Blue Bloods, which has often filmed in LIC, does a shoot in Sunnyside
June 20, 2014 By Christian Murray
Hunters Point residents have complained for years about the excessive number of production companies filming in neighborhood—taking valuable parking spaces, creating noise and shining bright lights through people’s windows.
Residents will no longer have to contend with these issues for the next six months. The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has implemented a 6-month ban on filming (starting June 4) from 46th Avenue to 49th Ave., between Center Blvd and Vernon Blvd. The ban, first reported by the Daily News, essentially stops all filming on Vernon Blvd during that six month period.
The moratorium follows a letter sent by Community Board 2 in March complaining about the frequency of filming within a few select blocks in Hunters Point. The hotspots were deemed to be Vernon Boulevard, Borden Avenue and 48th Avenue.
Production companies have found Hunters Point to be an ideal place for filming—with its East River views and proximately to Manhattan.
Joe Conley, Chairman of Community Board 2, said that the city issued 15 film permits in the area during the first four months of the year. He said that Hunters Point had become the backdrop for shows such as The Good Wife, The Blacklist, The Black Box and Person of Interest.
“About two years ago, we had five different film shoots happening on one day,” Conley recalled.
Conley, who has worked with Van Bramer on the issue, said that nobody is trying to shut the film industry down. However, he said, the city should not grant production permits automatically. It should take into consideration the number of permits that have already been issued in the neighborhood.
