Winter's Tale filming on Love Lane in Brooklyn Heights. (Photo via AnnLW's Instagram)
It's been a little over one week since we last discussed New Yorkers' disdain for an overabundance of filming in their neighborhoods. And certain neighborhood residents are especially complain-y... we're looking at you Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO. Now residents of "America's First Suburb" are trying to push Hollywood out once again.
According to DNAInfo the neighborhood saw 14 productions last month, each bringing trailers, tents, trucks, and film crews that blocked off sections of streets and sidewalks. To be fair, parking is very problematic in the neighborhood already, without the productions taking up spaces, but is this really a problem worth dusting off your soapbox for? Councilman Steve Levin thinks so.
Levin and a group of community members issued a statement to the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting asking for a temporary moratorium on filming in Brooklyn Heights. (Didn't this just happen?) In it Levin stated, “I understand and respect the fact that the movie and television industry provides revenue for the city and employs a number of New Yorkers. But residents of a single neighborhood, especially one that is primarily residential like Brooklyn Heights, should not have to bear the burden of on-street filming on an almost daily basis.” Aw, "My neighborhood is so photogenic that it's being filmed too much!"
The film Winter's Tale (starring Will Smith, Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Connelly) has been the latest to take over the area, and one local says there are problems associated with the 19th-century set, which includes white horses and fake snow—“Imagine every single thing that looks like the 21st century being removed from your block. Add snow blankets, and a horse, and it’s a lot for our small streets to take.” My god what A BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE.
Colin Farrell on a horse in Brooklyn Heights. (Pacific Coast News)
We've reached out to the Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment and will update when we hear back.
UPDATE: Marybeth Ihle, Press Secretary of the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, tells us they are "working with the community and elected officials to address their concerns about filming in Brooklyn Heights. We always communicate with and take into account community feedback so that New York City can remain film friendly. Residents should also understand that the film crews they see on their block are their fellow New Yorkers hard at work trying to support their families. The local production industry is made up of 130,000 New Yorkers and brings in $7.1 billion to the City’s economy each year."
