Movie, television and commercial films are increasingly being filmed on Long Island’s North Shore. The Gold Coast, as this area is named, recently included not only the filming of several movies in Great Neck (the most recent one, The Outskirts, being shot this past summer at Great Neck North High School), but now an ever-increasing number of movies and television shows filmed all over the Town of North Hempstead. Town Clerk Wayne Wink approves and oversees all such filming for the town (excluding areas that come under the jurisdiction of incorporated villages).
Wink told the Great Neck Record that the rising number of “shoots” include films of “all natures,” including movies (both long and short films), television productions and commercials. The fees for the permits provide revenues for the town, as well as promoting local tourism. “These revenues help offset the tax expenses and help reduce the tax burden on us all,” Wink explained. He said that by the end of the year, the town will have received about $80,000 in filming permit fees.
Want to film in North Hempstead? First, you go to the town clerk’s office in Manhasset and fill out an application, explaining the nature of the film, the nature of the filming and the location, “and anything else significant.” Of course the town will also need to know how many vehicles will be involved. And police will always be aware and involved.
There is always a lot of excitement when a filming crew is in town — lots of police, a lot of crew members and generally a good number of movie and television stars. “Lately a lot of feature films are coming here to use our town as a backdrop,” Wink said. The town has recently been the set for feature films such as Louder Than Bombs, a feature movie about a photographer who becomes a war correspondent; Demolition, a movie being filmed in Roslyn Heights; and a new movie starring Julianne Moore and Steve Carell.
Yes, professional filming is on the increase in the Town of North Hempstead, Said Wink: “This a new thing, to be a part of a new avenue … we’re making money … and this is a great way to show off our town and invite tourists to come and see.”
