Article on Filming at FLAG HQ

[Joe Huth]

Ran across this article today...while it doesn't specifically mention "Knight Rider", it does mention Arden Villa, the house used as FLAG HQ. Apparently, in the mid-80's, the neighbors were a bit tired of all the film crews in the area:

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Tinseltown II - Pasadena Movie-Making Boom Brings Profits, Complaints
By ASHLEY DUNN, Times Staff Writer|February 22, 1987

Steve Centurioni, who lives in an exclusive, mansion-filled neighborhood on Arden Road in Pasadena, was working at home a few weeks ago when he saw a garbage truck, an armored car and then a squad of police cars careening down his usually tranquil street.

His first reaction was that he was about to witness a major accident. But he realized soon after a camera car passed that it was only another production company making yet another movie in his neighborhood.

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"That was the straw that broke the camel's back," he muttered. "If I wanted to live in the back of 20th Century Fox, I would have moved to Culver City."

For better or for worse, the movie business is booming in Pasadena, bringing with it a bounty of both revenue and complaints.

No Longer Exciting

"It was fun to see them make a movie maybe the first couple of times," said Audre Bush, who lives next door to one of the city's most popular filming locations, a mansion owned by the Coleman Morton family at 1145 Arden Road.

"But now it's just trucks and generators," Bush said. "That's all it is to me now."

The number of film permits issued by the city has more than doubled since 1984, and last year, Pasadena's 310 filming permits were exceeded in Southern California only by Los Angeles, which issued 6,033 permits, and Los Angeles County, which issued 2,020 permits.

In three years, the city has gone from being one of the most restrictive to one of the most popular and film-friendly cities in the state.

Gone are the days when filming had to stop promptly at 7 p.m. or when all the neighbors in an area had to agree to any filming. There are no longer regulations banning any type of filming on the streets or requiring the presence of firemen at every filming location.

"Anything that was outdated or that was really unnecessary, we tried to get rid of," said Charles E. Walker, the city's film liaison. "Now instead of being a last resort for film companies, we've become a first thought."

As a result of the more liberal policy, the city took in a record $191,000 in license and rental revenue last year, almost double the estimated $100,000 it took in in 1985. Many homeowners and businesses, including florists and caterers, also profited handsomely from the film-making.

Tired of Eddie Murphy Movies

But for many residents who have grown tired of close encounters with Eddie Murphy movies, commercials for wine coolers and "Dynasty" episodes, the filming has become more trouble than it is worth.

The rise in local production has created parking, traffic and noise problems in the affluent neighborhoods where most of the filming takes place. And for many residents, the frequent disturbances have taken some of the luster out of living the good life in Pasadena.

"The novelty of having a movie shot across the street wore off a long time ago," said Centurioni, who has lived on Arden Road for 12 years. "It's like we're living in a studio back lot now."

Although Walker said the number of complaints to the city dropped from about 60 in 1985 to 25 last year,

many residents living near the most popular locations said they had not seen a noticeable improvement in the situation.

Walker, who was an independent producer and director before he became the city's film liaison, said he used to shudder at the thought of filming in Pasadena, which had the reputation of being a location manager's nightmare.

The application process alone, involving trips to the city clerk's office, the Public Works Department, the Police Department, the Fire Department and the Risks and Grant Management Department, was enough to scare away even the most intrepid companies, he said.

"Next to Beverly Hills, Pasadena was probably the worst place to film," he said, adding that the general attitude of city officials was, "Let's make life miserable for these film guys."

However, in 1984 the city made a dramatic about-face by creating a central film office, in part because of a statewide effort started three years ago by Gov. George Deukmejian to halt the exodus of film productions from the state.

Over the previous decade, production companies had found it cheaper and easier to shoot elsewhere, said Lisa Rawlins, director of the state Department of Commerce's film office.

Loss of $1 Billion

This so-called "runaway production" started as a trickle, but eventually became a flood, and in 1985 alone, the state lost an estimated $1 billion to other states and nations, she said.

