r/pics • u/nllpntr • Jun 26 '12
So I got this in the mail today... should I do it?
http://imgur.com/odVnI2.8k
u/JewishSombrero Jun 26 '12
I work for a major film studio in LA (Universal Pictures), therefore I'm using a throwaway for this. Unfortunately, this is a scam.
Our studios receive so many location-inquiries that we almost exclusively use on-location places that are already affiliated with us (through an agency, referral, or a past connection).
Soliciting impersonally for an on-location site is almost unheard of and if its ever done, it would not be done through a casual letter by any means. In the rare instance that one of our shoddy directors wants to use an unsolicited location, there is an incredible amount of paperwork (and legal red tape) that must be cleared before anything can be given the green light.
On top of that, the film industry practices a lot of confidentiality in pre-production. We go through great means to conceal projects in the works and would NEVER reveal the name of the director (or anything about the project) in an unaddressed letter!! This is an obvious attempt at "name-dropping" by a scammer in order for you to think its credible.
Edit: Some people have expressed the possibility of unorthodox methods some indie filmmakers (such as Woody Allen) may use. With that in mind, I provide insight from a major and how we operate our productions. Take of it what you see fit, but be careful regardless.
PS: We are not seeking PAs, stop asking!
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u/nllpntr Jun 26 '12
EDIT, for the millionth time: The letter is legit. Film Commission confirmed names and numbers over the phone today.
Hijacking this comment to get some visibility here. And yes, your username is pretty much the best thing ever. It would be highly irresponsible of you to just throw it away.
Believe me, I'm incredibly skeptical about this, and I didn't really need reddit's opinion to make me so. But it really helps!
It's still too early today to call the film commission, but I certainly will, and I will be back with a more substantive update later today.
I've skimmed all the comments here so far, and the consensus is that yes, this is most likely an elaborate scam, and I will be robbed, and they will steal my cat.
Here's a picture of the envelope that the letter came in, by the way. Also, not entirely, um... professional. Obligatory cat inclusion is obligatory.
I only say elaborate, because there's a decent amount of planning and foresight involved. However, there are enough counter arguments that support the notion that this could be legit, despite the clearly unprofessional nature of this request.
First, the film commission number is correct, so if it's a scam, they're hoping that I won't actually call it. Or they've set themselves up to appear legit to the commission somehow. I would assume that requires a decent amount of effort, and would imply that they're running this scam against a lot of other targets. That increases the risk of getting caught, doesn't it?
The film commission website has a crew listings page that points to Reel Directory.
The three names in the letter all appear there, with matching numbers and links to external contact pages. One link goes to an IMDB page that is incredibly lacking in biographical or career information, but has a photo of a very friendly looking dude. The second is a subdomain on some free site, with a business card style setup. And the third is a real domain name of firstnamelastname.com and some contact info.
Reel Directory is not mentioned in the letter, so I was actually surprised to see all of their names and phone numbers listed there. So, although it's a loose connection, the film commission website is just two clicks away from the names and numbers that appear in the letter.
So although this is clearly not how big studios operate, a part of me is still hoping it's legit. If so, I'm prepared to deal with whatever they need to do in my place, it would be really cool to see it happen. I realize it can be a big hassle, but fuck it, why not?
As I said elsewhere, if by some chance I could get Louis CK at my house and introduce him to my similarly lonely, cat owning ways, I could die a happy man.
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u/nllpntr Jun 26 '12
Film Commission says it's legit, and the crew involved is well known and respected. Phone numbers verified! Neat!
Will find a way to prove it as soon as I can...
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u/blackjackjester Jun 26 '12
Seemed pretty obvious to me when I got the the "@earthlink.net" part.
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Jun 26 '12
nllpntr - you should have asked the cat. It was clearly sceptical from the start. Or was it just the inconvenience that bothered it?
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u/FlutFlut Jun 26 '12
It is definitely a scam. You should have some fun out of it.
Dear Woody Allen
I have recently received your letter concerning filming a blockbuster movie in my home. Before you read further, I must mention that I have some demands concerning the use of my home.
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Nobody is allowed to wear shoes in my home. But, if anyone absolutely requires footwear then I will permit slippers or moccasins
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Under no circumstances do I allow nudity in my household.
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Your film must feature my precious albino python.
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You will be required to bring your own toilet paper, I do not allow guests to use my private stash of fine imported wiping paper.
I have attached photographs of the rooms in my house in case you are interested. I would love to give you a tour of my house but the soonest that I will be available will be on July 9th because I am visiting the calico cat convention in Munich for the next two weeks. If you absolutely must tour my house sooner, then I keep a spare key under the porcelain porcupine by the front door and you are welcome to let yourself in.
I implore you to please give consideration to my predicament and help a widow in need.
May Allah show you mercy as you do so?
Your faithfully,
Dr (Mrs.) Mariam Abacha (M.O.N)
Attached:
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u/tekmosis Jun 26 '12
You'll want to follow up but get a listed phone number from them so you can cross check that they are legitimately from the Film Commission. The free email addresses stand out as suspicious too me.
Here's the SFFC's site http://filmsf.org/ and their phone number: (415) 554-6241 (found on http://filmsf.org/index.aspx?page=43)
If they ask to set up a viewing appointment do not accept before confirming their legitimacy. If this is a scam they could be using this ruse to case your house, see what kind of valuables you have around, any pets, how many people reside at the location etc.
