Scouting strip clubs for movie/TV filming always makes for some extremely unique encounters, though not for why you’d probably expect.
Strip club management runs an incredibly wide range of styles, from ultra-corporate, to literally mom-and-pop. Those on the higher end of the spectrum are extremely professional and above-board. You show up during non-working hours to take pictures, and it feels no different than scouting, say, a nice restaurant or dance club.
The rest though? All over the map. One time, I was told to go to a strip club in the Valley a few minutes before opening. Stepping from the bright SoCal sun into the deserted, near pitch-dark club, I could barely see a thing as I started taking pictures, the manager guiding me around. Suddenly, a woman screamed and leapt up from the shadows and ran out yelling angrily. Turns out, she’d let in a customer early and was giving him a lap dance at a corner table. The customer patiently awaited her return as the manager scolded her and I continued taking pictures.
Another time at a different Valley location, I got to the club at the agreed upon time, only to realize the manager had invited me down in the middle of its full working operation. As he urged me to snap photos, I asked if he’d let the (very naked) dancers on stage know I was taking pictures. A confused look crossed his face. “Why would I do that?” I waited for a break in performance to snap the photos.
Then there was the time stopped by a hole in the wall club in an industrial section of LA. I didn’t have an appointment, and just wanted to get the owner’s number. The enormous, biker-looking bouncer working the door also turned out to be the manager, and whisked me right in to take pictures then and there.
There weren’t any women on stage, but several customers were getting lap dances. “Um, are you sure everyone’s OK with me taking pictures?” I asked. “Yeah, good point,” he said thoughtfully, “I’ll make an announcement,” he said.
Then he stood in the middle of the room and yelled out over the music: “LISTEN UP EVERYBODY. THIS GUY’S GOING TO TAKE PICTURES. YOU DON’T WANT PICTURES TAKEN OF YOU, GET THE FUCK OUT.”
Some of the girls and their customers retreated to more shadowy corners, while others continued on as though nothing had been said. Absolutely no one left. I’m not sure I’ve ever taken scout photos so fast.
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