MPNCA Filming Guidelines
Film Production Company Guidelines and Donation Information
(Revised May 2022)
Welcome to the Mt. Paran Northside neighborhood!
The Mt. Paran-Northside Citizens Association (MPNCA) is the neighborhood association for the Mt. Paran Northside community. Your MPNCA Film Liaisons set forth below are both MPNCA Board Members.
If there is anything we can do for you or if you have any questions or concerns, please email them at:
Name Email address
Joe Stabile joseph.stabile@mtparannorthside.com
Cathy Barshay cathy.barshay@mtparannorthside.com
A. Guidelines for Cast and Crew
To help ensure a positive experience for all concerned, the MPNCA has developed the following guidelines for production companies:
1. When filming within the boundaries of the MPN neighborhood, please provide proper notification to each merchant or resident directly affected by the production company. This includes parking, base camps, and meal areas. The filming notice should include:
a. Name of Productionb. Location Manager Contactc. Key Location Manager Contactd. Type of Productione. Type of Activity and Duration
2. Production vehicles arriving on location in or near the Mt. Paran Northside neighborhood should not enter the area before the time stipulated on the permit, should park one-by-one, and turn off engines as soon as possible. Cast and crew should observe designated parking areas.
3. The Mt. Paran Northside community has a “Hard Out” at 10:00pm(unless a different time has been agreed to in the COA permit). This means production must be finished filming for the day at 10:00pm and all film company related trucks, tents and trailers must be gone as well by this time. Any exceptions must be requested to the Film Liaison at least 48 hours in advance. Any extension of the standard filming hours may require that affected residents be surveyed to identify neighborhood concerns and the approved date, hours and activities must be specifically indicated on the permit.
4. Please remain within the boundaries of the property that has been permitted for filming. Do not trespass onto neighbors’ or merchants’ property.
5. Moving or towing of the public’s vehicles is prohibited without the express permission of the municipal jurisdiction or the owner.
6. Cast and Crew meals should be confined to the area designated in the permit. All catering, craft service, construction and personal trash must be removed from location.
7. Removing, trimming, and/or cutting of vegetation or trees is prohibited unless approved by the permit authority or property owner.
8. All signs erected for filming purposes will be removed after filming. All signs removed for filming purposes will be replaced upon completion of the use of that location unless otherwise stipulated in the permit.
9. Keep all noise levels as low as possible.
10. Observe designated smoking areas and extinguish and dispose of cigarettes properly in a waste receptacle.
11. Cast and crew should not bring guests or pets to the location, unless expressly authorized in advance by the company.
12. Pet waste must be disposed of properly in a trash receptacle.
13. Sets and props should be removed upon completion of use.
14. Personal vehicles of cast/ crew are not permitted to park on area streets.The production company must arrange off-site parking and cast/ crew must be shuttled to and from the location.
15. Parking of production equipment is limited to one side of the street. Film company vehicles shall not interfere with gardeners' activities, trash pickup, safe use of the streets or access to resident driveways or alleys.
16. When filming occurs at night, excessive bright lights and noise may disturb surrounding neighbors. Prior to filming, be certain to discuss such activities with any neighbors who may be adversely impacted and make sure to address their concerns.
17. Prior to any film shooting, you must notify the MPNCA Film Liaisons if there will be an ambulance, fire, guns, “bombs,” any loud noise or a police scene in your production. The Liaisons will send out a notification that “this is not real” to all neighbors and the neighborhood security team as well.
18. The film and prep activities should be limited to the homeowner who has contracted specifically with the production company for the filming and for which a COA (City of Atlanta) permit has been obtained. Residents and production companies should not ask other MPN neighbors to stop their normal activities like yard work, deliveries, or request use of their property for the production unless prior written approval has been obtained from said MPN neighbors. In all cases, production activities should never block a street in a manner that would prevent deliveries from being able to be made at all times.
19. Please remain cognizant of the local schools in our area and their related school bus schedules. Any filming involving streets used by said buses will need to avoid negatively impacting the bus schedules.
20. The production company will obtain a COA permit for all filming/prep activities and will comply with the provisions of said permit at all times.
B. Film Production Donation
1. Before you begin your production, we request that you consider making a daily donation directly to the Mt. Paran Northside Citizens Association in support of its efforts to preserve the security, beauty and integrity of our neighborhood. Please consider the size of the filming and the length/scope of the production when making your donation.
- Please make the check out to the Mt. Paran-Northside Citizens Association and mail it to: 1266 W Paces Ferry Rd. Box 304, Atlanta, Georgia 30327.
- If you prefer, we will be happy to send you a receipt using our form provided below. .
- If possible, please have your donation ready for us on Day 1 of prep (ie. the day you enter the MPN neighborhood) or feel free to mail it in advance.Alternatively, a Film Liaison or board member can meet you to pick up the donation if it is not mailed.
2. The donations the MPNCA receives from film production companies helps offset the many administrative, security and traffic impacts and costs listed below that are incurred by the MPNCA that are a direct result of your production. Additionally, it serves as an incentive to neighbors to welcome the film crews, as they know the film donations are used to enhance their safety and security and lessen any nuisance or inconvenience experienced as a result of the production.
a. Administrative Impacts and Costs:
With every production, an MPNCA volunteer must make a significant commitment of time to communicate by phone, text, email and/or paper notices with:
- the production company
- the host family
- residents and the
- MPNCA Security Patrol.
These communications are made in order to:
- Coordinate with the MPNCA Security Patrol. (They must know what is going on with any production.)
- Communicate and act as a liaison between the production company and residents during the time the production company is in Mt. Paran Northside. The MPNCA emails all members in the MPNCA with a notice of filming along with the production details, road/street closures, etc.
- Fields phone calls and emails from our neighbors. We then work with both the production company and the neighbor to try and resolve any issues.
b. Security and Traffic Impacts and Costs:
With every production, there is a significant increase in the volume of cars, trucks, and lane/street closures that are associated with filming which, in turn, disrupts the normal workings of our neighborhood. We are a small neighborhood and have huge traffic issues even on normal days. Accordingly, film production in our area has forced us at times to increase our neighborhood security patrol hours to alleviate these impacts. Some of the issues dealt with by our neighbors because of film production include the following:
- Neighbors cannot get out of their driveways in the mornings and afternoons on some streets due to the trucks and personnel connected with a film production company
- We have had problems with lawn companies being asked to leave or being asked when they will leave because of disruption to the filming and microphones. When this happens, our neighbors’ “paid for” services go unfinished or are not completed at all.
- The volume of cars and trucks have made it impossible for some residents to have the normal workers or their own builders’ vehicles in front of their homes.
- Residents pride themselves in having beautiful homes and yards. The orange cones, city markers, cars and trucks parked in front of their homes associated with film production are unsightly and have caused negative feelings..
If you have any questions, please feel free to email the MPNCA Film Liaisons, Joe Stabile (joseph.stabile@mtparannorthside.com) and Cathy Barshay (cathy.barshay@mtparannorthside.com), who are happy to help guide you through the process.