Lights! Camera! Sound! Bullhorns!: WGA Strike hits Historic Core

By Ed Fuentes
Published: Wednesday, November 07, 2007, at 02:20PM

Protest Ed Fuentes [Flickr]
Noise Ed Fuentes [Flickr]

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When you heard the WGA planned to have picket lines at film locations, did you wonder whether it would mean GilVille would see some civil unrest?

This morning, 18 writers were on 4th Street, between Spring and Main, disrupting filming for Warner Bros project "Big Shot." The whistles, shouting, and bullhorns were not constant, but timed when strikers heard "rolling", adding to the noise of cars passing by honking horns in support.

It frustrated a below-the-line sound crew member who was trying to lay down a soundtrack, and he shouted at the strikers to be quiet (not in those words). A Teamster, still working the shoot reluctantly, told the sound person to be quiet (not in those words).

One writer, who would only say he is on a top ten comedy show (that's it, tell me the resume but not the name) said they were able to stop filming early this morning for 2 hours. That didn't go over well for a local resident who stuck his head out the window and gave strikers his opinion of the WGA picket line tactics (again, not in those words).

Sad irony is, I heard a film crew member tell another crew member "That picket line is really disrupting the neighborhood."

Update (6pm): Sean Bonner writes about this same scene over at blogging.la. Also, blogdowntown photo pool member archie4oz took some shots, two of which I'm including after the jump.

Protesting Writers...

Irony

Overhead photos by archie4oz. Top two photos by Ed Fuentes.

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Comments

1
Maxximoo writes:

They really were though. Film crews may make some noise, but it normally doesn't bug me.

I live at the corner of 4th and Spring and I couldn't sleep this morning, even after working most of the night. This really is the most disruptive thing I can remember.

Isn't there some law about public nuisance or noise pollution or SOMETHING? Not to say that i disagree with the strike but if i went out there and blew whistles in peoples' faces all day while they tried to eat...wouldn't i get charged with something? or am i really allowed to do that?

also...I kinda hope that when the DGA or SAG go on strike that they scream in writers' ears if they sit in front of a keyboard.

# on Nov.07.2007 AT 03:03 PM
2
MetroRapid writes:

I would hope DGA and SAG members would not be crossing any WGA picket lines!

Nothing is ruder than a "union" member who does not exercise her or his legally protected right to honor a bona fide picket. Perhaps more pickets on productions Downtown will remind obnoxious film crews how tenuous their acceptance in the neighborhood is. It's surprising to me the neighborhood itself has not begun to picket against filming, period.

Ed gets it right on here:

Sad irony is, I heard a film crew member tell another crew member "That picket line is really disrupting the neighborhood."

# on Nov.07.2007 AT 09:02 PM
3
jeremy writes:

"Isn't there some law about public nuisance or noise pollution or SOMETHING? Not to say that i disagree with the strike but if i went out there and blew whistles in peoples' faces all day while they tried to eat...wouldn't i get charged with something? or am i really allowed to do that?"

um, maximoo, perhaps you are forgetting...umm...the rights to freedom of assembly and speech? yes i'm sure you could get a noise pollution fine for doing this at 2 am, but holding a protest on public property in a city center in the middle of the day seems...well... a basic right throughout the liberal democracies of the world. i know you wanted your sleep but let's not forget the basics here.

# on Nov.07.2007 AT 11:36 PM
4
Bert Green writes:

Noise ordinances are in effect at all hours, but they are less strict from 7 am to 10 pm. It's about the decibel level.

The strikers clearly do not understand that they were in an area with a heavy residential population. The first strikers appeared after 5 am on Main Streets, and prevented the Teamster drivers from entering base camp. It woke up lots of people on Main.

# on Nov.08.2007 AT 12:12 AM
5
jeremy writes:

Yes, they are in effect at all hours; but not only are they less strict during the daytime, as you note, but courts tends to disfavor the enforcement of such ordinances when they restrict peaceful, first amendment-related activities. what i mean is, the picketers have a much hiher standard to meet for disturbing the peace than would, say, a thrash-metal band set up on the sidewalk.

# on Nov.08.2007 AT 01:50 AM
6
MetroRapid writes:

Get rid of the filming, get rid of the pickets -- except the one already in "GilVille" because of Gimore's issues with his projects.

# on Nov.08.2007 AT 08:45 AM
7
Dan in LA writes:

"Get rid of the filming, get rid of the pickets"

REALLY???????

I spent the last week or so working in Van Nuys. No film crews there. Nothing to look at for miles, I for one am glad I live in a neighborhood worth dragging a film crew to. And - think what you may of the WGA fighting to get even more money for writing even more tripe for TV, I am also glad to live in a land that gives us all the freedom to make some extra curricular noise now and then...

# on Nov.09.2007 AT 02:46 AM
8
MetroRapid writes:

Nothing is worse than an obnoxious, "union" film crew which crosses the bona fide picket line of a sister union to work.

It's not a noise thing "Dan in LA", it's a property owner allowing filming during a writers' strike thing.

Property owners saying "no" to filming Downtown during a labor action will do more for a strike than a half-dozen writers holding pickets.

# on Nov.09.2007 AT 08:39 AM
9
Dan in LA writes:

Metro,

I miss understood your comment..... point well made.

Carry on....

# on Nov.11.2007 AT 10:31 PM
10
Dan in LA writes:

um, misunderstood, not miss, miss....

# on Nov.11.2007 AT 10:34 PM

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