As seen on TV: Newport

A few curious beachgoers craned their necks as director Dan Murphy wrapped up filming a shiny new Infiniti sedan parked on the Balboa Pier.

Using a large crane-like piece of filming equipment called a jimmy jib, Murphy used the pier to shoot footage for a commercial for Toyo Tires, a luxury and sports car tire manufacturer, on a recent morning.

Murphy has used Newport Beach to film several car commercials over the years.

“A lot of my clients are based back East, and they love the footage of the beach and the piers,” Murphy said. “And there’s no place easier to work than Newport Beach.”

In other cities, Murphy would have to have a police escort to film driving scenes on city streets, but that’s not necessary in Newport, as long as he doesn’t hold up traffic, he said.

Smaller film productions like Murphy’s tire commercial are the “bread and butter” of Newport’s film permitting business, said Joe Cleary, film liaison for the city.

Newport Beach has become a destination for on-location film and photography shoots.

In the first two months of 2010, the city booked 38 days of film production, according to public records. Information on how much revenue film permits generate for the city was not immediately available Tuesday.

Film permits cost about $400 a day in Newport. Production companies also help the local economy by paying location fees to property owners, staying at hotels and hiring caterers.

Aside from its picturesque piers and beaches, one of the reasons production companies favor Newport Beach is its lack of red tape, Cleary said.

The city tries to accommodate production companies that want to film on short notice, Cleary said, adding that it can take a producer weeks to get the proper approvals in other locations.

“We don’t limit ourselves by objecting [to] things people want to do here,” Cleary said.

When film crews come to town, the city’s on-the-scene film liaison, Marty Capune, is usually with them. He makes sure residents still have somewhere to park and directors get all their shots.

Over the years, Capune has tagged along with crews shooting everything from infomercials to the MTV reality show “Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County.”

“Each shoot is different,” Capune said. “I try to make sure the residents aren’t put out. We try to make the city a film-friendly place.”

The upcoming CW reality show “Fly Girls,” which follows the lives of jet-setting Virgin American flight attendants, just filmed part of an episode aboard a yacht in Newport Harbor.

A hit ABC reality dating show — Cleary can’t say which one — was in town last weekend to film on Balboa Island. NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” also has filmed scenes in Newport Beach. And ABC’s “Supernanny” wrapped up filming in January on an upcoming episode that will feature a local family.

Newport also is a popular destination for shooting TV commercials and still fashion photography, said Orange County Film Commissioner Janice Arrington.

A crew from Polo by Ralph Lauren just spent three days in town for a fashion photo shoot on the Balboa Peninsula. Gymboree Children’s Clothing and Audi also had photo shoots in Newport in the past month.

Arrington said she has had calls from production companies as far away as France and Australia.

A Korean production company just spent three days in Newport Beach shooting scenes for a feature film called “California High Noon.”

“I think one of the first things is that it is just a very beautiful city visually,” Arrington said. “Even if they are not coming for the oceanfront, there’s the shopping malls, the library, walking the streets of Balboa Island and the Back Bay.”