All photos by Joe Stargensky.
Here’s the scoop on the film crew that’s been seen around OB lately. They are shooting for an upcoming pilot for an hour long comedic private-eye show.
The project, from Fox21, centers on two PI partners with maturity issues who solve crimes while trying to avoid danger and responsibility.
On June 09, 2009 the filming network gave a green light to “Terriers,” a show from “The Shield” creator Ryan and “Ocean’s Eleven” writer Ted Griffin. The idea came from Griffin, a “Shield” fan who penned an episode of the gritty FX cop drama.
OBviously, with fake Ocean Beach police cars and police department, the pilot pushes the edge of police-community relations to new highs.
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Just so credit is given where credit is due it’s fair to mention that Joe Stargensky took the photos. Joe is Assistant Location Manager for the show “Terriers” and he works for 20th Century Fox Television.
Muir resident here. While I appreciate the additional business that a show like this is bound to bring to OB, I cannot support their presence here. Obviously this opinion is biased by half of our street parking spots reserved for the film crew — who incidentally do not use even half of the two blocks at any one time.
I did not feel compelled to write anything here until I heard two of their security guards yelled at our neighbor for talking too loud!! Outrageous.
I agree!! Parking was a nightmare last night. They are also filming at my local watering hole closing it for two days. What do they expect us to do? Go to a different bar? They obviously don’t know OB residents!! ;)
I guess now comes the debate whether having crews film in OB is good for our community. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand it’s kind of exciting having the crews and actors around.(I like watching the process because I’m interested in filmmaking).Also seeing OB on TV is kind of neat(as long as people don”t know where it really is). Then there’s the fact that they have spent money at our shop. During the filming of The X List they ordered several batches of t-shirts from us.
On the other hand it can be a big hassle and inconvenice.
Blocking off streets, taking up parking,and generally disrupting our normal pace of life in OB.
During the filming of the X List there was some intense filming going on in the 5000 block of Narragansett ave. Many of the residents where in a uproar and wanted to chase them out of town.I don’t blame them because I saw first hand how disrupting it was since I live only a block away.
So begs the question wasup.
pat – i hear ya. jon – that is outrageous! can’t believe it. what block is that? perhaps a bunch of us should meander over there and talk loudly. it’s actually a lot of bs – i get madder the more i think of it. i wish you had never told us – i’m pissed off.
God Loves a Terrier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC8rZq3oKuI
Careful messing with those film crew types. They know a few dirty tricks for hemming people up. My friend is in that line of work and one day I told him that “I was gonna buy an air horn” just in a joking manner. He informed me that they will throw accusations of extortion toward anyone messing with their production.
billraydrums – perhaps you should watch these guys and see if they leave their trash around.
I know in some places, neighborhood groups like block associations are compensated for the disruption and the overall inconvenience. What, if anything, are the residents affected by the filming getting out of this?
O’ Lane – good point. And who approved them filming in OB? Was this out of the Mayor’s office? I know he has been courting Hollywood lately? Were any OB community organizations consulted? The OB Mainstreet Assoc? the OB Town Council? the OB Planning Board? The XYZ Church Knitting Circle? WAs anyone in OB consulted? Where is the OB Ranger when you need him?
The OB ranger! How funny, we were just talking about him last night.
I know some of the residents displaced by the filming of the X-List show were given stipend fees of around $500 for each day they were inconvenienced. Not sure about this show.
Jon – who’s “we” kemo sabe?
Yes, during the other filming – I forget what the name was – a friend of a friend was given $5000 for the use of his apartment on Narragansett.
Bodysurferbob- If I had time I would. Perhaps the community should let them know that we are all watching and that we love where we live, and take great exception to “guests” trashing our little slice of paradise.
All in all, I think they realize this and maintain professionalism.
Another Muir resident here with my two cents on the current shoot of ‘Terriers.’ We received a hand delivered notice about the upcoming filming 2 weeks before production began (a nice courtesy indeed). Listed on the one page letter was the name of the Production Co’s contact who welcomed contact from local residents with any concerns they may have.
