BAN ON USE OF AIRPORTS FOR FILMING FRUSTRATES.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

Three months after Los Angeles officials banned television and movie filming at the four city-owned airports, members of the entertainment industry are growing frustrated with the restrictions and wondering if they will end in time to avert more runaway production.

Because of security concerns, Los Angeles World Airports banned filming at its four airports - Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Ontario and Palmdale - shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

LAWA Executive Director Lydia Kennard reinforced the policy earlier this month, telling all airport managers in a memo, ``Effective immediately, no commercial photography or commercial movie/filming related activities of any nature will be permitted within the airfield operations area at any LAWA facility.''

The ban - for an undetermined length of time - is starting to generate some frustration in the industry, although most are loath to criticize LAWA too harshly in public because they recognize the need for tighter security.

``It certainly has negative effects,'' said Cody Cluff, president of the Entertainment Industry Development Corp., which promotes film production in Los Angeles. ``In particular, LAX has been one of the most heavily filmed airports in the world. They've always been very receptive and open to filming. The loss of it as a location cuts out one of our most frequently filmed facilities.''

Van Nuys Airport, Cluff added, also remains a popular location and its loss adds to the concerns.

According to LAWA officials, Van Nuys last year issued 40 filming permits, earning the airport revenue of $182,266. This year, from January through September, LAX issued 144 permits, for revenue of $267,995.

The city, however, has a policy of not earning a profit on movie permits at the airport, so the revenue simply covers the costs of providing support with airport staff and security, according to LAWA officials.

Even businesses not directly in the film industry are hurt by the ban. Syncro Aircraft Interiors, for example, which rents hangar space at Van Nuys, does a side business with movie shoots.

``The thing that's disconcerting is there's no deadline,'' said Syncro co-owner Barbara Cesar. ``We're just assuming it's going to be a short- term thing, because we know that the city wants to keep filming in Los Angeles.''

But she and others in the industry - already worried about productions fleeing California - are concerned that the airport ban may continue to drive production companies out.

``It might indeed make some people think about filming in (other) locations if you need a large airport,'' said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. ``Certainly the people in Denver or Phoenix would be very happy to see a film crew coming.''

But Kyser and others noted that the one element preventing large-scale defections to out-of-town airports is that film production now is very slow everywhere because movie companies were stockpiling work earlier this year in anticipation of writers and actors strikes that never materialized.

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SOURCE: Los Angeles World Airports