City Plays Big Role in New TV Drama

Ron Wagonner turned the corner onto Chestnut Street early Wednesday, saw police cars blocking the road, and immediately assumed the worst.

“I thought it was a hostage situation,” said Wagonner, a tree trimmer who grew up in Ventura. “Then I saw the cameras and said ‘cool.’ ”

Two weeks after the Ventura City Council voted to streamline the permitting process for film crews doing business in town, the producers of a syndicated private-eye show took their production downtown.

Chestnut Street was crowded most of the day with television equipment, actors, extras and assistants, with security and crowd control provided by the Ventura Police Department.

The series “High Tide” has come to Ventura for the upcoming season to create 24 episodes of beachfront intrigue. Starring singer and former soap opera star Rick Springfield as one of two brothers digging deep into mystery and avarice, “High Tide” will film throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties through January.

Springfield plays “an ex-cop who is now going into the PI business,” said Stevie Nelson, assistant location manager for the series, which aired last season on KCAL-TV Channel 9. “He plays one of two brothers who sold their dive shop in San Diego and moved to Ventura.”

The daylong production brought out dozens of looky-loos and wannabe actors and actresses, but none were granted even small parts. More than 150 hopefuls showed up at an open casting call for extras last weekend, but producers have yet to wade through the stack of photos and resumes.

“I know we’ll be using some of the locals,” production assistant Scott Remick said. “They’re so close that we like to use them.”

This episode will include Camarillo actress Jana Austinson, a Screen Actors Guild member for more than 20 years. “It’s fun,” she said, “but it’s only enough to pay the union dues.”

Austinson said her part will fill just a few seconds of air time. “We just walk down the street,” she said.

The City Council recently agreed to reduce, and in some cases waive, filming fees to television and film producers to lure free-spending productions.

Richard Newsham, Ventura’s community relations specialist, said the production company for “High Tide” agreed to pay $250 per episode in fees, plus extra costs associated with police and fire protection.

“The city locations they are using are not going to be disguised,” he said. “Ventura will be prominently shown and advertised on the series.”

For his part, Springfield said he has been to Ventura before--performing at the Ventura Theater about three years ago.

“It’s a quiet beach town and we were looking for a beach town that viewers haven’t seen before,” he said.