Airports
...s real, but the question asked was by no means out of the ordinary considering that LAX is the site of as many as five filming projects on a given day. The demand for filming at airports is out of control, everyone and their brother have had some type of seen with an airport in it. For example one of Steven Spielberg’s most recent and popular movies Catch Me If You Can was filmed at LAX as was the 1994 thriller, Speed. Because of heightened tensions and outlandish security precautions caused by 9/11 some airports, including those in Las Vegas and Atlanta, have stopped giving crews filming rights, but to pull the plug in Los Angeles would be political suicide. So the film does continue to record at LAX but with much more difficulty and when I say difficulty I mean tighter security, background checks and daily screening of equipment that is brought in and out of the airport by the film crew. “In active terminals, staff won’t let crews use generators for extra power, run cables ask travelers to be quiet or hold them up during a take”. Also camera operators of the new NBC drama show LAX, which takes its name from the airport, had to set up a base camp a mile away, and had to avoid shooting the logos of airlines that don’t have an agreement with filmmakers and passengers who wont sign releases. Furthermore a police officer must be present to account for every prop weapon used in the film or TV show. Then there are fees. The new LAX show’s fees could reach $1 million for things like electricians turning off escalators, and police officers guarding ba...