Convenience store owner Sanjay Patel had no problems when filmakers wanted to use his store to shoot a robbery for a movie. In fact, he was thrilled by the idea, because he got to play himself! So he closed up the store on a Tuesday morning, and the film crew moved in. Unfortunately for director Fred Carpenter, he’d neglected to file the proper paperwork with the local police department, so his set got disrupted when a real cop stormed the store, mistaking the movie robbery for a real robbery!
If there’s one thing I learned from Lloyd Kaufman’s book, Make Your Own Damn Movie, it’s the importance of a permit. With the proper permission, you can pretty much shoot whatever you want. Fred Carpenter’s movie Jesse, starring Burt Young from the Rocky series, is due to be released sometime this year, though that date might change if the filming keeps getting busted up by law enforcement officers. Hopefully next time, they’ll at least put up a sign reading “movie set” on the door!
Image: Dalembert Report
Tags: real cops show up to fake robbery, cops disrupt movie shoot, movie set, movie robbery draws real police, filming permits, Sanjay Patel, Long Island, New York, Jesse, Burt Young, Fred Carpenter