LAUREL CANYON—I decided to allow my house to be used for an Indie Film shoot. I had 50 house guests for a 14-hour rave. My motivation was to do my part to support our local economy. We’ve been told that the movie business is fleeing Los Angeles because, we the locals, are inhospitable. As a newbie, I signed up for a one-day shoot.

Before the day of the shoot there were several visits by directors, producers, line crew and camera operators. They were on time for their appointments and unfailingly polite. Then came the exchange of paperwork. I wanted to be protected against them totally trashing my house—which was the gossip I’d heard on the street—and them not wanting to have to “buy me a new lawn if they stepped on mine.”  We worked it out.

I sent an e-mail to the neighbors, many of whom work in the film/television/cable industry giving them a heads up before the No Parking signs hit the curb. I had a “location rep,” which turned out to be a major advantage. Rosalee was here the day of the shoot even before the appointed beginning of a 14-hour day. I was caught in my jammies. I hadn’t even taken a shower.

At the appointed hour, the crew, which I thought I understood to be a team of 20 but was closer to 50, made a mad dash into the house. Before I knew it, various departments had claimed and squatted in various rooms and areas all over the house. It was overwhelming. They were like goldfish in a bowl.

Right from the jumpstart Rosalee laid down the law. No food in the house. A very smart move in hindsight, though it was the minions that balked, while the various department heads were obliging. I got a lot of, “Oops, I didn’t know,” remarks. But Rosalee ran a tight ship. She made them put down a protective covering over my hardwood floors, which really saved them. The crew was told to walk on the protected areas only. She’s a mom, so she has eyes in the back of her head. No one put anything over on her, and by definition, on me.  Rosalee shoo-ed any crew member out of the house and made them lounge outside. They retreated to their cars as the sun went down.

Wisely, Rosalee had urged me to set aside an area where I could hang out, check on the goings-on, but have some private space.  I needed to be around for endless questions and streams of questions such as, “Can we borrow/use this?” To which the response was mostly, “No.”

Most of the crew was very nice; however, some felt an entitlement and were disrespectful of my property. I suspect that they don’t treat their own possessions with such carelessness. A few others, which surprisingly included the set teacher, treated my home with the same insouciance I expect they treated their mother’s house.

So what did I learn?  Overall it was not as bad an experience as I expected.  I wouldn’t do it without a location rep. I’d do a written “Opps I didn’t Know List”.  You really get sick of hearing it by the end of the day. I’d have made them spell out which rooms they wanted to use.

I’m glad 50 people had a chance to work; even if it was only for a day.

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