One one very hot afternoon, back around 1993, I was coming home from work and spotted a lot of people watching something on a side street. It was a movie set for the Macauley Culkin film, "Richie Rich." I joined the large crowd of spectators. I did not see any cameras out and concluded that it would be risky to try to shoot the scene, even tho I was about 90-100 feet away from Culkin, et al. Had my M4 & 50 cron. Easily got a couple shots of the set and I'm sure no on e of any importance saw me do this. In the crowd, outside of the barriers, were several little girls from the neighborhood whose mothers had them all dolled up, hoping for their daughters to be "dis-covered" by Hollywood. They were really cute and I lingered with Leica a bit too long, trying to have people get out of the frame, so I could grab a shot of these kids. Well, I got nervous and gave up on it and put the camera back into my bag. Just then, I found out about security on movie sets. It comes in 4 levels (in Chicago): 1) The Publisist. Pleasant fellow, about 40, salt-&-pepper hair, in short ponytail. He asked if I had taken any pictures. I said I had been trying to shoot a couple kids outside the perimeter. He told me that no photos are allowed at all, anywhere around the set and that I must, at all times, keep the camera put away. I told him that henceforth I would do that. I told him I had a 50mm lens on the camera and any details I would get would not be worth a lot from the distance I was from the scene. He replied that he realized that, but that others might see me using a camera and then everyone would whip out their cameras. I agreed. He left, but 20 feet behind him was the 2nd level of security, the guard. He was about 44 and rather beefy. This gent got in my face and chewed me out, telling me they could easily confiscate my camera (not just the film)! This I did not doubt one second, knowing Chicago's hunger fr-or movie industry revenues! He went off at me a while and I acted humble and finally he went off in a huff. Now, if needed, there is a Level 3 of security, as about 20 more feet behind him were several movie-star wannabees, built like bouncers from biker bars. These guys handle the heavy gear, props, lighting, etc. If the guard hollers "Hey, Rube!", these fellows arrive in force! After they finish with you, then comes Level 4, the Chicago Police Film Detail. These are 4 burly cops who sit in a squad car nearby. They would come over and blot you and the camera off the sidewalk and fill out the paperwork on you. After this episode, I gained a new appreciation for the poprazzi who shoot for Enquirer, etc!

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), November 16, 2001

Answers

I had a somewhat different experience taking photos on the set of "Minority Report," a Tom Cruise sci-fi movie that was being filmed in my office building (among other locations) this summer in Washington, DC. As usual, they didn't want people taking pix, & used rent-a-cops to put up a cordon, but didn't hassle bystanders too much. Plenty of folks managed to use their point & shoots; lucky for me, I had my M2 (see http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder.tcl?folder_id=163340). It may have helped that I was dressed for work in my business suit.

A few days later, there was 1 annoying personal assistant/publicist-looking guy who told me to stop taking pix of Cruise & Spielberg as they were going to lunch (this was inside the Willard Hotel), so I called his bluff & asked, "What are you going to do? Arrest me?" He got flustered & replied, "No, but I'll stick my hand in front of your lens & ruin your pictures." I was able to get around him, but my quarry had already escaped.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), November 16, 2001.