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'Heist' team cashes in on Rodeo Drive cachet:Posted By: Martha Buffett By Borys Kit LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Everybody knows Rodeo Drive," says "Heist" writer/producer Mark Cullen. "It represents glamour to the whole world."Yes, but not everyone decides to create a TV series about a handful of thieves who decide to pull off a number of robberies on the famed street. But that is what Cullen and his brother, Robb, have done with their new NBC thriller. They now have to contend with shooting on one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the United States. "Shooting on Rodeo Drive is ... a little harder than we thought," Robb says. Beverly Hills is known for having a cooperative film office, but it also is known for such local restrictions as not allowing helicopter filming within the city or providing official street closures. "The demands are on your time. We've been at locations where we can set up at 6 a.m. and stay there for 12 hours," says Robb, who along with his brother also created FX's short-lived Las Vegas-set series "Lucky." "You can't do that on Rodeo Drive. There's just way too many high-end businesses that need to do business." Mark elaborates: "You have to get in and get out. And there are some shots you might not get because you're not allowed to be there anymore." So the "Heist"-makers have had to figure out ways to get their shots without interrupting the flow of commercial traffic and causing the Rodeo merchants any financial harm. "All these stores pay very high taxes to be on Rodeo Drive, and we have to be respectful of that," Robb says. "Heist," which films all over the L.A. area, shoots on Rodeo every second weekend. Production begins with a 5:30 a.m. call time and ends by 11 a.m., when stores begin to open. The production then moves to such adjacent streets as Camden Drive and Brighton Way, where it's a little easier to get the needed shots. The crew uses the Robinsons-May parking lot near the Beverly Hilton Hotel as its base. "We are a like a traveling circus," Robb says. For the most part, viewers aren't going to see any real Rodeo Drive stores highlighted on the show -- one of the filming permits stipulates that shots cannot "linger" on a store for more than two seconds -- but the show scored a coup when jeweler Bulgari, with a store on Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, offered itself as a target for the fictional thieves. Bulgari was approached to host the show's premiere party, and, according to Mark, "They said, 'Why don't you put us in the show?"' "It's a big deal for a store that opens at 11 o'clock on a Sunday to have all their representatives (come in much earlier) and dress a window in amazing jewels -- just for us -- at 6 o'clock in the morning," Robb says. "That is way above and beyond the call of duty. It was very nice of them." The Cullens say shooting on Rodeo is critical for their show, and they still can't believe they are actually shooting on that street. But at the same time, they liken the process to shooting anywhere else. "It's not unlike anywhere you shoot on the street," Robb says. "You have to be very respectful of the store owners and of the people who work there." Except in this case, the stores are selling merchandise like fancy $20,000 Picasso sketches that a star or executive might want to hang in his or her own bathroom. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter Courtesy Of: Yahoo! News The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. We thank Yahoo! inc. for the kind cooperation with us and other shareholders. |
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