Did You Get The Notice?

Filming notices don't come in the mail in Hollywood. They are posted all over neighborhoods and surrounding businesses so residents will be aware that film crews are arriving soon.

The notices I'm talking about are filming notice signs.  Here's an example of what a typical notice looks like:

An extra long photo for your viewing pleasure.

These notices went up in our neighborhood last week for a shoot that happened this past Monday and Tuesday. I often take Doc for a walk on the street listed on the notice. The two of us walked past the home where the filming took place earlier this week. The street was filled with production trucks, security, parking restrictions, actors, crew members and PA's who took a break from being ordered around to bond with Doc for a few minutes.

Los Angeles residents see these signs on a daily basis and rarely give them a second glance. It's not uncommon to see them posted on restaurant doors, apartment buildings, light poles and school fences (just like the above photo).

The notices are issued by FilmLA and the signs are known as "neighborhood notifications". The signs give the neighborhood a "heads up" that film trucks will be rolling into their neighborhood. The notices usually appear two or three days before a production crew arrives in a neighborhood.

The notices also contain the contact information for the production company as well as the number for FilmLA in case there are any questions or concerns from the neighbors. Many neighborhoods don't mind filming happening in their area (it is Hollywood after all) but the residents do need to be aware of any special effects or stunts that might be part of the filming schedule.

The notices also give people enough time to decide if they want to sit back and watch the magic happen or if they want to make plans elsewhere in LA until filming is over for the day.

The ratio for filming in the neighborhood is 60/40. About 60% of the time, it all just blends in with the regular neighborhood activity. The other 40% of the time, it is a pain to navigate around the road barriers and random crew members standing in the middle of the road smoking.

On the plus side, it's like the circus has come to town each time a film crew arrives for a location shoot.  There is a ton of activity, cool lights, too many people crowded in work vehicles so they look like clown cars and the occasional wild animal is part of the fun.

This actor has worked on a few projects that required neighborhood notifications.