More problems with neighbours film crew

[londonmummy1966]

Not sure this is an AIBU or a what to do but I'm getting really stressed about this so I thought I'd ask.

I posted recently about the security guard for my NDNs film crew being arsey about moving his car when it was blocking my drive and I needed to use it. They did move it eventually but later that night the response was to try and put up some police no parking bollards (not the police though) in the spaces outside our house when they had no parking restrictions in place. We also had the crew set off their burglar alarm and NDN refused to come out and turn it off (they are staying elsewhere in town as it is "too disruptive" for him). Eventually his ex's partner came and turned it off at 11pm.

Since then they've damaged the brick work on our garage without owning up to it. They then "rectified it" by putting the (now broken) brick back with a huge wodge of cement to fill the gap. They also knocked down plants in my garden when maneuvering scaffolding poles. When I complained to my NDN he said not to bother him with it and his ex just tells us to talk to the location manager who is very plesant and says he'll deal with it but doesn't always.

I'm really worried now as they are booked in for another week of filming until 11pm at night the week my dds go back to school and DD1 has some important assessments and big auditions that week. The local council film unit are no help at all. They seem to think it is great that people want to film here.

Any help/ideas?

Is there some noisy DIY you can do while they're filming? Drill into a wall with the hammer action on perhaps? Mow the lawn? Trim the hedge? Have a garden party?

I second what both c3pu and Anecdoche have suggested. Make so much noise that you disrupt their filming until they take your complaints seriously and rectify what they have done.

Good luck.

That sounds bloody awful. Can you complain to the production company maybe? Make a fuss on Twitter?

OP you could have serious fun with this........... Know anyone with a trumpet?

Take up yodelling.

I read your other thread. It's really out of order. I'd be fucking livid

Surely, you're under no obligation to be quiet while they're filming? Make it difficult for them do their job, after all they're making it difficult for you to live your life and enjoy your neighbourhood/home in the way you should be able to.
Stuff what the council and your neighbour think -- why should everybody else be inconvenienced for the sake of one household being able to make loads of money by letting a film crew take over their home?
Such selfish behaviour!!!

Make a load of noise then say you'll stop for £xxx. Worked for a few friends of mine. Won't stop the issue but will make it more bearable.

Do you have the Location manager's mobile number? Phone him/her, every time something happens. And keep phoning until it's fixed. If no joy, go above their head to whoever heads up the production company which is doing the filming and tell them that you've raised issues with the Location Manager but are getting nowhere.

Complain to the council (or whoever issues the filming permit and parking suspension). Complain every day, by phone, by letter. Tell them that your property is being damaged, that you are having intimidation from employees and sub-contractors, that they are blocking parking when the parking suspension is not in place. Make it clear that your quality of life is being negatively impacted. Mention the right to quiet enjoyment of your property. Keep complaining until they are sick of hearing from you and hopefully they won't issue another permit.

You can also take direct action, can you hear them call for quiet and camera rolling? When you hear the camera rolling order set off a fog horn, blow your car horn or play some music really loudly. Don't stop until they come out to ask you to be quiet and then tell them your issues. They probably won't fix anything, but everybody on set will remember what a pain you're being and they won't book that house again.

How about a nice al fresco karaoke contest?

Seems a shame not to take advantage of the nice weather and some of these songs contain the most shocking swear words these days.

Have a party. Get everyone round. Constantly disrupt filming due to noise. Put the radio on really loud then leave the house for a few hours. On top of literally ringing the location manager and council for every single minor problem. Make yourself the biggest nuisance imaginable.

Thanks everyone - the problem is that the next lot of filming is at night and it is all school nights. They have permission to film every night that week until 11pm so stopping filming will simply lead to an even later finish when I want my daughter to get a decent night's sleep for her assessments and auditions. I've raised the issues with the location manager who is very nice but doesn't necessarily follow up on what he says he is going to do. I can't seem to get hold of anyone at the Council who is interested - frankly they all seem to be wetting themselves that a film is being made and are completely in the film crew's pocket.

What really annoys me is that when one of our neighbours had a single night's filming in the street these guys insisted on being put up in a hotel as they didn't want their children's sleep disrupted..... as their precious little snowflake is not going to be in residence during the filming they don't give a flying f about the rest of us.

wind chimes lots of em. as noisy as you can buy or make

I have a spare chainsaw I can lend you for the duration, if that helps. It is very loud and can be revved up when all goes quiet over the road.

Definitely complain to the local authority. So you've already spoken to the production manager, can you contact him/her again and say you are getting solicitors involved?

Actually BMW if I wasn't so stressed I'd laugh as the neighbours' son learnt the trumpet and used to practice at 6.30 am every morning before school.........

Blast the music full volume before they get there and then go out for the day. If they manage to get hold of you somehow, then say you're not turning off the music until they rectify all the damage from last time.

Get a huge trampoline and all bounce as high as you can so you're in the background of all their shots.

Can you complain to environmental health about noise disruption?

Basically, find as many departments in the council that are NOT the film dept and complain about everything you can. e.g. traffic control. Hopefully, if enough departments in the council are getting hacked off with the film lot, they'll start questioning this. The film people are MEANT to get companies in to film - you need to find the departments that are meant to make life tolerable for people and get them to deal with your complaints.

I've got a very large dog trained to bark on command... not hugely disruptive for anyone else, but intensely annoying if he did it every time they filmed...

If you're in Scotland I'm game

Definitely make lots of noise. Remember they have no legal authority over you. They have no formal agreement with you to make their film, and you have the right to enjoy your own home in peace.

They may have permission to film every day until 11pm at night (sod that for a game of marbles!) but you have a right to enjoy your home and you haven't directly given them that permission have you? There's no way I would be happy to let somebody else take over my neighbourhood in this way without them offering me some kind of compensation.
I think it's actually really rude of your neighbours, and to some point the council, to expect you to just accept that this is what's happening! You have my sympathy, I'd be bloody cross!!!