ÒYou missed Chuck Norris. He was here earlier.Ó
This information isnÕt being shared within the confines of soundstage somewhere in L.A. Instead, we are standing across the street from a two-story home on Junius, right in the heart of Lakewood. A film crew from the popular CBS series ÒWalker, Texas RangerÓ has taken over the home of Vicki and Bill Bost to film an episode in which a young woman is kidnapped.
ÒHe and his partner from the show came up and introduced themselves,Ó continues Vicki Bost. ÒThat was very nice.Ó
ItÕs as cold inside the Bost home as it is outside. The heat has been turned off, since the doors of the house are open to accommodate the in and out of people and equipment. Furniture has been moved; strangers are lounging on the sofa; and every few minutes someone calls for silence so that filming can commence.
Bost is unalarmed by the dozens of people at work in her house Ð which, to them, is only a set. ItÕs a process she has been through several times, with film crews from ÒUnsolved Mysteries,Ó JC Penney, Wal-Mart and others.
Bost is far from the only Lakewood resident to have filmmakers knocking on her door. The roomy interiors and unique character of our neighborhoodsÕ homes have made the large trucks and blocked-off streets that often come with a location shoot a common sight in many neighborhoods, including Munger Place.
Peeking out the curtains at the commotion, neighbors may find themselves wondering: How does someone wind up opening their home to a film crew?
And is it worth it?
Location, Location, Location
In most cases, homes are Òdiscovered,Ó either by location scouts or representatives of the production companies. A location scout is always on the lookout for a suitable site or referrals, and will take photographs (inside and out) of promising homes. The scout then has several options to offer to a production company.
Usually, the scout and the production company will personally visit the sites with the greatest potential. If a home that matches the projectÕs needs is found, a deal must be struck between the homeowners and the production company.
Factors affecting the payment to the homewoner include the amount of the home that will be used, and how time-consuming the filming will be. The typical range for interior filming is $500 to $1,000-plus, with exterior shooting landing in the $100-$500 ballpark.
Casa Linda resident Kim Davis, one well-known location scout in this area, describes Lakewood as Òthe all-American neighborhood.Ó
ÒLakewood is one my favorite places,Ó Davis says. ÒIt has the perfect, all-American look. ItÕs a treasure in this area.Ó
Practically speaking, the large homes are ideal for filming.
ÒThey have everything else going for them, plus they have size, which is great.Ó
Davis says her job involves a lot of work behind the scenes. Neighbors, parking, traffic and police involvement are some of the areas she handles.
ÒYou have to send out letters to neighbors so they wonÕt think itÕs just a party they werenÕt invited to,Ó she says.
ÒInforming the neighborhood is part of it.Ó
A top priority for her is looking out for the homeowners. She has grown close to many Òregulars,Ó and is protective of everyone she works with.
ÒThey arenÕt in the film business,Ó Davis says. ÒThese are their homes.Ó
ÒMy job is about melding the magic of film with the reality of the set.Ó
Lakewood resident Francis McIntyre, who often works with neighborhood homes, also speaks of the friendships he has formed in his 10 years of scouting.
ÒItÕs really fun when you get to meet as many people as I do, and get to know them as a family friend,Ó he says. McIntyre must often approach strangers in the neighborhood for leads, and almost always gets a warm welcome.
ÒEspecially with homeowners, thereÕs a definite trust given to me,Ó he says. ÒI have to live up to the responsibility given to me.Ó
McIntyre describes filming as Òa little like a circus, a well-oiled circus driving down the street.Ó If anything goes wrong at a location, heÕs the Òanswer person.Ó And his responsibility is to both the homeowner and the production company.
ÒGenerally speaking, itÕs fun and it should be fun,Ó he says. ÒSometimes the production companies want to do things that are not fun.
ÒWe donÕt want to shine lights into a bedroom at 10 o clock at night,Ó he says. ÒSo we find another way.Ó
He easily sums up the appeal of Lakewood homes.
ÒIn a word, character,Ó he says, adding that personal touches by the homeowners add to the unique quality of each site.
ÒIt may be possible to accomplish a lot of what we do in a studio,Ó he says. ÒBut it would look like a studio and feel like a studio.Ó
Home, Sweet, Home
WhatÕs it like to have your home turned into a set?
ÒThe first time is always the worst,Ó says Bost, with a laugh.
ÒYou feel sort of violated with strangers moving your personal belongings around and taking over your home.Ó
Long past that initial shock, Bost has found having a front-row seat for filming to be both fun and educational.
ÒYou meet lots of interesting people from all over the country,Ó she says. A side bonus came when her then 2-year-old son was included in a JC Penney commercial.
ÒHe was toddling around and they thought he looked cute,Ó she says. ÒThey put their clothes on him and put him in the commercial.Ó
For each shoot, the crews have been Ònice and accommodatingÓ and have Òtaken good care of our home.Ó
Any difficulties are handed promptly. Once, the family went out to dinner because the filming ended late in the evening. Not until the next day did they discover that the freezer had been unplugged during filming, destroying its contents.
