1. Experience it!
MODERN MOCKTAILS:
a summer essential
5 P L AC E S TO B U RY
your nose in a book
Beauty in a beat:
FAST SUMMER LOOK FIXES
From fine art to
science to history,
Houston’s museums
and galleries have
got you covered.
> PAGE 68
Art
Attack
Touristin Your
TownIce cream
as big as your
head and 50+
other cool
things to do
this summer in
the Bayou City.
> PAGE 55

2. Lights, Camera,
Action!
Get your home camera-ready for the next
Bayou City-based film project.
BY JULIE OSTERMAN
DOWN HOME TO THE 9s TECH SAVVY IN FIVEembody
B
ig-name movies set in Houston
may be few and far between (think
“Terms of Endearment” or “Reality
Bites”), but our mild climate (summer
notwithstanding), evergreen trees, big
business and small-town charm attract
more film, TV and photo shoots than you
might expect.
The stress-free permitting process doesn’t
hurt either, according to Bo Svennson, a
Houston-based film scout and manager who
works chiefly on TV commercial shoots, many
filmed in a house or ’hood just like yours.
“Last week, I wrapped a job for Kia
Motors that will be seen worldwide,”
Svennson says. “Also this year, I’ve scouted
and managed for Chevy Suburban, BMW,
Joe’s Crab Shack, Foot Locker, Macy’s,
Panasonic, and Volvo.”
You might also spot a Bayou City scene
or two in the recent coming-of-age drama
“Hellion” starring Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis
and newcomer Josh Wiggins, released in
January at the Sundance Film Festival.
Think your home is ready for a close-up?
The industry may just want to be on location
in your living room. Here’s how to find out.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
In 2013, the Houston Film Commission
(HFC) completed 203 film and video proj-
ects, with direct expenditures totaling $18.2
million. And although that seems like a
hefty sum, compare that with the economic
impact of nearly $55 million. Needless to
say, filming in Houston is no small business.
When a production company considers
filming in Houston, the first point of contact
is usually the HFC, a division of the Greater
Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
“Predominantly, we send out our location
photos first, mainly because they don’t have
to pay us,” says HFC executive director Rick
Ferguson. “But that gives them some idea
of what the area has to offer. If at that point
they are convinced that Houston works,
then they will contact a local location scout.”
Getting your home noticed can be as
HOUSTONFILMCOMMISSION
scan this page
to see more of Houston’s
photo-shoot spots.
+
32 bayou city magazine June/July 2014

3. simple as contacting the HFC, or
a scout in the area, and providing
photos of your abode.
“We will go out as soon as possible and
take our own photographs, which we keep
on file,” Ferguson explains. The HFC and
location scouts share these photographic
archives, which preserve homeowners’
privacy, and all communication is funneled
through the scout.
“Once the client narrows down the look
they are after, we call the homeowners to
check their interest level,” says Svennson.
Often, the production company will visit two
to three homes before giving the green light.
RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
For Memorial resident Angie Steadman,
whose bathroom gleamed in a recent shoot
for a new Panasonic ionic hair dryer, her
home’s debut was more a matter of luck.
“Bo was in the area looking at other
homes and just happened to knock on my
door,” she says.
The scout was interested in her black-
and-white outdoor kitchen for the recent
HEB commercial about backyard barbecues
featuring J.J. Watt. Steadman’s backyard
didn’t make the cut for that project, but
soon enough she received a call about her
bathroom.
The all-day Panasonic shoot encompassed
a film crew of nearly 30, plus execs and
talent, which happened to be Alex Morgan
of the women’s Olympic soccer team, who
dried her tresses in Steadman’s white
marble master bath.
explore
filming FAQs
Houston-based location scout Bo
Svennson shares the nitty-gritty of
opening your home to film crews.
WILL YOU HAVE TO MOVE FURNI-
TURE OUT, REPAINT, ETC.?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Scouts
take restoration photos prior to filming
so that everything will be put back in
its exact “as found” condition.
WILL YOU HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF
YOUR HOME?
TV commercials and photo shoots typi-
cally don’t require the homeowner to
stay off-site. If we anticipate going late,
we offer the homeowner that option
and the production company pays for
lodging and meals. In the past, we have
also paid to have the homeowner’s
pets boarded.
DO YOU NEED TO GET INSURANCE?
No. Any legitimate film shoot provides
the homeowner with a certificate of
insurance for $1 million, listing them on
the policy as “additional insured” prior
to filming.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
TV commercials and photo shoots typi-
cally last a day or two. Film shoots may
last from days to weeks.
WILL YOU GET PAID?
A typical exterior-only residential shoot
in Houston pays $500. Interior filming
can pay anywhere between $1,000 and
$2,000 per 12-hour day.
WILL YOU GET FREEBIES?
We usually have a sit-down catered
lunch, and homeowners are always
welcome to join us.
MARKLIPCZYNSKI|HOUSTONFILMCOMMISSION
“You might expect them to be
stuck-up Hollywood people or
New Yorkers, but they’re not,”
Steadman says. “They were extremely nice
people. They were very conscientious of my
home, very careful about everything. It was
a really enjoyable experience.”
What was it about her bathroom that
caught the producer’s eye? Steadman thinks
it was the minimalist backdrop. In other
words, no clutter. “It’s not how I live,” she
admits, “but it is pretty.”
OUR PEOPLE WILL CALL YOUR PEOPLE
Other aspects that tend to be a plus for
film crews include long sight lines, an open
floor plan and neutral color scheme. But
Svennson says every project is different.
“I’ve been tasked with finding homes in
pastels, rustic style, high-end mansions, you
name it,” he says.
Sometimes the desires are a little ambigu-
ous, he admits. “They might say, ‘We want
something more aspirational.’ Well, what
does that mean?” he laughs.
But other times they know exactly what
they want. ABC Network recently scouted
locations here in Space City for its summer
drama series “The Astronaut Wives Club,”
based on the spouses of the “Mercury
Seven” astronauts who manned flights
in the early 1960s. In this case, ABC was
searching for a very specific look: “mid-
century modern time capsule.” So your
eccentric neighbor down the street who’s
never renovated may be laughing all the way
to the bank.
Angie Steadman sits in her
camera-ready bathroom,
which was featured
in a commercial for a
Panasonic hair dryer.
bayoucitymagazine.com 33