Television, movie crews filming in East Hills face new fee structure

A new flat fee will be charged to film crews of three people or fewer who use homes in the Village of East Hills as backdrops for movies, television and commercials.

The village board of trustees unanimously passed the code change at its meeting last week. Previously, all film crews were charged $1,000 for the first day of filming and $1,500 for each subsequent day.

Those rates would still apply for large crews, but under the amendment, small operations would pay a flat $2,500 for eight days of filming. If they go beyond eight days, they would pay $1,000 for the ninth day, then $1,500 for each subsequent day as is the case for larger film crews.

"It creates a problem for small teams," board attorney Bill Burton said about the old fee schedule. "It limits the amount to one day that they can film in the village," he said at the public hearing.

Burton said East Hills is popular with filmmakers and commercial production companies because of its large number of attractive stately homes.

Among the television programs that were candidates for filming at one of the homes lately was "Supernanny," a reality series about parents with unruly children.

Mayor Michael Koblenz said a lower rate was appropriate for smaller productions because they are not as disruptive as larger crews. "If it's a small crew and they're inside [a house filming] . . . that doesn't disrupt the community," he said.