By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
The Jersey Shore garnered nationwide attention in homes across the country when MTV launched the hit reality TV show “The Jersey Shore.” And since Sandy, towns are getting even more calls from television producers looking to film home makeovers.
“Now filming is becoming easy to do, quickly produced. We just want to have provisions in place to make sure when projects go on, they don’t wind up interfering with people in neighborhoods,” said Middletown Township Administrator Anthony Mercantante.
That’s why Middletown Township proposed an ordinance requiring all commercial film shoots to acquire a permit to shoot in town.
“It’s important because sometimes these programs can be disruptive in neighborhoods. Large vehicles show up, trucks, generators, there’s no real rules about the hours they can operate or film. Sometimes they need traffic control,” Mercantante said.
Mercantante says the township hasn’t experienced any significant problems during any of Middletown’s film shoots.
“We want to be on top of it. We want to be ahead of a problem rather than reacting to it,” he said.
Mercantante says the proposed ordinance has nothing to do with “Jersey Shore” reality star Mike Sorrentino. Filming is underway here in New Jersey on his new reality show, “The Sorrentino’s.”
The proposed permit fee includes a $500 refundable cash deposit. It would cost $500 a day for most shoots and $1,500 a day for major motion pictures.
“It’s really not about saving money or generating money, it’s really about making sure residents and communities aren’t overly distributed,” Mercantante said.
Film crews must notify the township ahead of time on shooting location and duration, provide an insurance certificate and coordinate with the township on resources needed such as police and EMS. If the shooting project is substantial, they must notify residents in the neighborhood. Hours of filming are limited in residential areas from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Other towns have adopted similar ordinances, like Toms River. The township also requires a permit for commercial film shoots.
“We did it because we were concerned not about content at all — that’s not our job. We’re not censoring. We basically, I guess you can put it under the category of public safety,” said Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher.
Back in Middletown, a public hearing is scheduled for May 19. The proposed ordinance could adopted that evening.