TV anyone
 

CC Times today



HARWICH — A television film crew is ready to start shooting four tuna fishermen with Harwich and its harbors as a backdrop.
The "Reel Men" show for the Discovery/Animal Planet channel wants to film around Harwich with 24-hour-a-day access to Saquatucket Municipal Marina and Allen Harbor, said Selectman Larry Ballantine, chairman of the board.
Call Harwich "Hollywood East," he quipped Tuesday. "Any publicity for Cape Cod in general and Harwich, in particular, helps," Ballantine said.
Filming may begin today and last through Nov. 19, give or take a day or two, assistant Harbormaster Heinz Proft said, based on what he had been told by Splash Productions, the reality show's production company.
Splash Productions' 18-member crew ideally would arrive today, production manager Tory Lenosky confirmed Tuesday. She referred other questions to Animal Planet, the show's producer.
It's a small operation that will be keeping a low profile in town, Lenosky said in an email to Town Administrator James Merriam.
Two to three crew members — cameraman, field producer and production assistant — will follow four tuna fishermen on and off their boats around the Cape. Ninety percent of the filming will be offshore, Proft was told.
The show's stars are not local, year-round fishermen, Proft and Ballantine said. One may be from the transient boats that use Saquatucket Harbor during tuna season every year, he said.
In all, the production would bring in 18 people in three vehicles, including two vans and a 15-passenger vehicle, plus two private cars. The company was interested in access to Wychmere Harbor as well, Proft said.
The selectmen did ask the company to affirm they would work with the harbormaster about the number of transient slips needed and whether a police detail would be needed to control traffic, Ballantine said.
At this slow time of year, there are berths available, Proft said. Saquatucket Harbor, the largest municipal marina facing Nantucket Sound, is a convenient harbor for getting in and out to sea and around the tip of Monomoy, which may explain the company's interest, he said. The tuna season, usually at its peak in September into October, is slowing down, Proft said. Some of the transient fishermen have already moved on and others never showed up this year. Instead, they called to cancel their berth reservations because this year the tuna are so far offshore.

A different film crew has been in contact with me. They are going to be in Gloucester and the cape next week. If anyone wants to take a cameraman out send me a PM and I'll give you the guys number.

Saw a film crew from National Geograpic up at Fishermans Outfitter a couple of weeks ago......Filming some sort of "tuna show"..

they have been filming here for the last two months and they have been getting plenty of good tuna footage. There will be a lot of blooping when it airs next year.