Everyone’s a Critic on Downtown Filming

As part of a plan to organize motion picture filming in Ventura, city officials will ask residents how the shooting of the movie “Swordfish” last fall affected downtown.

The comments, which will be gathered Tuesday at 8 a.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, will be included in a “Swordfish” debriefing to be presented to the City Council in April.

That report will help improve ways the city handles future film projects, said Jenise Wagar, marketing and public affairs manager for the city.

A survey will ask residents and merchants about positive aspects of the filming, problems and how well the city kept them informed.

“Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, was the biggest movie production ever in Ventura, Wagar said, so the city decided to do a larger study.

From mid-October to mid-November, production closed downtown streets and drew hundreds of fans. It also divided downtown businesspeople.

Some merchants said they gained business, while others said it cost them customers. Unhappy shopkeepers unsuccessfully sued Warner Bros. to halt filming and crowded one City Council meeting, demanding reparations and threatening to sue the city.