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?

The useful info that a pp put on regarding "built up area, term time and young children" seems a good place to start - they should be accommodating to the needs of the local residents and doing the extended filming over the weekend when there isn't school/work the following day.

Ultimately, you and hubby need to decide what you want them to do and go straight in with that, they should be bending over backwards to please you. Thankfully, we've had very positive interactions with film crews near us (Endeavour and Doctors) who couldn't be more accommodating, especially the Endeavour team who were filming during what they thought was school holidays, but our dance school ran a week over and they didn't realise that it was tap lesson day! They were willing to hold scenes to allow children to swap classes, explained what was happening etc - that is how the team by you should be.

Wrt breakages and damage, note everything down with dates, if you can. The film people will have insurance and should make good - that doesn't mean sticking a broken brick and a load of mortar in, it means doing it properly or paying.

Make copies, and send to Location Manager and Council. If poss get a letter from a solicitor.

Honestly, I think they should put you up somewhere else for th first week of term. Somewhere with a piano. I don't think that's an unreasonable request.

All this emailing... what do you actually want soap?

That they have to finish by 8.30 next week? That they put you up somewhere with a piano?

If you're just generally complaining about it being a total PITA it's hard to get a satisfactory solution

5rivers all I want is for my daughter to have peace and quiet on this very important week - I am going to ask for them to think about putting us up somewhere else but if they don't (and I doubt it) then at least I will know the precise terms of their permission so that I can keep it as quiet as possible for her.

I think you need to make it explicitly clear that you need specific things to happen or you will be considering legal action.

1. All correspondence to be replied to within 24 hours.
2. As you have paid for a parking permit you need however many weeks they have been there to be reimbursed and have x number of spaces blocked out for use of residents only.
3. Quiet time between x and x (2 hours in the morning/early evening) and again after 8pm as your children and their education (possibly income if an audition?)are being disturbed. If this can not be met then you will compromise in having a place to stay within xyz postcode which sleeps x number of people and has facilities that allow for piano playing.
4. You will have 4 quotes for the work to address the damnage their production has caused (provide photos and dates). Please pass on the details of insurance blah blah blah.

You have have no been able to quietly enjoy your home against law blah and blah. They are causing a disturbance blah blah.
You should not have to pay out money because of the choice your neighbours have made.

Please contact me in writing by x as this matter is swiftly becoming more and more concerning.

Keira thanks - really helpful

Any update OP?

Sorry - been out all day. Local Councillor got head of local film unit to get in touch with me and he is going to send me the details of the night filming permissions. Waiting to hear back from production company re request for accommodation that week although not that hopeful.

i would speak to the production manager personally and inform him if they don't get things fixed immediately , stop damaging your property and start being more considerate, that you and anyone else in the street will stop being so understanding and considerate towards them, meaning lots of neighborhood noise and lost production time and inform him that any more filming for other shows in this neighborhood, will be under the one chance rule... fuck us ( the neighborhood ) off once and we will disrupt you as often as we can until you learn to be considerate ( you will only need to disrupt the once or twice for the message to hit home).
I have worked on catering for film crews here in NZ and they had serious rules about pissing off the locals, because disruptions cost time and money and also kill off any goodwill that the locals have towards the production and jeopardizes future productions!

My neighbours and I have just had a disputes with a development company over our shared car park.
Lots of contractors Parking residents in, storing of huge quantities of flammable waste, noise etc.

Neighbours were being terribly polite and getting palmed off by the misogynistic site manager. I did social media - twitter to the owners of the development company (their personal corporate account) got them putting pressure on the guy who managed that branch of the business.
I then got his phone number and started ringing him.
Called him at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon after a stand up row with site manager about 8 vans in the "roadway" of the car park. Site manager refused to get them moved as his men needed access to their tools.
30mins after my call all the vans were gone.

TBH we have to live next to this building for years. I'd rather they say "don't park there or the neighbours will go nuts" to new employees etc. than be walked over.

And I didn't appreciate the site manager telling me he didn't have to listen to me as I was "only" a resident when three contractors vans were preventing me getting my car out when I was oncall for work(I'm an Anaesthetist and a delay in me getting in could potentially kill someone).

Is there not some way to demand that you get rehomed )in a mega luxury hotel) at the filming company's expense for the duration? How is it fair that your neighbours earn money, live the high life and you have to suck up the noise and disruption?

So my advice is escalate escalate escalate but be reasonable eg. We were asking them to stick to the terms of the lease (no commercial vehicles, no obstructing roadway, only private cars in parking bays etc)

I am furious on your behalf OP. Seriously, you need to be more assertive and stand your ground. You sound far too nice in a situation like you're facing. Please update us.

Thanks everyone - head of local council film unit seems to have done the trick and I have now had offers from both neighbour's ex and the location manager for a meeting to allay our concerns in advance of the night filming which I am taking up. They are offering cash - presumably thinking that is the issue rather than disruption to the girls. I am going to push for enough to pay for us to relocate for the week if I can can find somewhere with a piano.

Will keep you updated.

This is the email I have drafted - does it sound firm enough?

Thank you for this - I do think a meeting between the two of us would be a good idea. As you know, my concerns are for the level of disruption and noise when my daughter is preparing for some important auditions and has a number of assessments in her first week back at school. I remain very unhappy that the Council were prepared to give you permission to film at night in a residential street for a whole week in term time as it is immensely disruptive not just to my teenagers but also the significant number of others in important school years living here. I know [NDN's ex] will agree with me as they asked for their family to be re-accommodated during a neighbour's night shooting in recent years - this was only a single night not a whole week!

As you can imagine my experiences with your crew in terms of rudeness (your security guard), carelessness (your scaffolder) and sloppiness (the way my garage was repaired by simply slapping a load of extra cement onto a broken brick to get it to fit into place) doesn't leave me filled with joy. Also, you had offered to put up screening to the front window to prevent my daughter being disturbed by the noise from the recent street filming and this did not materialise so she had to get up at the crack of dawn to do her practice before this started instead.

So when we meet I'd like to draw up a schedule of the actions which your crew will be taking to ensure that my and others teenagers will not be disturbed after 9pm at night by street filming and that noise levels after 6pm are not discommensurate with their undertaking music practice and homework in peace and quiet. Failing that, I think we will need to look at your relocating us for the week to somewhere with a piano where my daughter can continue to prepare for her auditions and within sensible reach of their school.

Any thoughts?

without meaning to make light of a horrible situation, surely you mean trombone rather than piano. I would imagine that the noise from a brass instrument carries far more effectively through walls and into the street.

Maybe "doesn't give me any confidence in their integrity" or something like that rather than "joy"? Otherwise thank god you've managed to move this along.

Your email sounds good.

I do think that you and your husband both need to be on board when your ndn comes asking for help with their child's music needs you tell them where to go in future. They can not expect you to give them more consideration to them than what they have given to you.

I think your email sounds good.

Thanks everyone - I've sent it so now waiting to see what the response is.

When they filmed in our village night filming (we are just off the Main Street where filming was so would be directly affected) they paid for a hotel for us. A really really nice 5* star hotel with spa, and with dinner and breakfast included too. Worth an ask?

I've done their job for them and found you a rather reasonable room with a piano included

www.claridges.co.uk/luxury-accommodation/hotel-suites/grand-piano-suite/

As for all the PPs suggesting you making a noise during filming, I think that is rather unnecessary - wait for the NDN's to move back in then make the noise!