Lionsgate Tells a Local Hildebran Woman, "No Pictures Online"

Lionsgate is worried about fans seeing "too much" of The Hunger Games film before it hits the big screen next March.

Jennifer Willis, who lives in Hildebran had posted pictures of the pre-production work at the Henry River Mill Village on her Facebook page. She had no idea in mind other than that others who might not live in the area, would be curious to see the goings on for the film. This all came to a halt recently when Jennifer received an message from Lionsgate on her Facebook page asking her to refrain from posting pictures of the filming on the internet.

The Hickory Daily Record spoke to both Jennifer Willis and a representative from Lionsgate about the exchange.
Jennifer Willis said she clicked on her Facebook messages inbox Sunday night and was shocked when she read a message from Danielle De Palma, vice president of digital media for Lionsgate Entertainment Inc. In the message, De Palma says, “As you are aware, from your postings of pictures, the location for part of our shoot will be across from your home.” She tells Willis that interest in the production is appreciated and they welcome all fans.

De Palma then goes on to say, “However, in order to protect our intellectual property rights in the picture, production, scenes, costumes etc. we must request that you refrain from posting any further pictures which may give away information related to the picture.

“Everything related to the production is confidential and Lionsgate property. We want to protect this information for the enjoyment of all our fans.”

De Palma tells Willis in the message that she has avoided involving the Lionsgate legal team “and am reaching out to you in the hopes that you will understand and respect our position.”

...William Casey, unit publicist for the production, confirmed Tuesday the message from De Palma is legitimate, saying it was a request that Willis refrain from taking any photos while scenes for the movie are being filmed at the village

...Casey said the message was sent to ensure photos wouldn’t be taken during filming that could potentially ruin any surprises for those who might see the movie.
You can read the full article at the Hickory Daily Record.

Though Lionsgate's representative makes it clear their main concern was that pictures of the "actual" filming not make their way online, Jennifer is not taking any chances and is going to refrain from taking any more photos of production until the road through the area is no longer closed. Which should be sometime later today or tomorrow as filming is due to wrap in the area before moving onto to Shelby.

So, what does this mean for those of you who were hoping to snap a few shots of the sets in Shelby, or elsewhere in North Carolina? Well technically in a legal sense you are allowed to take photos if you are on public property (no trespassing please!), and you are not interfering with the filming of a scene or bothering those working on the film (cast, crew). So, be careful, be courteous, and have some common sense, and there shouldn't be any problems.

If you are taking pictures of cast and crew comings and goings (while being sure not to be in their way) or the set when filming is not occuring, etc, these are photos that are likely to be ignored by production. But if you are snapping shots while a scene is being filmed, or have trespassed where you shouldn't, there is a good chance Lionsgate will be knocking on your email box too.

hickoryrecord.com thanks downwiththecapitol