How do the paparazzi know where the celebrities are?

potatolegspotatolegs Posts: 5,099
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For example. Britney Spears photographed by 100 paps at a gas station when she desperately needed the loo.

Amy Winehouse coming out of an off-licence.

Do you think the celebrity's 'friends' call the paparazzi to get money off of them or even the celebs themselves so they get in the press?

How come they are always where the stars are, even in places you wouldn't expect to see them.

Comments

  • JasonJason Posts: 76,557
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    a bit of everything really. tip offs from people who work in certain places, also from the publicists of the people themselves, following them around. really could be any one of a number of things.
  • RecurringRecurring Posts: 287
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    With the two examples you gave, both were followed (although Amy managed to get some kind of injunction a year or two before her death iirc). They used to camp outside Amy's flat 24/7 in 2007/08 so whenever she tried to go about her business they'd mob her; on YouTube there's loads of videos uploaded by some paparazzi agency of Amy and it's pretty disgusting seeing the extent they were hounding her.

    But with certain "celebrities", it's actually them tipping off the paps.
  • FingersAndToesFingersAndToes Posts: 9,956
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    Most celebrities call the paps themselves (or their publicist do), or the celebs go to places known to be full of paparazzi. Some are followed a lot because of relevant drama happening in their lives, and the first pictures of the paparazzi at that moment would bring lot of £££. Rarely the paparazzi are tipped of by the public when a celeb is seen somewhere, but I doubt that happens very often.
  • i4ui4u Posts: 54,801
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    Some celebs will become a news story such as Britney's breakdown, so will be followed.

    Some venues provide a service to celebs who may frequent their establishment.

    Hotels such the Mayfair employ 'ambassadors' such as Peaches Geldof for some bizarre reason. ;)

    If the police can be corrupted to provide information illegally to the press, then think how easy it would be to induce a doorman, security guard, waitress etc to tip off the paps.

    Also it depends on the calibre of the so called celeb and their agent, can we believe someone like Chantelle Houghton warrants a photographer permanently positioned outside her home?

    So, you have an industry created which plays on the gulliability of the public, and reporters who will happily concoct a story from a set of photos that earns them online clicks.

    With phone hacking being so last decade, I expect we'll get more and more contrived stories that have been prepared months in advance. :)
  • BungitinBungitin Posts: 5,356
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    Otherwise known as stalking in some cases.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 949
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    Most celebrities call the paps themselves (or their publicist do), or the celebs go to places known to be full of paparazzi. Some are followed a lot because of relevant drama happening in their lives, and the first pictures of the paparazzi at that moment would bring lot of £££. Rarely the paparazzi are tipped of by the public when a celeb is seen somewhere, but I doubt that happens very often.

    You're not far off--in some cases--though it's not always so easy or simple. There are some candid articles detailing arrangements, such as when Britney used to give paps her schedule and would even buy boxes of donuts for the paps; JLo arranged for a 5-minute photo session in the surf to show she was doing great after a split; and once upon a time Angelina Jolie dealt directly with the paps herself and had a very good working relationship with them, before Brad declared them the enemy.

    I don't know how to give you a direct link, but if you go to this google results page and look for the pdf article titled, "Shooting Stars"--it should be among the first 5 results--you can download a fascinating and enlightening article on the history of paparazzi in L.A.

    Fame and Flynet, since merged, both openly arranged to take photos at the direction of celebrities and/or their publicists, and split the profits with them. The half dozen or so loving photo spreads of Ryan Seacrest and Julianne Hough credited Fame/Flynet appear to this viewer to have been prearranged, like numerous other photo ops of celebs where the photo credit is also Fame/Flynet.

    That is not to say paparazzi don't also do the hard work of tracking celebrities, and according to at least one pap blog, they often get stiffed and paid little or late for their pics, if at all.

    But pics of a celebrity shopping at a store could very well be a gift shopping spree designed to get free publicity for both the celeb AND the store. And I'd bet the farm that the frequent photos of Jessica Alba, mother of two little ones, running errands dressed to the nines in high heels, were (and continue to be) a deliberate attempt to boost her career and keep her in the public eye. Which appears to have worked brilliantly in light of her being featured on the cover of this month's In Style magazine and her three new movies to be released this year.

    There are happy accidents in Hollywood, but probably not as many as we thought.
  • soulboy77soulboy77 Posts: 24,396
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    I remember seeing a programme about paparazzi and basically they:

    - were tipped off by the celebrity's own publicists
    - paid for tip-offs from people working at well known restaurants / establishments
    - received copies of the guest list from promoters of events
    - hanged around outside a celebrities house, so that they could follow them
  • Blondie XBlondie X Posts: 28,662
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    i4u wrote: »
    Some celebs will become a news story such as Britney's breakdown, so will be followed.

    Some venues provide a service to celebs who may frequent their establishment.

    Hotels such the Mayfair employ 'ambassadors' such as Peaches Geldof for some bizarre reason. ;)

    If the police can be corrupted to provide information illegally to the press, then think how easy it would be to induce a doorman, security guard, waitress etc to tip off the paps.

    Also it depends on the calibre of the so called celeb and their agent, can we believe someone like Chantelle Houghton warrants a photographer permanently positioned outside her home?

    So, you have an industry created which plays on the gulliability of the public, and reporters who will happily concoct a story from a set of photos that earns them online clicks.

    With phone hacking being so last decade, I expect we'll get more and more contrived stories that have been prepared months in advance. :)

    I've heard stories from people that she has been seen on more than one occasion with a photographer in the passenger seat of her car.
  • uzzybuzzyuzzybuzzy Posts: 2,949
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    There is a permanent group of paps that hang around this TV studio in London. They are tight with the security guard and the drivers of the celebs, as well as some of the autograph dealers and collectors. Its quite interesting to watch as I have been there a few times to collect autographs for my collection.
  • dee123dee123 Posts: 46,193
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    Some call them. Others It's not hard to find out where they are.
  • PastaPasta Posts: 2,999
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    There was a great story in the early stages of the very stagey Tom Cruise/ Katie Holmes relationship. Cruise arrived at the Ivy restaurant in London with Katie on the back of his motor bike to be greeted by a wall of paps. 'Gee, how did you guys know I'd be here?' (patented Tom Cruise sh*t-eating grin). 'Because your publicist told us' - a weary Brit reporter shouted back.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 368
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    I imagine they don't do it now but the Beckhams used to call ahead and let the press know where they would be!

    Has anyone noticed that there is a daily photo of Jennifer Garner and her children on the Daily Mail website, I feel related to them I see them more often that my own family.
  • gulliverfoylegulliverfoyle Posts: 6,318
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    everyone knows what the game is

    most celebs are attention seeking compliment sponges

    who only bleat when pics are not in there favour
  • PretinamaPretinama Posts: 6,069
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    I imagine a combination of stalking, sheer luck and the celeb's publicist telling the paps where they are.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,219
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    Usually walking up and down Oxford Street with some bags until someone finally recognises them and they get photographed.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 7,888
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    I'd say 95% of them are the celebrity themselves or their publicist, the rest of the time it's probably tip offs from staff, luck or even going to "celebrity/wannabe" hang out spots like Mahaki and all of that
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10,188
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    If you're on a computer network you can share your calendar and just email times and dates of appointments etc. Keith Lemon used to be notorious for it.
  • wilehelmaswilehelmas Posts: 3,610
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    Sometimes the paps hang around hotspots they know celebs frequent, Nobu for example. Other times they are on speed dial re: the celebs themselves or their agents/managers.

    And the entertainment/press grapevine is notoriously loose-lipped.
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