Film crews will descend on the northern part of Fitzrovia this week to shoot scenes for an Amy Winehouse biopic. They have promised to keep disruption to a minimum.
Starcross Films Ltd have written to residents and business owners to warn them of some disturbance from Monday 13 to Saturday 18 March as they set up, shoot scenes, then dismantle equipment for filming in and around 6 Fitzroy Square.
The film called Back to Black is about the last ten years of Winehouse’s life and has the backing and permission of her family, states a letter dropped through people’s doors.
A map shows locations of “technical vehicles” in more than 30 suspended parking bays at Fitzroy Street, Conway Street, Warren Street, Cleveland Street, New Cavendish Street and Great Portland Street. A generator is also to be positioned on Grafton Way at the corner with Fitzroy Square.
“We will personally be on site when filming and as with all filming, there may be a level of disruption, which we can successfully minimise with relevant information ahead of time, and endeavour to make this a positive experience for the community,” write location managers, Adam Sharp and Sam Seccombe.
Filming in Fitzrovia, and elsewhere in Camden, has been a bugbear of local residents with some crews using noisy and polluting diesel or petrol generators often dumped outside people’s homes.
In September last year Camden Film Office had to take action to remove noisy and polluting power generators and equipment outside of homes in Warren Street after they received complaints of late night and early morning nuisance by a film production company.
In May a film production company apologised to residents and businesses for the disruption caused by filming on Tottenham Street and Whitfield Street.
Film Fixer runs the Film Office on behalf of Camden Council and they claim to be mindful of the negative environmental impacts of filming due to the multiple use of generators.
“The Film Fixer contract working on behalf of Camden ensures positive mitigation as part of their license agreements with film makers,” states a council report.
“They have a strong environmental policy and evidence that their advice and contract for filming operations are performed in a way that minimises environmental impact. They have founded the Generator Project that ensures clean air thinking is part of all Film shoots in Camden.”
But whether this “thinking” is put into “practice”, is another matter. It is Camden, after all.
Preparation is due to take place between 8am and 6pm from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 March; filming from 7am to 8pm Thursday 16 and Friday 17 March; removal from 8am to 6pm on Saturday 18 March.
For the Winehouse filming, Sharp and Seccombe say they can be contacted by telephone on 07971 474 043 or by emailing btblocations@gmail.com if local people have any questions about the filming.
Camden Film Office is authorised by Camden Council to manage filming in the borough and they can be contacted on 020 7620 0391 (07919 002 115 which is a 24-hour number) or contacted by emailing info@camdenfilmoffice.co.uk to deal with any concerns about the filming.
More information: copy of letter sent to residents; location map.