The push by the state got the city interested in easing its regulations on filming so it could cash in the potentially lucrative source of revenue, Walker said.

The city streamlined the permit application process to the point where only one stop, involving a 15- to 20-minute interview with the city's film liaison and payment of a $480-a-day filming fee, is required, Walker said.

The city now allows the film liaison to use his discretion in varying filming times, parking plans, the percentage of residents who have to agree to filming, the use of gunfire and restrictions on car chases, Walker said.

"Older communities don't want loud filming, they don't want car chases, they don't want anything that is going to upset them," he said. "But a lot of filming that is sedate can be done, and that's what we've tried to do--expand the safe kind of filming, not the 'A-Team.' "

Increasing Popularity

Pasadena, with its many mansions, has also become more popular as film makers have sought to cash in on the nationwide fascination with the lives of the rich and famous, said Michael Horwin, vice president of Real to Reel Inc., a Hollywood location service, and editor of the trade magazine, Location Update.

"Before, everything was detective shows, and the emphasis wasn't on Pasadena, it was on the warehouse district in Los Angeles," he said. "But now shows are written to reflect the wealthy element. This is the year of the yuppie."

Horwin said that except for Hancock Park in Los Angeles, Beverly Hill and Bel-Air, Pasadena is the only other city located near the film companies that has a plentiful supply of stately mansions.

Some of the more popular locations include the Morton mansion, which is seen as Carrington Place on the television series, "Dynasty"; California Institute of Technology's private faculty club, the Athenaeum, which was in the television mini-series, "Fresno," and a mansion at 1295 S. Oakland that was used as the governor's mansion on television series "Benson."

Walker added that Pasadena also has an unique diversity of well-maintained neighborhoods that can look like anything from Peoria in the 1930s for the Richard Pryor movie, "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling," to modern-day Washington in the recent Charles Bronson movie, "Assassination."

'No End to Possibilities'

"There's really no end to the possibilities," he said. "We have these mansions and they're always good. We have a downtown that's dynamite and we're reworking around the Old Town area and that's just going to create more possibilities."

To some residents fed up with living on the fringes of movie productions, Walker's remarks sound like a threat.

Many of the problems are a combination of minor annoyances that have built up over the years: noisy generators running all day, film crews yelling instructions, truck drivers revving their engines or bright lamps lighting up the neighborhood for hours, said Bush, who has lived on Arden Road for 12 years.

"It's just mainly the lack of privacy in a residential neighborhood," Bush said. "I want to go home to get away from everything. This isn't Hollywood."

But many others have specific complaints about the intrusion of film companies into their neighborhoods.

Traffic Jam for Madonna

Varick Dey Martin Jr., who lives on La Loma Road, recalled a day last November when the filming of "Slammer," starring Madonna, resulted in traffic jams on Hillside Terrace off La Loma Road and a fist fight between a resident and a member of the film crew.

"That was the worst," he said. "It was like gridlock here, except worse."

Jane Odell, who lives across the street from a frequently filmed mansion at 160 S. San Raphael Ave., said filming has often created a carnival-like atmosphere in her neighborhood.

"My gosh, we had a tour bus stop by," she said. "It was like we were in Hollywood with people going to see the stars' homes."

One woman who asked not to be identified said that film companies have sent her gardener home several times because he was making too much noise with his leaf blower.

Disrupting Household

She said that may seem like a petty problem, but it wasn't the first time such a request had disrupted her household.

"You try to explain to the film companies that they aren't the only ones that come here and ask your gardener to leave. It's been a problem for several years."

Centurioni, who has contemplated moving because of the filming, is still fuming about the car chase past his home on Arden Road for the Eddie Murphy movie, "Beverly Hills Cop II."

He had received a letter the day before informing him that there would be some street filming, but he said he had no idea it would involve a speeding garbage truck.

"I just couldn't believe it," Centurioni said. "I was in fear of my wife coming home with a carload of kids."

Inevitable Inconvenience

Real to Reel's Horwin agreed that filming can disrupt a neighborhood.

