Lights, Camera, Wyckoff!

Ok, so you don't have to worry about Michael Bay coming to town to start filming Transformers 4 at Boulder Run. But an ordinance introduced at the township committee meeting on Tuesday would open the door for film and television production companies to take "still or motion pictures, either on film or videotape" in Wyckoff for a fee.

Can you say hello Real Housewives?

While some observant viewers may have already caught earlier episodes of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" filming quick "unauthorized" scenes at Cafe Amici on Franklin Avenue, the filming of television shows or films in the township has been officially prohibited to this point.

But Mayor Kevin Rooney says the township is ready to allow filming in town proper under the appropriate controls.

"There's been interest over the years from shows like Real Housewives and others to film in Wyckoff. There've been movies that have wanted to utilize homes in Wyckoff, whether it’s a TV movie or a small project, and it’s always been prohibited. So we looked at the reasons why it was prohibited in the past and things have changed," Rooney said. "People have changed. Revenue streams have changed. And our ability to control the process has changed.  So we decided it would be in the best interest of our community to allow this type of filming to take place. It will be a revenue stream."

The ordinance would require the purchase of a permit from any production company looking to film in Wyckoff. No permit would allow for filming more than three consecutive days in any one location and filming would not be allowed to exceed a total of six days in any single location in any one calendar year. It would also require the hiring of one or more off-duty Wyckoff police officers to control pedestrian and automobile traffic while filming is in process.

According to the ordinance filming would be allowed in residential zones between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The basic filming permit would cost $250. The daily filming fee in addition to the permit fee for a major motion picture or television show would be $1,500 per day.

"Wyckoff has very nice settings that have been found to be attractive to different movie companies and commercial film producers.  We felt it could be a good thing for the community," Rooney said.

According to the Mayor no specific request has been made by film or television production company in the last six months or so. But by putting the ordinance in place it opens the door if an appropriate project is proposed.

"We have some very nice older Victorian type homes here that would lend themselves to certain scenes in certain movies in feature productions," Rooney said.  "I think it's something our police force would have no problem handling. So to allow that to happen in the community, in a controlled environment, is a good thing."