Nyc Bans Independant Filmmaking!

TC, the phrase 'starving artist' should not be alien to you. I tried working at Auntie Anne's pretzels once. So much for stability... now I'm a broke videographer.
 
Touche! I was thinking about a single parent of 10 working 40 hours a week for less than minimum wage.

Cheerfully withdrawn.
 
The truth of it remains that if you're shooting at the corner of Broadway and Central Park S., you're much more likely to get shaken down.

It also stands to reason that you might be able to shoot for an hour or two with a small crew and grip and so on if you're slightly off the beaten path and keep it friendly with everyone you meet. It doesn't change your legal liability. I really don't understand the attitude that you have the right to effectively loiter with extreme prejudice, with little or no regard for the greater public and their equal right to use the space in a safe and unimpeded way.

I recently worked a shoot where a PA was told to shut down a somewhat to quite somewhat busy street - though we had no officers or permits for same. This was a one-way in a busy part of a bustling commercial district. There were no barricades, no cones, no one in an orange vest or official capacity - just a bunch of confused drivers and pedestrians who were forced to find another way to get to their destination. This situation persisted for nearly one-half hour. A savvy pedestrian finally confronted the PA and producer and asked if they had a permit. After some sidestepping and obfuscation, they "allowed" the cars and commerce to continue as it should have been for the duration.

I'm gonna bottom-line this: Be safe, keep it low-key and be prepared to move on. Or... buy some insurance, pull your permits and jump into the system in all its red-taped bureaucratic splendor.

e
 
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rook said:
Wow, I can't believe so many of you are cool with this.

I think you should be able to shoot your film where ever you want. If NY was my home and I was told I couldn't play with my camera for more than 30 mins in one place I would be livid.

I think that is really, really too bad for some of you. Espesially those of you who really live close to and below the poverty line. Legislation like this doesn't seem great to me.

-rook
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Yeah. About the only person who could argue with THIS is someone who has some regard for how their activities impact other people.
 
overlandfilms said:
I've done a lot of production in LA, and yes, they've got it buttoned down. Saying you can't film in your own home is an exaggeration, and likely taken out of context.
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Just went through this same thing at Zoetrope. Research done by someone else, but I've no reason to doubt him.

Pertinent quotes:

GLENDALE, CA:
What types of filming require a filming permit?
Any filming or electronic video taping for educational, entertainment or other commercial purposes, other than for news purposes, at any place other than an established motion picture or television studio.
A $150.00 application fee is required. If the applicant is a charitable organization or a student working on a class project, the fee is reduced to $100. If City property will be used, an additional fee of $400.00 per day is charged.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA:
Do I need a film permit?
Unless you are filming in a licensed film studio, a valid Film Permit issued by the West Hollywood Film Office is required for all shoots on public and private property. Even if the location is a private residence or business, a film permit is required.

Probably should have said L.A. area, rather than L.A.
 
dissentfilms said:
An example comment:

"The restrictions and limitations being enforced herein the document proposed would severely complicate my lively hood as an independent filmmaker and artist. The ability, now being undermined, for me to walk outside and film or photograph without a permit allows me creative freedom and time to establish my artistic vision. These proposed restrictions will harshly limit that freedom and could endanger my lively hood."
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Not to pick nits, but that should be livelihood - "lively hood" calls up a funny image in my head. It is always good to have someone else proofread your work, if it is something you really want taken seriously.
 
dissentfilms said:
Introduced quietly just before Memorial Day weekend, regulations could severely impede the ability of even casual photographers and filmmakers to operate in New York City. A group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour (including setup and breakdown time) could be required to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. According to the NY Civil Liberties Union, “these regulations violate the First Amendment right to photograph in public places, and open the door to selective and discriminatory enforcement.”

PROPOSED.jpg



An example comment:

"The restrictions and limitations being enforced herein the document proposed would severely complicate my lively hood as an independent filmmaker and artist. The ability, now being undermined, for me to walk outside and film or photograph without a permit allows me creative freedom and time to establish my artistic vision. These proposed restrictions will harshly limit that freedom and could endanger my lively hood."



FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Original NYTimes article: http://tinyurl.com/2scoog

PDF of the proposed changes: http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/downloads/pdf/moftb_permit_regs.pdf

NYCLU Response: http://www.nyclu.org/nyc_photo_permits_pr_062807.html


Thanks for taking time to support NYC independent filmmakers, even if you arent from NY, yet would one day like to film here, all of your help is greatly appreciated.

