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It's Movie Season on Your Street
You look out the window and see police chasing a shady-looking man carrying a bag and a gun. You quickly shut the window and debate hitting the floor. Then you see the dolly and a voice yells "cut!" Turns out it's an episode of "Law and Order," once again being filmed on your block. The presence of TV and film crews have always been a big part of living in Manhattan, and the cameras have rolled into Brooklyn recently in a big way. For celeb-watchers and film buffs, having a movie filmed in your neighborhood can be fun. You might find yourself, as a Brooklyn man did recently, having George Clooney pretend to be climbing into your backyard.

Significant tax breaks from the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting have given a boost to the city's film industry, which was in decline prior to the city's 2004 "Made in NY" incentive program. The industry has invested over $5 billion a year in New York's economy since the program launched.

While exploding cards and horses galloping up West 80th street might be exciting, some find relinquishing their street to film crews with trucks, lighting and equipment and stage platforms to be less thrilling. Nearly everyone has had the experience of having a huge light on a crane blasted through their window in the late evening hours. Another nuisance: When they won't let you into your apartment building. Can film crews block access to an area legally? It turns out that, yes, they can, if they have a permit to film there. They may be just looking out for your safety. It's up to the production to assure that the public is kept out of harm's way.

Sometimes the menace comes from residents themselves. Heaven help the poor soul whose job it is to try to separate a New Yorker from a hard-won parking space. Crew members recall being verbally attacked, spit on and sworn at in every language the five boroughs can muster—in addition to having people try to run them over with their cars, of course. It was reported recently that a parking assistant was whacked in the head with a traffic cone by someone peeved about having to move his car to make room for the film crew. What was being filmed there? "Law and Order."

Frequently asked questions about the film and TV crews on location: 
http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/locations/resident_faqs.html