ÒSomeone came out and took an inventory,Ó Bost says. ÒAnd they replaced every single thing that had been ruined.Ó
Jennie and Steve Hargrove also are veterans of location shoots. The Lakewood homeowners first had a commercial shot on their property in 1989. Since then, EDS, the Infomart, Wal-Mart, Minute Rice and Jimmy Dean Sausage have shot commercials at their home.
ÒPeople just calling on us and picking us up,Ó Jennie Hargrove says. ÒEverybodyÕs been super-nice. ItÕs been fun.Ó
One of the HargrovesÕ sons was tapped to appear in commercials by one production company that has filmed there regularly; all three children are now affiliated with the Kim Dawson Agency.
Most shoots have involved crews showing up early in the morning and staying late into the night. The rooms of the home have been torn apart and remade to resemble everything from offices in other countries to a psychiatric facility. Still, Hargrove, who describes the crews as Òfun and very professional,Ó has no complaints.
ÒTheyÕre very concerned about the property,Ó she says. ÒAny problems you may have are taken care of.Ó
Other homeowners have mixed feelings about the location shoots. Carrie Reiser, who has had a public service announcement and a Sprint ad filmed at her home, describes watching the filming as Òkind of exciting and fun.Ó But it does require some compromises, she found.
One shoot that was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. actually wrapped at around 11 that night.
ÒYou have to be so quiet,Ó she says Ð no easy task with three young children at home. ÒWhen they say Ôready,Õ you have to hear a pin drop.Ó
ÒWe really need a break in-between before I would do it again,Ó Reiser says. Though the house is returned to normal at the end of the shoot, watching it become public property can be difficult.
ÒItÕs a curious feeling of being out of control,Ó Reiser says. ÒThey were doing things I donÕt let my kids do.
ÒYou want to say Ò ÔGuys, youÕre in my house.Õ Ó
Neighborhood resident Renee Valek, whose location experience has included an attorneyÕs ad and a Christian video, avoids those kind of shocks by removing herself and her four daughters from the premises for most of the shoot.
ÒTruly, you donÕt even have to be there,Ó she says. The family did stick around during a shoot in which a girlÕs room was required, with each youngster vying for her room to be included. Her daughters have fun spotting ÒtheirÓ commercials.
ÒNo one else even notices, but they get a kick out of seeing their room on TV,Ó Valek says.
ÒIÕm sure people wonder why go to the trouble to have people going in and out of your house,Ó she says. ÒI look at it as a decorating budget.Ó Each shoot provides an opportunity to update the homeÕs decor.
Valek says her house has been photographed many times, which involves opening the home up to scrutiny by the production company, often on short notice. Not every visit produces results.
ÒYou almost take it personally when you donÕt get the commercial,Ó she says, laughing. ÒItÕs kind of ÔWhatÕs wrong with my house?Õ Ó
Booming Industry
Valek and other Lakewood residents will no doubt have many opportunities to expand their decorating budget in the future. Filming in Dallas continues to increase, and the Lakewood look is a popular one.
ÒTheyÕre favorites of the film industry,Ó says Janus Burklund, project manager with the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Commission, with regard to homes on Victor and Junius.
ÒThey look good on film.Ó
East Dallas homes, in general, Òare very American, their very favorite look,Ó she adds.
ÒThey have a very friendly look when filmed.Ó
The film commission , which support Dallas-Fort Worth and 16 other area cities, is in the business of promoting filming in this area and making life easier for filmmakers. Among their many services is a book featuring available locations, and contacts to location scouts here.
ÒWe are the resource,Ó Burklund says. ÒThatÕs why the cities fund us.
ÒA city wants filming because itÕs economic development and lots of publicity.Ó
DallasÕ advantage to filmmakers is that it is less expensive than L.A., with good crews, locations and actors, Burklund says.
ÒProduction companies can get it here locally,Ó she says. ÒBasically, you can do the filming without having to schlep in everything here.Ó
Projects that have included filming in East Dallas include the theatrical release ÒProblem Child,Ó the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV-movie ÒAmerican Story,Ó and the TV-movie ÒHoliday in the Heart,Ó starring LeAnn Rimes.
Also a good choice for an East Dallas watcher: the Showtime movie ÒLily Dale,Ó featuring Sam Shepard.
ÒThereÕs very beautiful footage of Victor Street in that picture,Ó Burklund says. Ò ItÕs a period piece from the horse and buggy days.Ó
Expect to catch additional glimpses of Dallas sites in future productions, including the ÒDallasÓ reunion movie that will be shot in the fall.
ÒThe entertainment industry is just exploding,Ó Burklund says. ÒI have a feeling it will only keep rising.Ó
