Multiple readers have written in this week asking about the situation at Alamo Square. Today, the eastern half of park is closed to the public, and streets along the perimeter are being intermittently blocked to pedestrian and auto traffic by various SFPD officers and film crew staff.

So, what gives?

On Tuesday, we trekked up the hill and spoke with a crew member who informed us that a California tourism commercial is being shot at the site, and that the filming involves the use of an aerial quadcopter-mounted camera. (It's unclear whether the area lockdown is to protect the public from the flying gadget, or just to keep our collective ugly mugs out of the footage.)

Alamo Square isn't the only SF location that will feature in the commercial; the drone also buzzed around Coit Tower on Monday afternoon, according to the Chronicle.

Photo: Andrew Dudley / Hoodline

Notices posted in the Alamo Square area indicate that today's filming will last until noon, although we've heard anecdotally that Tuesday's session (also slated to end at noon) actually stretched well into the afternoon. So if you were planning on a midday picnic with the Tanners today, you might want to make other plans.