Filming near Georgia coast draws complaints

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — A true crime series that’s filming near Georgia’s coast has drawn complaints from neighbors about vehicles speeding by their houses to reach the set.

The county needs an ordinance regulating filming locations, Effingham County Commissioner Phil Kieffer said.

Kieffer said he learned that “The Act” was filming when 14 building facades were set up for background scenes, and neighbors complained about the speeding, The Savanah Morning News reported.

“Because Effingham County doesn’t have a process in place to directly permit and regulate film locations, they were only required to secure a building permit for temporary structures that are in place,” Kieffer said. “They have been amenable to working around the complaints from the neighbors, which has included hiring off-duty officers to help.”

Kieffer said he typically is “hesitant to increase regulations on any private entity,” but, “I do think we need something in place for these situations so that county staff can ensure that area residents aren’t unduly burdened.”

The crew held a low country boil for neighbors and has been responsive to their concerns, location manager Steve Yetman said.

The filming began in early October and takes place five or six days a month, Yetman said. The work should be completed by the beginning of February, he said.

One of the benefits of filming in Effingham is that the area can be used to portray locations in Louisiana, Missouri and Wisconsin, Yetman said. In addition to using the neighborhood set, the crew also filmed one day a few weeks ago at a convenience store on Ga. 21 in Rincon, Georgia.

The show being filmed for Hulu follows Gypsy Blanchard, a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother, the Savannah newspaper reported.