But look closer and you’ll see something familiar — metal Christmas tree frames in the water and a red transit bus on the Alamitos Bay bridge. For just an instant, you can recognize on-screen Miami is reallife Belmont Shore.

Television and feature film production is a multi-million dollar business in Long Beach, generating $8.3 million a year in direct economic impact for all parts of the city — from permit and location fees to revenue for public services to income for residents who use their homes or businesses as filming locations.

In 2008, the city came very close to having its own independent film production facility. Long Beach Studios, LLC, had reached a deal with Boeing’s 717 passenger plane facility on Lakewood Boulevard, but the deal fell out of escrow recently. The plan was to build 40 sound stages ranging from 12,000 to 200,000 square-feet, and over 300,000 square-feet of full-service rental office space.

Although the movie studio is yet to materialize, the movie business continues to attract major studios to this city.

Every week, local production companies travel down the 405 to take advantage of the city’s diverse locations, shooting up to 40 productions per month which adds up to 700 production days each year.

“If I had to shoot a movie in one town in Southern California, I would do it all in Long Beach,” says Paul Codiga, Location Manager for CSI: Miami. “I can get almost any type of architecture, I get water, I get anything I need. There are so many great angles and locations.”

Current television shows that film in Long Beach include CSI: Miami, Dexter, Criminal Minds, Bones, Medium, Cold Case and 90210. Recent feature films include Star Trek, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (partially filmed at Wilson High), Iron Man, Transformers 2, and the upcoming Little Fockers (the sequel to Meet the Fockers.)

Filming in Belmont Shore, the beach lots, down the peninsula, and Park Estates remain popular when the city stands in for other coastal locations such as Miami. More urban areas, such as those around Third Street and Cedar Avenue transform other parts of the city into Boston or New York.

“Shooting in Long Beach is easy, it’s painless and they are on your side,” says Kris Bunting, key assistant location manager for Dexter, also set in Miami. “They are extremely filmfriendly. Everywhere in Long Beach, there are so many different landscapes, it’s just an absolute joy to film.”

“Eighty-five percent of Dexter is filmed in Long Beach — the main locations are all in Long Beach and the current characters live there,” says Bunting, who returns to shoot the Showtime series in May. The series’ third season location team was recently recognized as “Best Locations Department of the Year” by the California On Locations Awards.

Filming in the city is coordinated through the Long Beach Special Events and Filming Office, a one-stop shop for film permits, advice for location managers, and all city services. Film Commissioner Tasha Day, Film Coordinators Emily Scott and Andy Witherspoon, and on-site compliance representative Charles Hopkins, serve as liaisons between the city, local neighborhoods, and production companies. Long Beach also falls within the 30-mile studio zone, established to determine rates and driving distances for crew members on union productions.

“We have everything and we make it easy for production companies to film,” says Day, who has been Film Commissioner since 1999. “Long Beach can be Anywhere, U.S.A. We’ve been Miami, Virginia, Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., and downtown Shanghai. We’ve been everything and we can be everything.”

The Long Beach film industry can be traced back to the silent era in 1913, with the creation of Balboa Studios, which consisted of indoor studio spaces near downtown and outdoor spaces on Signal Hill. After expanding to become the city’s largest employer, the studio closed permanently in 1923, and was demolished to make way for housing subdivisions.

Filming returned in the 1960s with 10 productions per year, increasing to 100 per year by the early 1990s, when Warner Bros. converted the geodesic dome into a studio, making the former Spruce Goose hanger home to big budget features such as Batman Returns.

The city manager created the Special Events and Filming Office in 1993, and the film office now issues 400 to 500 film permits a year. While episodic network television usually shoots from August through April, feature films and cable series extend the filming calendar year-round.

The film permit process begins when the film office is contacted with a location inquiry. Day and her staff work with location managers to determine the most beneficial filming sites. An application is filed, including proof of insurance. Walk-throughs are then scheduled with appropriate city officials to determine necessary street closures, parking needs, and how to accommodate everything from stunts and explosions to dramatic helicopter landings.

Notifying residents of filming is a key responsibility of both the Film Office and the production companies. “The city people have to answer to the people who live there, and there’s an amazing balance,” says Perri Fichtner, Key Assistant Location Manager, for feature films such as Transformers 2 and Iron Man. The climactic battle scene for the latter was filmed on Shoreline Drive, which resulted in the closing of the major city artery for 15 days of night shoots.

Each production company must canvass potential neighborhoods to obtain signature forms from residents before a film permit is issued. Forms are required from 66 percent of residents within a specified radius for filming between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and from 80 percent of residents for filming outside these hours. The Film Office takes it a step further, sending notices to residents and businesses in an even wider area.

The city requires only three days to approve a film permit — a seemingly short time to notify residents, but an entirely realistic time frame in the constantly-changing world of filming on location.

“Television shows only work a week out,” explains Day. “They get the script, they have to find a location, they have to set the location and usually by the time they’ve found everything, it’s three days in advance by the time we get it. They start signaturing at that point.”

Because of the care and attention the Film Office pays to residents, they receive very few complaints — and the ones they do receive are usually related to issues that can be resolved. A representative is on set at the beginning of each shoot, reviewing each set-up and making adjustments that are the least impactful to residents. Every shoot also has a presence from the Police or Fire Department, with all costs covered by the production companies.

Only after the application process is complete does Day issue the film permit. The city charges $350 for a filming application and another $500 per day to film. On top of that, there are parking expenses and location fees, including $800 per day to shoot on beaches and waterways, $1,500 per day in El Dorado Park, and $5,000 on Blair Field.

CSI: Miami’s Codiga praises city officials in keeping Long Beach film-friendly and proactive, and Day agrees.

“If I didn’t have Richard Brandt and Matt Dobberpuhl from Fire, Mark Swanson and Lt. Steve Nottingham from the Police Department, or Frank Ramirez from Public Works, we couldn’t do any of these things,” she says. “When we land helicopters, they’re the guys out there. They’re the guys that say, ‘Yeah, we can do this but the propeller needs to be just so.’ The city has a team for special events, and these guys are all dedicated.”

Across the board, it is the enthusiasm and professionalism of Day, the Film Office, and the city that is credited for much of the success of the local film industry.

“The real thing about filming in Long Beach is that it’s all about the infrastructure, and that’s Tasha and the city,” says Codiga. “They come down to meet us on the tech [location] scouts, they speak our language, and they advise us on what we want to do and what not to do. They get it. They understand the complexities, they are really good with the neighborhoods, and they are tough about it.”

“Tasha knows the city like the back of her hand, and she knows how to get things done,” says Fichtner. “It’s a joy for a location person to go to a city where we don’t have to wonder if the city is going to pull the carpet out.”

For Day and her team, it’s all about keeping their high standards for the key supporting role Long Beach plays in Southern California’s most recognizable industry — and respecting the residents of the city.

“For the most part, we know what the balance is. We know how to bring filming into the city and, at the same time, alleviate residential concerns and make it a two-way street,” says Day. “We’re upfront, we’re honest, and we make it happen. But we do it in a way that makes everyone happy.”

Photos courtesy of City of Long Beach.