One day while sitting out front, I watched as a member of the prep crew callously toss his cigarette butt on the sidewalk, stamp it out, and walk away. With letter in hand, I headed over to where the crew was and introduced myself to Jason, the Production Co’s main contact. I told him what I saw and voiced my concerns about disreguarded butts ending up in the ocean. I told him how one of my neighbors surfs regularly and had “eaten” a cigaretted butt while surfing one day. Always wanting to present a solution to a challenge, I handed him an empty coffee can and strongly suggested that his crew use it from now on for ALL discarded butts. He was very open to my concerns and thanked me for bringing it to his personal attention. He agreed that this shouldn’t have happened and assured me that they would not discard any more butts on the ground. I also told him that if I saw another member of his crew discard one more butt, I would approach them personally and make them eat the butt themselves – saving our surfers from suffering such fate. We laughed at that (he must have thought I was kidding) and went about our individual business.
I have kept an eye on the street where the crew is working and have not seen an unusual amount of discarded cigarette butts around. So far, Jason has been a man of his word.
So while the production crew presents little issue with me, the security company’s guards were the final straw for me last night. While sitting quietly in my garden (around 7pm) I couldn’t help but overhear two of the on-site security guards speaking rather loudly between themselves. They must have been speaking loudly because as I turned to see where the voices were coming from they were standing in the middle of the street – a good distance from my peaceful garden. I politely asked them if they wouldn’t mind moving down the road as their talking was disturbing me. Without a moments hestitation, another guard standing on the sidewalk outside my property yells in the rudest, gruffest voice I’ve heard in OB in a long, long time, “Your voice is louder than their’s!” Needless to say, I was stunned by his rude and unexceptable attitude/behavior. I reminded him, in no uncertain terms, that he was a guest in this neighborhood and sought out his supervisor, who just happened to be on-site.
Her name is Pat Worthy (I think that’s her last name). She was genuinely disturbed about what happened and remedied it immediately and professionally by moving the rude guard away from our property, brought another guard to the front of our property, introduced him to me personally, and stating again that if I had any other concerns to contact her without hesitation. She pointed out to me that the guards are not supposed to be standing together at any time and that she would remind the two loud talking guards as to their duties here. When I got up this morning, Pat was again on-site supervising her crew.
Now I’m all for additional monies being spent here in OB, yet at what cost? I think anyone doing business in OB from ‘the outside world’ needs to be strongly counciled as to some basic principles as to how to conduct themselves when guests in our town. Littering? Totally unexceptable!!! Yelling at residents? Again, totally unexceptable!!!!
And what happens if this pilot gets picked up? Does that mean the crew with all their “Hollywood energies” be here disrupting OB’s peace on a full time basis? Will this pilot identify the actual location of our town? Let’s hope not. Geeze, even the Simpsons never revealed the actual location of Springfield. I’m seriously not down to live in OBwood.
I say let’s leave Hollywood outta OB.
Sorry, BillRay, couldn’t resist, given your encounter the other day with that family that left trash at one of the pocket beaches.
A crew member parked in front of my driveway. The whole street is available for them. Jerk. Have some manners or go away “Terriers”.
Really hoping they don’t return after Tuesday. Are they?
Molly – Me and all my little lefty friends @ OB rag circle. ;)
I had actually never heard of him. It was a really funny, interesting story. Someone who knows more should do a story for the blog….
I like Pat’s comment “seeing OB on TV is kind of neat(as long as people don’t know where it really is)”
I agree! But, I really dug seeing O.B. in the movie “Almost Famous” and other TV shows as well. I think the filming here adds some excitement to our little town.
As long as the crews are respectful of the locals, it shouldn’t be a problem, and I’d have to think that they are spending money at our local business establishments.
Oh, and the record, I’m not a lefty but rather an ambidextrous Independent. ;)
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any of these folks supporting our local independent businesses. I even gave several friendly suggestions to them, in case they were not familiar with the businesses available to them in the vicinity.