"By its very nature, filming is going to be inconvenient, " he said. "You can't argue against that."

But, he said, the industry's economic importance to the state outweighs the disadvantages.

Horwin added that although some companies abuse their stay in a neighborhood, most go to great lengths to lessen their impact. Many productions take place without anyone noticing them, he said.

Walker said that the city's regulations should prevent these type of problems.

Under the regulations, film companies must submit parking plans and often are required to transport their crews by bus to the filming location to cut down on traffic problems. During filming, Walker visits each filming location twice a day, and he is on a telephone pager so residents can reach him if there is a problem.

Fewer Complaints

Walker said that last year's 25 complaints represented a 40% drop from two years ago, primarily because the film office can monitor complaints and respond to them faster.

"These people will talk your ear off," he said. "When they feel like they don't have someone in City Hall to talk to, that's when they really go crazy."

The city also restricts filming to 24 days a year at any residence and 60 days at a nonresidential site. Only a few of the most popular homes, like the mansion at 880 La Loma Road, owned by Frederick Giersch, and one at 160 S. San Raphael Ave., owned by Marc Perkins, come anywhere near that limit, Walker said.

But the most popular homes also happen to be in the city's most affluent neighborhoods.

"Are we as residents supposed to suffer because the city wants to make more money?" Odell asked.

Spreading the Wealth

The owners of some of the most frequently used homes have tried to keep the peace by spreading the wealth among neighbors--sometimes with dubious results.

For example, Morton recently sent out a letter to several neighbors stating: "As we start another year, the Mortons wish again to thank you for your forbearance and cooperation in assisting us with filming activities at 1145 Arden Road."

Enclosed with the letter was a check for $200.

"Everyone was horrified," said one neighbor who did not want to be identified. "It was as if it was a bribe."

Despite the complaints, many residents say it would be foolish for the city to turn its back on the film revenue.

'Pushing Money Away'

One homeowner who frequently rents his home to movie companies said that imposing more restrictions would be like "pushing money away from the city. It would be like saying, 'We don't want money.' "

According to city Finance Director Mary Bradley, Pasadena took in $157,600 last year in filming fees and $33,400 from renting out municipal facilities, including the Rose Bowl, Washington Park and City Hall, which was recently used as a backdrop for a wine cooler commercial.

Nearby San Marino also recently eased its regulations to try to cash in on the film boom and will probably double what it made from filming last year.

The city now allows filming in any part of the city but last year began collecting $500 a day from homeowners who rent to film companies, as well as a $2,500-a-day fee from film companies who use city streets, said City Manager Allen Brice Stephenson.

The city has taken in $16,000 in the first eight months of this fiscal year, already exceeding the $15,500 it made during the previous fiscal year.

Expanding Affluence

In addition to city governments, many local businesses, like florists, caterers and equipment renters, also can reap profits from filming.

For example, Jacob Maarse, the owner of Jacob Maarse Flowers in Pasadena, said he sold from $50,000 to $60,000 worth of flowers to film companies last year, an increase of about 15% over 1985.

"There's definitely been an increase," Maarse said. "And I think it's wonderful."

Homeowners receive fees ranging from $1,500 a day for filming a commercial to as much as $10,000 a day for a large mansion, Walker said.

One homeowner who did not want to be identified said million-dollar homes may look great, but "it's not cheap to maintain these homes."

"People don't do this unless it's for the money," he said.

Some homeowners say the excitement of playing host to the stars is enough to offset the inconvenience of opening their homes to a film crew.

David Davis, who used to live on La Loma Road, said he gladly rented his home for commercials for Pepsi, a Canadian beer and a powdered soft drink, just for the fun of it.

"It's neat," he said. "Of course, the money didn't hurt either."

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http://articles.latimes.com/1987-02-22/ ... e-business

Joe

[krrdr2010]

I love that article. I've read Knight Rider Legacy many times. I wonder if they will ever do a revised version, or even better, a Knight Rider Encyclopedia-That would be AWESOME!!!!