Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones have all filmed movie scenes in Kenner recently, and indirectly, helped the city with some new legislation. Kenner officials tried out proposed commercial filming guidelines on movies that have been filmed in the city over the past few weeks. And on Thursday, the Kenner City Council unanimously adopted the new law giving...
Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones have all filmed movie scenes in Kenner recently, and indirectly, helped the city with some new legislation.
Bruce Willis, in a scene from 'Cop Out.' The actor signed on to shoot the dramatic comedy 'Lay the Favorite' in New Orleans starting in mid-May. Kenner officials tried out proposed commercial filming guidelines on movies that have been filmed in the city over the past few weeks.
And on Thursday, the Kenner City Council unanimously adopted the new law giving the city more control over filming.
"I think this is a good piece of legislation," said Councilwoman Maria DeFrancesch. The law encourages filming and protects constituents, she said.
DeFrancesch helped the city attorney's office develop the regulations after an incident in February, when the Oxygen Channel's "Bad Girls Club" got ready to start filming in a Chateau Estates home. Neighbors were upset about the racy reality TV show, and the city tried unsuccessfully to pull the plug.
"No one knew about it until it was too late," DeFrancesch said. "From something bad something good sometimes comes."
The new law requires filmmakers to fill out a permit application.
Before a permit is issued, the film company must notify effected residents, occupants and businesses, of the duration and location of filming, planned special effects, road and lane closures or any other pertinent information, the legislation says.
A "film committee" of city directors and the council member from the affected district will meet with film representatives and award the permit. That means the applicant won't have to go around City Hall seeking out different directors.
"It (is) one-stop shopping," said Tamithia Shaw, assistant city attorney and interim code enforcement director.
Councilman Gregory Carroll had asked that the district council member be included in the committee. "So we'll be able to answer our constituency when they call us to ask us what is going on," he said.
Councilman Joe Stagni applauded the film committee's all-in-one makeup. "You don't run the risk of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing," which sometimes happens in city government, he said.
If the film committee denies a permit, the filmmakers can appeal to the City Council.
Kenner resident Walt Bennetti told the council that he worried about the law's possibly "onerous" impact on businesses. He asked about businesses filming a commercial on their own property.
Councilwoman Michele Branigan said someone might be filming on their own property but it still would affect neighbors. "Who measures whether it impacts somebody?" she asked.
Shaw said film companies would need to call the city's code enforcement department to determine whether a permit is needed.
DeFrancesch compared it to a homeowner doing work on their house and calling the city to see whether a permit is required.
Councilman Kent Denapolis said he would support the ordinance and said it doesn't appear that companies filming commercials on their own property would require permits because they wouldn't affect their neighbors.
The law differentiates between different types of productions and contains exceptions from the permit requirements for news media, family video, sports photography and studio productions.
Officials removed parts of an earlier draft of the ordinance that regulated hours of filming and required a set permit fee.
"What we're trying to do is encourage films to come here," Shaw said.
Filmmakers will be required to pay for city services, if required for the production, such as police detail.
Officials learned that requiring productions to film during only daytime hours wasn't always feasible. That lesson came from a Brad Pitt movie that filmed overnight at a north Kenner apartment complex.
"It went practically unnoticed because of the time," Shaw said. She said the residents didn't have a problem with the production. She intimated, however, that one reason neighbors didn't have a problem might have been because of the star power involved. "Of course, with Brad Pitt being there..."