I’ve seen them supporting the corporate formula-business establishments though. More money slipping out of our local economy to some far off corporate headquarter that doesn’t give a hoot about lovely OB!
if the series gets picked up, i think we will see local businesses being patronized. (especially food and drink places) when the crew becomes familiar with their surroundings. With the economy in it’s current condition, i can put up with some noise and parking trouble for some $$…but if they litter……..adios!!!
I’ve got a great idea for a sitcom. A television crew comes to a little ocean town. The residents of the town leave flaming bags of shit outside their trailers. I guess it’s more of a one act play. The kids call em flash mobs.
i know, OB is so boring. dave finds the film crews giving us some excitement. gee, in just the last few months we had a killing by the library, which by the way has not been solved. we had to save the library from the city’s axe – so there were some demonstrations around that. Then we had the craziness associated with blondstone and then rock paper scissors, then of course the street fair, oh, don’t forget last fall’s german-style beer fest, then the other beer and music fest this year, then we had july 4th, the marshmallow fight and its controversy, and that guy chris bowd’s being knocked out and in a coma. yeah, OB has been so boring of late…..
Steven, I think you would agree that the sitcom would be made even funnier if the flaming poo had little googly eyes. Cue laugh track as the googly eyes begin to melt! I think you’re definitely on (to) something….
;)
OBSteven – what, are you a comedian or sumptin? Okay, so the film crew comes to a small beach town to do a sitcom, and they’re met by an angry mob of residents who complain all their parking has been usurped by the crew and their cronies. So the producer appears – close up of sweaty brow and upper lip – in front of the mob. Trailer in the background. Surf sounds turned up. Screaming seagulls fill the air. Tension rises.
He outlines what his company is willing to do for the community: they will replace the old over-crowded library that the community has to use; they will replace the old life guard station and its crummy, leaking bathrooms, they will even straighten out the pier that has a crook in it, they will hire moms and pops from the neighborhood to staff the empty store fronts, make the old BofA building a concert venue, they will support a call for a moratorium on all gentrifying construction, …
At this point the crowd is going wild, yelling, screaming their enthusiasms for these promises – and start chanting “Yes you can! Yes you can!”
Everyone is happy. The crowd disperses – the film crew turns to do their job. The pilot is finished. The crews depart … and … and… hey, don’t forget – this is Hollywood South – you believed them???!!!
molly, that isn’t even funny. although it’s poignant (look that one up reid)
bodysurferbob,
I never said OB was boring, it’s anything but… I’m just trying to figure out what’s up with all of the intolerance from my fellow dudes and dude-ettes….
I have to agree with you Dave. I do however understand how it can be irritating at times. I no longer live in CA. But when I am there OB is my favorite place to be. I love the acceptance that everyone displays and their laid back state of mind. Everyone just kind of goes with the flow. it seems like one of the few towns where brotherly love hasn’t been washed away by modern times. This town would be one of the places I would think people would flow with it, this would be the place I would have picked. I hope people are able to look at the bright side of things and not let little inconveniences be a deal breaker for them. I now live in PA.. but I miss my hometown so bad. I was so excited when I turned on the TV and saw OB. I was so jazzed to see my favorite little taco shop, the black, the shell store all the places I walk past and shop in when I am home. I am sure there are thousands of other people out there who feel the same way.. It so makes me homesick though. I hope people dont throw a fit about them filming there because I would be totally heartbroken to never see those actual places again. I think that town has so many other things to do or places to go to for just a bit while they film.
How is affecting the farmers market? Now that would make me sad if that was put on hold for shooting..LOL.. :D
LOL now is the “intolerance” coming from your fellow OBceans or the crews and their security that show up?
It’s coming from everywhere bro, haven’t you heard? The sky is falling ;)
Here’s my deal. I’ve lived here for many years. While tourists are to be expected to screw up and be boneheads that leave crap behind, film crews are paid workers that ought to display a bit of professionalism in what they do. Is that too much to ask?
Whenever I play a gig, I make sure that my part of the stage is clean when I leave. It’s a very small part in a strategy that has kept me working as a musician for 25+ years. So, with trade professionals would not you expect a certain level of decorum? If they are on my street I will do my part for the community to see that they are respectful guests. Not that I’m going to be a curmudgeon and sit and watch their every move (I ain’t got time, Johnboy!) but if everyone keeps eyes out, we are all better off. And that’s what keeps us unique.
