This clear shot of the Capitol might become off-limits to film crews. Photo by owash

Yesterday on Housing Complex, Lydia DePillis looked into what the transfer of control over Union Square—better known as the eastern end of the National Mall that borders the Capitol—from the National Park Service to the Architect of the Capitol means for film and television production in the District.

Her verdict? Not too optimistic, considering that the Grant Memorial and Capitol Reflecting Pool, both inside the square, have long been used as filming locations for shots of the Capitol, which itself is off-limits to any non-news commercial productions.

“Virtually every single project, whether it’s a TV project or a movie, shoots at Grant statue,” Jonathan Zurer, a producer who worked on The West Wing, told DePillis.

If the Grant Memorial is walled off to future film crews, it’ll be a setback to the District’s efforts to lure future film crews, Crystal Palmer, the director of the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, said in an interview with DCist.

“It would certainly affect our ability to service the industry,” she said. “And the Capitol is a major icon we promote. Are they going to make an exception?”

Palmer certainly hopes so, especially when considering the fact that unlike other state film agencies around the country, her office does not currently offer any type of financial incentive package for film productions. (Thanks to their robust incentive programs, Maryland and Virginia have won out on recent Washington-focused productions like the HBO vice-presidential sitcom Veep and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Abraham Lincoln biopic.)

If Union Square becomes unavailable, Palmer says that at the very least her office still has jurisdiction over the stretch of 3rd Street NW between Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues, but the feasibility of parking a film crew there would be limited.

“To the extent you can get all of your filming done on the street—which would be somewhat of a challenge—what we could basically do is B-Roll,” she said.

So, Palmer’s holding out hope that the Architect of the Capitol will extend some kind of grandfather clause to Union Square so film crews can continue to use the Grant Memorial. Though she’s yet to find out who she’ll be communicating with to negotiate such future arrangements.

“They did not give us a name of the person who will handle film stuff,” she said.

Palmer also recalled that the Capitol used to allow some films to shoot inside its walls if they were portraying an accurate reconstruction of a historical event. The last such film to do so, she said, was the 1994 drama Quiz Show, the Robert Redford-directed picture that recounted a 1950s scandal over the fixing of television game shows. (Though that film was later criticized for some of the artistic liberties it took over actual history.)

Still, Palmer said she understand’s the Capitol’s current restrictions on non-news production crews. “Security concerns then were not what they are today,” she said. Her hope is that with Union Square now presumable subject to the same rules, film and television productions will be able to be accommodated when seeking a clear view of the Capitol.

“I think that’s going to be our challenge,” Palmer said. “How do you balance the needs of the filmmaker with the security concerns of the U.S. Capitol?”