Today’s TV Shoot Of ‘Hostages’ Is A No Tow Situation

Signs were posted over the weekend around Monroe Place and Pierrepont Street informing residents that the CBS drama ‘Hostages’ would be filming in the area today.

The BHA’s Judy Stanton tells us that the towing permit for the shoot was denied by the mayor’s office yesterday. The production company has changed the signs to reflect the change, but are still putting down cones to hold spaces. This act, Stanton tells us, would likely suggest the threat of towing if one were to park there. Stanton says, “The truth is that they won’t be towed if they refuse to cooperate.”

How do you know what the deal is when a film shoot is coming to the neighborhood? Stanton says, ” The way it works is that when a sign says “VTU Permit Yes” – [Update: signs no longer carry this message, see next paragraph] it means that the Film Office has given permission to tow, and the production company is paying for the towing. A lot of productions don’t have the budget for towing and they know that Brooklyn Heights residents tend to be very compliant and cooperative about moving their cars. When the signs say “VTU Permit: No” it means towing has not been permitted by the Film Office and people cannot (or should not) be coerced to move.”

Still confused? Stanton sent us this clarification after this post was publshed. “The posted signs will use the towing word and specify either “car will be towed” or “car must be moved”. The sign color has no significance anymore. When the towing word is missing from a posted film shoot sign, the film company cannot tow cars that remain parked.”

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  • Alec

    Guess what show everyone in BK Heights is now boycotting…
    my feeling is a producer is going to get fired off of this show based on how many blocks they cordoned off. They took more space than MIB 3, and it’s only a TV show – that’s gotta be a lot of shekels, well beyond a first-year unproven show’s budget…

  • Gav

    This film production crew has been the rudest I have encountered, who do we complain too

  • Alec

    just keep your distance and pray they finish in one day and leave and never come back

  • north heights res

    This may be the most brilliantly useful post EVER in the history of the BHB, and it’s got some serious competition. Thanks, Homer.

  • Fritz

    I’m very much in favor of the film shoots, and not unhappy that the cars parked on the street (for free) get moved around. Am I correct the cars are not ticketed, just reparked? The shoots bring life and visual interest to the streets. Too bad we so rarely see the talent. I like the idea that the nabe appears on TV.

  • MonroeOrange

    Fritz…in many of these instances, cars are legally parked and no signs appear that your car will be towed from a LEGAL spot in a timely manner…so if you are legally parked at a no parking tuesday spot, they may tow your car on a thursday, with no notice of this when you parked LEGALLY there…so you are ok with cars being towed and in some cases damaged (or towed to an unknown location) all so you can see our nabe on tv..you must be new to NYC..welcome, you clearly are easily impressed.

    Furthermore, many of these crews are rude and try to prevent you from walking down your own street…where you live for NOT FREE.

  • MonroeOrange

    yes..it was ridiculous..i’ve never seen that many blocks with no parking signs.

  • David on Middagh

    And that, folks, was MO’s final post. Yep, he’s been here so long, he’s used up his allotment! Time to move on, you jaded rascal. :)

  • MonroeOrange

    what’s jaded David..that my car has been towed in the past and i had to report it stolen, only to have the police tell me they found it 3 weeks later parked on Furman st (before Brooklyn bridge park was there), after it was towed while legally parked with no notice that it would be towed or where?…or is it jaded that they also prevented me from walking down my own block for 30 minutes bc they were filming? I’ve lived here all my life as has my family…i’m not asking for special treatment…i just want to be able to not have my property damaged and be able to walk into my own home when i want….not sure why you have an issue with that?

  • Brixtony

    I was pushed physically and threatened by a van driver from this crew because I dared to make a comment about him taking up the crosswalk on Clinton. He actually followed me, got out and started cursing. Took a picture of his license plate, but I was somewhat annoyed at the time and it’s not usable. BTW -I’m 66 and he wanted to fight me. A real macho man!

  • WellAdjustedAndroid

    I don’t even have a car here anymore. Its not even about moving a car to me. Its about getting dirty looks and asked to stay off set for just entering and exiting my apartment. I also strongly dislike corporate welfare.

    I just checked both industry codes on the US Dept of Labor website. The National Employment matrix says there will be 133 thousand people employed in Broadcasting and 122 thousand people employed in Motion picture production by the end up 2020 (up about 10, 000 jobs from 2010) Yet NY claims the tax credit created in 2006 created 150, 000 jobs and adds $7.1 billion annually. For context, the entire motion picture industry sells about $10 billion in movie theater tickets annually.

    Puh-lease. I find the NYS film office’s intelligence insulting press releases as bad as the inconvenience of dozens of film trailers on very narrow blocks.

  • wally haskell

    Rules were made to be broken, especially by film/tv production crews. (Public streets?) (When did notice signs go up?) (Did any signs go up?) (No, you can’t walk or park there!)

  • mlcraryville

    I
    came back from Atlantic Ave around 2:00 this afternoon and it appears that the current film
    company is shooting on three “sets” and has block fronts from Clark St. to Atlantic Ave. cordoned off. I counted at least ten block fronts coned off to us regular people and our delivery men, electricians,
    plumbers, etc etc.

    I wonder, has anyone in Michael (Mr. Metric) Bloomberg’s film division done any arithmetic to measure just what this incredible dislocation to
    daily life actually costs. In dollars. Not to mention aggravation and annoyance we hadn’t counted on.

    It’s ironic that the filming is something called hostages. Which is what we are being held as while they go about their merry way on Clark, Monroe, Pierrepont, Clinton, Remsen, Atlantic. Did I miss any cones or trucks?

    Could one ask “Why?” are ordinary folks like us being toyed with this way?

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Fritz the ditz

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    I actually agree with you on that one MO.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    FYI Y’all, Film crews have no authority to prevent anyone from walking down the street, they can only ask your for cooperation.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Call 311 ask for the mayors office

  • Alec

    The last straw was when I got home around 7 last night, at least on Pierrepont St, there were no trucks. And they weren’t there in the AM either. So did they block off the street and then not even use it?! WTF.

  • vital action

    if you own a leaf blower let it rip the one thing the film people can not stand is noise Leaf blowers are totally legal between 8am and Dusk

  • mlcraryville

    As to the BHA’s hang up with tow or no tow, we have to ask is that really the issue? Of course not. The issue is the multiple commandeering of our streets and the powerful impact that has on our daily lives.

  • GHB

    You lose all credibility when you write “Puh-lease”!

  • WellAdjustedAndroid

    What? Does that imply that the BHB commentariat has have cred to begin with?

  • David on Middagh

    I couldn’t think of a good comeback without going through the alphabet (Arch, Barch, …) so I flagged the post.

    > raspberry <

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Why did you feel it necessary to “think of a good comeback”, the comment wasn’t directed at you?
    Anyway, I thank you for the Barch complement.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Architecture
    it’s not too far from the truth :)

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Oh, I see it’s ok for you to poke fun at people.

  • MonroeOrange

    If he pushed you, you should have called the police immediately.

  • David on Middagh

    Well, I *am* being paid. (You’re not?) :)

  • BC

    I woke up to my apartment smelling like exhaust because I left my windows open to a big film crew setting up this morning – on Dean Street. Anyone know what film is being shot on Dean (at Smith) today, 10/1? Thanks!!