A few title suggestions for our (developing) sitcom…..
The OBcean that ate Hollywood
O…B….cool
Not in my town
Silence of the OBcean
….got any more? lol
I have not seen anything that you guys have seen. I think the film crew have been extremely respectful of the businesses and are in fact, spending money in our businesses. I am a business owner in OB and I always have film crew in when they’re filming in OB.
They are on Voltaire by Pat’s liquor store. Not sure if its Pat, but he’s always friendly and like the pooches. Well, at least when I’ve gone in to his business, he’s always kicked down a slim jim for the dog. The only gripe I have, they take up the parking, but didn’t say, by the way, two nights only, you can park at the dog beach lot due to the inconvenience or offer some other place out at the ball fields. They’ve just blocked it off for the two nights, with no options for where to park as suggestions. Not a huge hassle, but it’s something they should think about.
Don’t really mind them, if they spend a little money and talk-up and promote our little town when they get back to wherever they live maybe send some folks our way or come back themselves. I just really hope THIS show doesn’t TANK like the other one did. Anyone know when is is supposed to air?
I was told it would air about April/May IF FX picks it up as a series. They’ve only been filming the pilot these last couple of weeks so if the series gets picked up, they’ll be back, I hope!
They filmed this at my bestfriend’s duplex, and it was ALOT of fun, everyone was really cool and it was an awesome experience to be a part of, we learned alot about the ‘movie’ business.
I live about 2 houses down from where they shot on Santa Cruz, and no additional noise or any problems, other than parking. It worked out well for us, and I look forward to seeing the finished product.
Sat through a “test screen” focus group in Chicago for this show the other day…they said it was a rough cut, but looked OK to me. Some people liked it, some felt it was hit/miss. Probably will get produced given the $$ behind the writers and FX.
So sorry for you OB’ers who are so hassled by traffic and parking inconveniences…you obviously have never been to Chicago. Toughen up.
Maybe they picked OB because they HAD been to Chicago. It doesn’t make you a better person to live in a lousier place.
Another Muir resident here…in fact I live in the apt right next to the one being filmed in. The second day of filming the director and other crew members practically set up shop on my front steps to conduct their filming/directing. I was amazed at how many people it takes to create a TV show. They also payed us off to remove our dogs for 2 days for filming (due to the barking). And yeah they took up our street for 2 days and we had to park out of the way.
However…with all that said….it didn’t bother me ONE BIT!!!!
I heard many of my neighbors bitching about this and that, complaining in general, and then reading this blog….gimme a break. IT WAS 2 DAYS OUT OF YOUR LIFE!! Ocean Beach will (and always will) be fine. Nothing is going to ruin our community, especially something as benign as a TV show being filmed here. I mean, how cool it that?! You can’t tell me that it won’t be awesome to say to a friend, “hey, watch this show…my house is in the background!”…or “That’s the coffee shop I go to everyday!”.
I swear, people have nothing better to do than complain. I’ve lived in OB for 7 years and once before for 5 years. I love it here. I love the community, the people, the shops, the dogs….nearly everything. Except when people BITCH about nothing. Was it really that big of a deal? The crew was super nice to me…the director let me sit in his chair and watch the filming, play with the equipment, meet the cast (Donal Logue even asked me how I was doing with all the craziness and if it was bothering me), I got to take some great pictures…and it made for a great story to share with people.
That’s all.
OK-so, I’ve read all of the comments below and want to put another side out there. I am a S.D. resident and location manager. The production company goes to the city, pays sizeable fees for working there, parking fees and myriad of other fees they decide to through at you along the way. We also pay for law enforcement labor-required by the city. We also pay for Fire Dept. labor, another requirement. We also pay fees to anyone whose property is on camera, is used for parking, is used for catering or storage of equipment. We also do all we can to make sure the neighborhood knows what we intend to do and when. We try very hard to let them know what inconveniences may be coming their way and to minimize those.
