Accordng to this flyer taped to the Roosevelt Island Tram Station, there will be a film shoot today using one Tram Cabin from 1:30 -2:30 PM which will not interfere with Tram service.
Film production is big business for New York City and Roosevelt Island has had two production crews working here recently - the new
CBS Program Unforgettable
and the
USA Network Show White Collar.
Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (
RIOC) Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez shares this letter her received from
NYC Mayor's Office.
Hi Fernando,
I hope all is well. I just wanted to send you a “Thank You” on behalf of the NYC Film Office for all the assistance you & your team provided to the TV show Unforgettable. It is my understanding there were no stages available for the Sony/CBS show and they needed to film the first three episodes @ Roosevelt Island. Donna Masly and Michael Smith from your team as well as Keith Guerra from Public Safety were extremely accommodating by switching out the summer camp location so that the show could film as scheduled in NYC. The economic impact from each show is very important and creates jobs for individuals during tough economic times. Please pass along a sincere “Thank you” to all of your staff who was instrumental in facilitating the three days of work.
Best to all,
John
John Battista
Deputy Commissioner
Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting
Mr. Martinez explained the benefits to New York City of films being made here despite problems it caused for some residents
in this previous post. An excerpt:
... Currently, NYC is experiencing a boom in film production, fueled largely by a New York State tax incentive program. In fact, New York City is so busy with film productions that many shows are experiencing difficulty in booking into a qualified stage facility or sound studio. The "Unforgettable" experienced this difficulty first hand, and consequently, the pilot was in jeopardy of being pulled back to Los Angeles. By filming the series on Roosevelt Island, it enabled the show to stay here in NYC and thereby preserving its economic impact. Specifically, the production of the "Unforgettable", means that over the course of 12 episodes - 200 jobs will be saved and that $40 million dollars will be pumped into the New York City economy.
Finally, the production company is aware that its presence may be intrusive to some residents, and is willing to work cooperatively with residents to minimize any inconvenience....
Raye Schwartz, one of the Rivercross residents
who had problems with the intense light beams being used by the Unforgettable production crew shining into her apartment late at night from across the street responds to Mr. Martinez:
Image From Raye Schwartz
No…I don’t want black cloth covering my windows for two months.
No…I don’t want cloth that’s been in a pile on a dusty truck hanging in my home in the height of allergy season.
No…I don’t want black cloth in my home which may have hung somewhere else with bedbugs.
No…I don’t appreciate lies from RIOC…you said it would be done August 18th, and almost at the end (August 16th) you changed your tune and got around to letting us know it’s at least July and August!
It’s not just a matter of lights in the bedroom: it’s in EVERY room of my home including my living room, kitchen and dining room! See the enclosed photos of tonight’s lights.
If CBS can afford a production company which paid RIOC $88,000 for permits for 2 months, they can surely afford a few hundred dollars to put some shields or covers on those torture lights so they don’t cause ongoing intrusions and suffering for residents. And no, Fernando, their so-called solution is not an indication that they are going to work cooperatively with us.
By the way, their so-called indemnification only covers RIOC: I called several of the insurance companies on the NY City film board list, so even if I let one of the film crew in to hang cloth on my windows, they could fall off a stool or ladder (the tops of the plate glass windows are 7 ½ ft above the floor) and break their neck and then sue me! The indemnification is only for the entity that grants the permits (RIOC), not for nearby residents who are inconvenienced! That means if they break or damage my furniture I’m S.O.L. and if they get hurt hanging or removing that stuff and sue me, I have to in turn sue you and by the time it gets to court there’ll be 2 more governors and RIOC regimes!
Although the shoot actually began on Thursday, July 30th, we received no notification until August 10th in this advisory, and that’s only because a number of us called or screamed, or we still would not have received any notice:...
... While it’s wonderful that our film industry is flourishing in New York, it’s not wonderful that the folks at RIOC are either so star struck or inept that they are neglecting the welfare of our residents. Just as a reminder, RIOC officers have a fiduciary responsibility, which is not only financial, but as officers of the corporation they must protect our interests. This fiasco is an absolute breach of that fiduciary responsibility!
fiduciary, in law, a person who occupies a position of such power and confidence with regard to the property of another that the law requires him to act solely in the interest of the person whom he represents. Examples of fiduciaries are agents, executors and administrators, trustees, guardians, and officers of corporations. They may be contrasted with persons in an ordinary business relationship, in which each party is free to seek purely personal benefits from his transactions with the other.
I, too, look forward to more filming and photography, on Roosevelt Island, but not when it’s mishandled the way this was, because in all the 30 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never experienced any film or photo shoot so poorly managed!
Raye Schwartz
Image From Raye Schwartz