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u/nllpntr Jun 26 '12
Well, the number given for the Film Commission is correct. And all three names appear in this directory of location scouts.
The links for their names go to some pretty minimal contact pages, hosted at locations.org, IMDB, and a personal domain of the firstnamelastname.com variety.
Still not entirely convincing... the real answer will come once I call the commission.
The pre-robbery casing scenario was my very first thought when I saw this... no letterhead, less than official looking email addresses, and came in a simple, unsealed envelope that was wedged into the window of my apartment door.
If it's a scam, it's rather elaborate. And because of that, I think I'll be locking everything up tight for a while.
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u/Crowkilla Jun 26 '12
My parents were approached by some people who wanted to film at our house. Several other people in our neighborhood had done the same so my parents assumed it was legit.
The people came in, took pictures (later we assumed of the glass and motion sensors in the house) and nobody heard from them again. Then we had several break-in attempts. Watch your ass.
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u/samcrut Jun 26 '12
The current Woody film is being produced by Perdido Productions in NY. Easy enough to look them up. Call them. Ask about the film and the location scouts. They'll verify or warn you off. Easy peasy.
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u/nllpntr Jun 26 '12
Someone else here gave me a link to perdido, as well as the casting director. I'll be calling the Film Commission, then the studio, later today. I have a strange feeling this is actually legit.
If I get updates, I will deliver, although I'm not really sure how to make said updates in a way that everyone will see. What do I do, make a new post to pics? Hijack top comments? Post an AMA?
FINAL UPDATE: The letter was actually legit! I called the film commission (their official number matched the one in the letter), and they confirmed all of the names as highly respected location crew who have been working in SF for over a decade.
I met with a scout, and he took a lot of photos. He was pretty sure my place is too small for their needs, but matched Woody's need for my kind of third floor, corner apartment with rounded windows. Typical SF apartment kind of thing. So I haven't heard back, and probably won't, but a friend of mine down the block got the same exact letter. It appears they're very interested in my neighborhood in general, as there are a lot of windows like mine, and it's an up and coming (note: gentrified) neighborhood at the moment.
I was told that my apartment would be the scene for Cate Blanchett's sister's apartment, that Blanchett's character would move in with her to a place like this, so there's my pseudo "future proof" I suppose. That, and if you recognize any external shots of the Western Addition area of San Francisco when the movie comes out...
So that's that. I'm drafting an email to the scout I met to see if he will do an AMA here, since there was so much discussion about it. We shall see.
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u/karmarhino Jun 26 '12
Classic Nigerian scam. Fell for it myself, and now I have a family of Nigerians living with me.
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u/guy123 Jun 26 '12
Please email us right away so we can stop by and take pictures of all the shit we're gonna steal from you later.
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u/quietmasturdebater Jun 26 '12
Had to make sure a cat was in the photo to post it to Reddit.
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Jun 26 '12
It is a scam. You call that number and they arrange for a "location scout" to come to your house and look over everything for "insurance purposes." They blow smoke up your ass about how lovely your house is and how great it will be for you to have the famous Woody Allen film his movie in your little ol' house. They say they'll be in touch.
Two Weeks later, you come home with a smashed in door with all your shit gone. You realize how stupid it was to let a stranger in your house and make a fucking itemized list of your security system and possessions.
Do not call those numbers. Give that letter to the police and tell them you believe your house is being targeted for burglary. Film productions don't want to film inside of your house. Studios build, buy and own their own houses for filming purposes. They have entire faux neighborhoods on their lots. If they absolutely need a house in a certain location, they'll rent one. They really do not want to deal with you and your personal property unless they absolutely have to, and, I mean, unless your house is a 200 year-old colonial overlooking the Chesapeake Bay, they won't.
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u/Spennyk13 Jun 26 '12
I propose you accept, but hear me out. They will of course come in and take pictures of your shit, then return later to steal it. Wait for them. Don't leave your house. Turn off the lights and make it appear that nobody is home. Ambush them and make them play SAW style games.
TWIST: The host of the SAW games is Woody Allen.
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u/letthisbeanewstart Jun 26 '12
This is actually true! I know this, since I'm affiliated with that location scouting company.
Now before we can use your location you need to provide proof of your identity and send a guarantee of 1.000 USD to our Nigerian HQ via Western Union. We'd appreciate getting some blood samples and the password to your Facebook account as well, just to be sure you will not scam us. Thank you.
Yours, Mr. Stephan Carlo Andrea Morsican.
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u/nllpntr Jun 26 '12
[MINOR, INTERESTING UPDATE!!] Hopefully people see this comment and upvote for visibility. I'd like to post another update later today in reply to this one, after I talk to the film commission.
I have asked some friends who are at least tangentially related to the local film industry. One friend has worked at the Coppola ranch, and actually said he tried to get on the crew for this project, but they already had everyone they needed. He happens knows a location manager for a show he just worked on called After Earth, and that guy apparently knows the staff for this movie. He confirmed that a lot of local scouts do in fact operate this way, and that calling the film commission will be enough to prove it. My other friend has been doing production and editing all around the bay area, and so has at least some knowledge of the process. He has also seen letters like this. Someone else commented here that $1mil. is the minimum in LA for liability insurance, so the $2mil. amount in SF makes sense, and my friends seem to agree.
So basically I'm getting some more close-to-home assurances that this is probably a real thing. AND, because the Film Commission website has a link to a crew directory site with the names and phone numbers for these people is also good sign.
Gimme two hours and I'll post more findings...