I know it can be a pain but we try very hard to make it fun and minimally invasive. It sucks when you get a jerk like the smoker referred to below who left a butt or a guard that gets a little too full of himself. We work at monitoring that.
I did “John From Cincinnati” in I.B. and I think we left with more people on our side than against us. The neighborhood we worked in got cleaned up because of the constant law enforcement presence, the neighbors came to visit every day and often joined us at lunch. The local businesses got a lot of business from our cast and crew and many locals ended up in the show.
Just a last word: Work has been drying up in San Diego for years. If we cannot embrace a least some production work on our streets, the business will not come here at all. We’re all struggling in this economy. Try to give it a chance.
You Obitians do nothing but cry and complain. Gosh!!
It would probably be more accurate to say you “bloggers” do nothing but cry and complain. Gosh!! I’m even crying and complaining about you complaining about OB residents. Double Gosh!!
That being said, there was a film crew that took up the parking lot at Point Loma cleaners. Apparently they’re filming a movie about Dry Cleaning?? “Hold the Starch II” or something? They blocked off part of the street and I had to get home a different way, but so what. I thought it was cool to see them there. I live 50 yards away. Didn’t bother me.
I’m complaining about your response to complaints – boo, waah! And about the road work crews that I’ve been running into the last week after I take my daughter to school – road repairs out of OB!
Okay, do I win most-posts-of-the-day yet?
I think so, let me check my calculator.
You people in OB should be happy Hollywood gave you the time of day. This will generate business for the shops and restaurants. This is a good thing for OB and San Diego. It just might put OB on the map.
That’s right,bringing more $ into OB won’t attract the thieves, scammers and predatory elements. Naw, more money will solve all our problems. Where have I heard that before? Why can’t we understand that more capitalism isn’t the solution to the problems of capitalism. OB is an address not an attitude. Stay out of my Peoples Republic, yuppie scum!
you sound like a bad stero type character from a TV show. The Hollywood man is keeping the hippie down. come on, let’s project a better image of OB.
OK, Nanners you’re the boss. But like all the bosses you don’t have a sense of humor. Maybe a good ol’ hotfoot will make you laugh. HAHAHA…Other than that what do you suggest I do to improve the image of OB? Drive a Range Rover? Drink Starbucks? Flip real estate? Show intolerance? Become suspicious of others? Get a job? Take a bath? Join the military? Been there, done that. It’s the politics of experience my friend not what others wish me to be that molds me character!-Bon Jouvie
The problem is that if we end up ‘on the map,’ so to speak, it’s going to be virtually impossible to get off!
You assume we want to be on this map you speak of.
No, the film is called “Out Damn’d Spot: A Steamy look at the Lady MacBeth Dry Cleaners.”
Please refer to previous post.
:)
Do you mean your previous comments? Please answer my previous questions :>p
saw that one coming as soon as i clicked submit
:P
I agree with Kelly. Ocean Beach residents may be whining, but we were happy when a recent episode was filmed in City Heights! The film crew found a beachy looking cottage, set up a few surf boards and went to work. Your loss is our gain! :-)
My main concern is that if the production companies are paying money to the City of SD to be here, then the city should allocate a portion of that to much-needed work in OB on streets, sidewalks, etc. If we have to deal with the inconveniences of having filming done in our town, we should reap some benefit other than hoping that the crews spend money in our local establishments.
I do like seeing OB on TV/in movies, but like someone else posted – I don’t want these people to ACTUALLY know where our town is…. that’s not the type of tourists that we need, in my humble opinion.
Sorry to all my fellow OBceans that are being negatively affected by this – I lived one block away from my current abode during the Ex List filming, and they screwed us over regularly. On my block (knock on wood), so far no problems… And good luck to the business owners – I hope you get some much-needed increases in business from this.
ok so i was a little peeved today about them taking all the damn parking at the OB Coin Laundry place… BUT… the guys who’s truck i parked in front of (who was a part of the fox production crew) was SUPER nice… he asked how long i would be and I told him that I wasnt sure considering they left us NO ROOM to park anywhere but appletree parking lot… (who I can say is NOT happy with so many people in their parking lot) anyway he was EXTREMELY pleasant which I was NOT expecting… so that is a plus? I was impressed by him though and only him… everyone else seemed kinda poopy.
