Making Commercials

What’s the cost for a permit to film a commercial in Los Angeles?

Well, that depends. The Motion Picture Coordination Office charges $115. Of course, if you’re filming on city-owned property--such as Griffith Park or City Hall--that’s an additional $200 (if you’re filming outside) or $250 (if you’re filming inside). Also, if the city decides you need a fire safety officer on the set, that will cost $23 to $36 an hour. And all those temporary “No Parking” signs that the city puts up will cost you about $30 per city block.

Just like movie stars, the nation’s top commercial directors can command big bucks for a day’s work. A handful of Los Angeles directors can earn $15,000--and up--for a single day’s work. “When an agency wants a particular person, price is no object,” said Ted Goetz, president of the West Coast division of the Assn. of Independent Commercial Producers. “And that attitude isn’t always wrong. Even with a mediocre idea, there are directors who can still make it a hit.”

The State of California isn’t just battling to keep movie makers from taking their work elsewhere. It also wants to keep commercial makers, said Kathleen Milnes, deputy director at the California Film Commission. Last year, she noted, more than half the 1,000 film permits issued by the state to use state-owned property were issued to production companies so they could film commercials.

Ever wonder about some of those odd job titles for people who work on commercial production crews? The “gaffer,” for example, is the chief electrician on the set. The “best boy” is an assistant to the gaffer and helps handle all the equipment. Then, there’s the “key grip,” who helps set up the camera, as well as the dolly it sits on.

But where did a nutty term like “key grip” come from? Well, according to Phyllis Koenig, a producer at the Los Angeles production company Petermann Dektor, years ago the key grip had somewhat different responsibilities. On top of everything else, the key grip would pick up film stars at the airport or train station and carry their luggage--or grips.