Blame the Documentarian: The Hollywood Sign, Tourism and Me
From late 2006 until early 2009, I conducted interviews and shot footage for "Under the Hollywood Sign," my documentary on the history and culture of Beachwood Canyon. Some of that footage showed the Hollywood Sign, whose history I traced from its beginnings as a billboard in 1923 to its rebuilding in 1978 and beyond. I also filmed, with the permission of the Hollywood Sign Trust, at the Sign itself. During the 2 1/2 years I worked on this project, I worried that my neighbors would object to the attention my work might bring to the area. But no one ever did--until last Tuesday night's meeting of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association.
As the meeting ended, a woman approached me and said, "Hope, I've heard your video encourages people to climb to the Sign." "That's absolutely untrue," I said, explaining that while I had documented people climbing to the Sign, I was a bystander who had nothing to do with their decision. (On one occasion, I showed up at a legal spot to shoot b-roll and was amazed to see three people at the base of the Sign, and a couple on their way up.) But what I was thinking was, if I had made a documentary about Afghanistan, would she accuse me of promoting warfare? And shouldn't she have watched it before insinuating this?
I might have pointed out that "Under the Hollywood Sign," which to date has not been broadcast, has been seen mostly by people who live in the neighborhood, and that it clearly states that climbing to the Sign is illegal. While additional viewers have seen my YouTube channel, my clips show up alongside many other people's videos of the Hollywood Sign, including some that promote climbing to it.
Nevertheless, it's true that in the 5 years I've lived in Hollywoodland, tourist traffic has increased noticeably. My opinion--shared by many--is that the ubiquity of GPS and the recent advent of small, open tour vans are the main causes. Previously, tourists without cars would take the Starlines trolley bus as far as Beachwood Village. Now they can take a van up the residential streets near the Sign where they stop for pictures--and create gridlock.
On Saturday, I recounted the incident to Jim Hollander, a Beachwood resident and journalist. He said, ""That happens to reporters all the time. They write about someone or something small and unknown, and then suddenly it's a big deal, and people feel as though they have been put at a loss. These people must think documentaries are the devil's work!" Coincidentally, that very day the Times ran an article about the problems of tourist traffic. Because it focuses on Beachwood Canyon, I'm hoping the Times will share in the blame. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0305-tourbus-noise-20110305,0,6673141.story