** cheers to the older man driving the big black orange and red semi!!**
~~B~~
As a native San Diegan and former OB local who now lives in Manhattan, I find the reactions to the typical film crew quite amusing.
I used to live in OB when I first moved to San Diego 6 years ago and I am saddened by all of the negative comments I’ve read over this. I realize that community is important, but there are a lot of really great San Diego residents (myself included) who count on the jobs that productions like this bring to the area.
Some of us are disillusioned with the fast paced Hollywood lifestyle and want to be able to live (and raise our families) in the peace and serenity that is San Diego. I would hope that you would embrace us into your community with open arms so that we can try to earn a living doing what we love in a place that we love.
I’d like to clear up a misunderstanding here… It seems that a lot of you are under the impression we (the crew) are from LA (Hollywood). The fact is that most of us are San Diego locals, in fact, I live in OB myself. So when you say “our town” remember that includes me and at least 6 other crew that also live in OB, and the other 80% of our crew that live in surrounding areas of San Diego.
I was born in San Diego, raised here, went to Bernard, Correia, and Point Loma HS.
I’d bet that the loudest protesters of our presence in “your town” aren’t even natives.
Ocean Beach belongs to all of us. We are not going to ruin it. Trust me, we love it just as much as you.
I am making damn good money on this show, I need this work… all of us do.
Please support us!! If you ever have any complaints, please walk up to a crew member and ask to speak with the Locations Manager.
Seriously, from one OB local to another… Please support our production. Many of your neighbors, including myself need this work to pay our rent and eat.
Peace, San Diego Native
I was hanging by the sea wall this morning to have my cup of coffee and stare at the ocean, as I usually do when time allots, and the crew had taken over the entire area, along with a fake food stand and scads of beach umbrellas. I understand the shot needs to be full, but people might be disappointed when they come to OB and the sea wall isn’t packed with food vendors and bikini babes at 9 in the morning.
For what it’s worth, when a crew member came up and asked me to move, he was polite.
I’m just wondering if this show will ever actually air.
This show is being filmed in front of my apartment right now.
Derrek must live in City Heights (unless they are filming in two places this weekend). What time are the action shots happening, so we can walk by and check it out?
i wrote a column about this issue when “The Ex-List” was filming here in OB in ’08:
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/don_t_film_here/7199/
and i haven’t changed my feelings since writing that: i take a hardline nimby position on this, as i do with almost everything that draws too much attention to OB: i’m against it. if Hollywood wants to make films in San Diego & employ local crews, fine. But not in Ocean Beach. Starbucks in Point Loma? Fine, but we didn’t want one in OB. Obviously not all of the 14,000 people who live in OB think this way, but a lot of us do. You know those “US out of OB” stickers? They reflect OB’s spirit of difference, isolation, independence, weirdness and simplicity.
Any potential benefit of shooting movies & TV shows here is outweighed by the potential to draw too much attention to us. They keep shooting in OB because it’s one of the last places left in the freaking country that actually IS a place. There are almost no “places” anymore. There are only strip malls and beige houses on streets that all look the same. When you leave OB it’s like entering another dimension. But we are a real place. Not a movie set.
If one of these shows they keep filming here becomes successful, God forbid, it will draw people looking for that imaginary TV OB & the next thing you know they’ll move here & try to turn Newport Avenue into a corporate shopping mall a la Pacific Beach. Thank God most of these pilots die before the first season is over.
Stop filming in OB. Please leave us alone. We’re an endangered species and you’re messing with our habitat.
d.a., as always it’s a pleasure to see your comments (when ya bloggin’ for us?) on our Rag. Your articulation is unmatched … except for a few of our posts. Come back more often, ya here?
the show seems nice but unfortunately the filming is dark and the stars are both too scruffy… they really need a good looking girl and a don johnson type to draw the crowd and keep the show more upscale – because right now, although it has good story lines i believe it’s doomed to fail.