While many New Yorkers enjoy the sight of Hollywood stars in their neighborhood, some are less than pleased about a movie shoot on their block. For those people there is now a new way to release their anger.
According to a new code of conduct released by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting ,every production will be required to post the name and cell number of the location manager on no-parking signs and other neighborhood alerts.
The Directors Guild of America and the Motion Picture Association of America worked with the Mayor’s Office on the change – but that doesn’t mean film crews are happy about it. Thomas Whelan, a manager on the CBS Show “Blue Bloods,” belongs in the category of those who are against this new rule, as he puts it:
“Publishing the name and phone number of any one person on a flyer exposes that person … to threats, intimidation, and harassment, posting the production office phone number adequately fulfills the production’s responsibility to the public. Making an angry resident go through a few people to get to the [location manager] helps defuse the situation.”
The Mayor’s Office made the change in advance of what they expect to be an amazing year for film production in New York.
Vans Stevenson, of the Motion Picture Association of America, says his group supports the idea. He adds that he sees it as a “more efficient way to go about handling complaints”, furthermore he adds that “our companies love filming in New York. This is another way that it will make it easier for everybody.”
But, keep in mind, even though the location managers’ numbers are now being made public, they shouldn’t be called to try to find out details about a production. The numbers are meant to be used as a last resort, not a hot line for fans hoping to see their favorite stars.
