What do J-Lo, Ben Affleck and Michael Bolton have in common? No, the answer has nothing to do with hairstyles or ego sizes. All of these celebs have worked, or are currently working, on films (or videos) in Philly. Our town’s reputation as a good and inexpensive place to make movies has only been enhanced by the recent hype from the Kevin Smith film Jersey Girl, now shooting with Lopez, Affleck and other stars in various locations in the city. But after Smith, who hails from New Jersey, opted to shoot in Philly, it was time for our local location scouts to enter the scene to help film crews make the most of what the city has to offer.

These folks know everything there is to know about a city, including its underbelly. The scouts are hired guns who find the locations, negotiate with the owner of the location for permission to shoot there, and often end up becoming the location managers once the spot is secured.

Robert Holtzman, who goes by the nickname Ratface, is one such gun. Ratface is actually a production designer, but the Fishtown resident has become known as an asset to directors and producers looking for unique spots to shoot. Ratface reads the film scripts in advance and draws on his knowledge of the city to find backdrops that reflect the proper look and feel for the scene.

“If the script calls for a seedy bar, I would immediately think of McGlinchey’s,” he says.”We shot the film Dogma (also directed by Smith) in Pittsburgh, and I had to find a seedy bar, so I looked for one that had a nicotine mural like McGlinchey’s has.”

“Philadelphia has great locations,” he says, “and it’s not expensive.” He emphasizes that budget is very important and that Philly is much cheaper than New York, although not as cheap as Canada, another popular alternative to Hollywood shoots.

Jersey Girl takes place in the Highlands in central New Jersey and in New York, and while there are some scenes shot in both places, the bulk of the film is shot in Philadelphia.

“New York was cost prohibitive,” Ratface says. “Miramax wanted Canada, but Kevin and I wanted Philly. The only issue was the difference in cost between Philly and Canada and Philly got it because Ben [Affleck] wanted Philly.”