In the classic cult comedy "After The Fox," Peter Sellers plays a master criminal who is posing as a film director in order to bring onshore to a tiny Italian fishing village a load of stolen gold bullion. In one of the funniest parts of the film, the whole village shows up as extras and Sellers asks some of them to slowly saunter in the background as the crew shoots a scene of the main actors.
But every time they hear the words "roll 'em" and "action," the entire village rushes across the scene in a mad pack to get their two seconds of silver screen immortality -- absolutely ruining the take.
Everyone, let's not turn Grand Rapids into that tiny fishing village.
I know from personal experience how exciting it can be to turn a corner and unexpectedly walk into the bright lights illuminating a film set, exploding with a flurry of activity in front of the camera.
This spectacle may become an even more common occurrence in Grand Rapids, thanks to the state's tax incentives for shooting on location in Michigan.
But we need to be careful that we don't interfere with the work of the film crews, and maybe scare off a fledgling industry in West Michigan, just because we can't contain being starstruck.
I've now heard of instances where individuals have posted a micro blog on a platform like Twitter or Facebook that in a matter of seconds alerts hundreds of people to the location of the film shoot in our area.
The result has been some modest interference while the film crew was working.
It is not my intention here to say gawking is bad, far from it. I believe the joys of stumbling upon a film shoot are very much like spotting a celebrity who frequents a local bakery or nightclub, and it's unreasonable to ask people to stumble on a gem like that and not share it with their friends via social media.
All I am asking is for metro Grand Rapids to show some sensitivity to the fact that these production companies are here to get some work done -- and it can be very expensive for them to deal with delays.
So the next time you get a text that Aziz Ansari is right around the corner shooting "30 Minutes or Less," just be careful that you don't trip over a Klieg light and extinguish our growing industry in pursuit of creating a scene.
The Future Needs All of Us (to sometimes just observe and not interfere)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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