1.27.2006

rolling ... quiet please

the other day ian wanted to go for a walk before school. as we rounded the corner behind his school there were 'no parking' signs put up for thursday and friday (today). and at the back gate to the school, there was a sign saying they would be filming csi: miami, so first graders need to be picked up elsewhere.

since i had nothing better to do this morning after dropping ian off at school, i wandered down the street towards all the trucks and hububub. turns out they are filming at a house i've always looked at because it looks like my house but is just a tad bit funkier in a cool way. they also have a great play gym in the background that i've always admired.

i started chatting with some people who were also milling around, and later i found out the nice couple with the kids i was talking to were the owners of the house. apparently, a location scout just knocked on their door one day and asked if they could use their house. they were compensated (but can't disclose the amount) and put up in a hotel for the night (and they get all the ice cream they want from the catering fridge). their living room furniture was moved into the garage and the set crew brought in their own stuff and replaced the front door.

luckily, maya fell asleep soon after i got down the street, so i spent almost 2 hours watching the goings-on, taking some pictures (although tiny, that's david caruso in the second picture along with jonathan togo), and meeting neighbors. it was pretty exciting considering how normal and pretty quiet our little neighborhood usually is.

some observations: there are a lot of people who work on the set of filming; after all the equipment is set up, there's a lot of sitting and waiting around (and eating) going on; it takes a long time to film just a few minutes of footage; the actors get driven to the location, even though their trailers are less than a block away; some of the crew members ride bicycles to get around the set.

so, if you watch csi: miami in late february or early march and see a green one-story house, that's one block from where i live!

(i may drop by again with ian if he's interested. emily procter was supposed to show up at some point ...)

2 comments:

yucaree said...

the hummer is the one the csi folks drive in the show (kinda small but it says 'csi' on the door). i've always wondered why csi needs a hummer. wouldn't a sedan suffice??

to be honest, i'm not 100% sure, but i *think* the actors' traiers were only a block away. they were driven to the set in a van. the odd thing is, each actor arrived in separate vans!

grudge girl said...

That is too cool! I would've been completely nosy.

In 1989, in Paris, I came across Bob Hope, Bea Arthur, and Sid Caesar filming Bob Hope's 80th birthday special, on a bank of the Seine they had fixed up to look like some outdoor cafe. Sid Caesar was dressed up as the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but, like, as a waiter, serving Bob & Bea. HA! It was so funny!

I was totally gaga and lame (how lame does a 19 year old have to be to get gaga over Bob & Bea?), and poked around and got autographs and made conversation with Bob until some production assistant shooed me away.

Lame.

Your brush with greatness was much cooler than mine, girl.

I'm totally going to watch for your neighborhood!!!