport, then start a petition to shut it down because it’s too noisy.
If you live in LA but don’t work in the Industry, do you really think you’re protected if LA loses even MORE production? Maybe you don’t realize how many of your friends, neighbors, and CUSTOMERS make their livlihoods working on films and tv shows shooting in Los Angeles. Everyone will be affected.
Retired Cops please. I have had nothing but positive experiences, and these retired officers are a professional and integral part of the Los Angeles production community. We need real cops to do real police work, not babysit.
Furthermore, as a Production Manager, this length of permit time will create havoc for all productions of all sizes. Production requires flexibility, not 10 day notice. In NYC permits can be issued ON THE DAY. If the LA City Council wants to help production in Los Angeles, they should make permit times shorter not exponentially longer.
I don’t get it – why try to fix a problem that doesn’t exist? Don’t these people have other things to worry about?