Matt - Dissent Films.
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These rules you've listed for NYC have been in place for Chicago for the past 15 years. Nothing new. Here's the rub, you have to be caught and if you are the police are instructed to only tell you to pack up and leave.

Really, if you're setting up fully in the streets you need insurance and permits. What's new about that?
 
West Hollywood... that's hilarious. Again, that just goes to the districts that endure more production incursions being more organized. There are many enclaves in LA where film production is forbidden completely.

e
 
So what else it new? The guys with $ don't care. The guys without $ are screwed. Ain't that always the case? There's a reason why nobody likes to be poor :)

Personally, I think it should be free, but rights should go both ways. You should be able to shoot w/o a permit, but only as long as you don't obstruct others. If you do want to obstruct, stop traffic, cordon off or whatever, then you should have to pay for the permit and more - simply because if you inconvenience others, you should compensate them. However, when you don't interfere with anyone's rights, it's BS to charge folks and bog them down in red tape. Some years ago, I was helping on a tiny shoot here in L.A., and we went to an industrial area after hours - it was completely deserted. Well, a security guard called the cops on us - and we had no permit (we were just going to shoot a quick sequence of 3 guys walking down a street). Cops arrived, and we had to leave without the footage. Sucked... we weren't inconveniencing anyone, and a bored rent-a-cop still had the right to ruin it all.

Yeah, $800 may not seem like much, but for those on a micro budget, it's $800 they don't have. Again, however, the poor get the short end of the stick - that's life. Hey, at least it allows the better off to act all self-righteous "it's only $800, go choke on a falafel and die". /shrug
 
I have been stopped from using a crappy $20 tripod in city parks in New York, and when I asked for clarification on the law, just ran into a looped, "No Tripod" response. My girlfriend gets work shooting run and gun stills in NYC (max. 2 min. per location), and has been stopped and questioned by cops too. I get that they are doing their job, but the law is worded vaguely and enforced arbitrarily. A tripod invites danger no more than a stroller or a dog on a leash.

Because any activity has the potential for causing harm to others, should every individual be required to carry liability insurance? I believe that image-makers have a right to use public space with the same liberties as rollerbladers, granny-carters, and sidewalk domino players. And if a production is creating a public disturbance, that’s why there are public disturbance laws.

I agree that the MOFTB really does a phenomenal job at making the city available to productions. Getting a permit is far easier than most places, but the insurance requirement is ineffective and unnecessary. Even if a production has liability insurance, it still does not prevent the city from being sued.

Particularly for the small filmmaker, the improvisational filmmaker, these changes are regressive and censoring.
 
Don't be silly. A tripod, sitting stationary in some location, buffered by at least one person and often more, is much more dangerous than a jogging stroller wildly weaving and wending its way down the walk.
 
To clarify....if you exceed the 30 minute time limit, are you just asked to leave or do you get fined and/or jailed?

I really don't see a problem with the law. Its the same that a hot dog vendor needs a permit to block a sidewalk. It's all about the money, which is always an obstical to small independant filmmakers, whether its gear, talent, crew, or even insurance.
 
cecil995 said:
I really don't see a problem with the law. Its the same that a hot dog vendor needs a permit to block a sidewalk. It's all about the money, which is always an obstical to small independant filmmakers, whether its gear, talent, crew, or even insurance.
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Either do I.

So...can you get a film permit that's good for the whole year? Ditto the insurance?

If they were serious (they being any city) abotu it just being about public safety and such, you would be able to get a semi-permanent "license" rather than a permit, then just let them know when and where you're shooting.
 
you can get yearly insurance, I forget how much though, but NYU has it for it's students.


but you have to get permitted each time (I think) ... Isaac?
 
You can get year-round insurance, but I think unless you are a college or something, you will get permits on a case by case basis. I know commercial companies in the city and they always get them on a case by case basis, though they maintain year-round insurance.

There are year-round permits for news organizations, I believe, but I don't know what it takes to get them. I think that's what they gave Timur and crew on the NYC stuff.

And if you want to shoot in parks, you have to get permitted by both the mayor's office and the parks dept.
 
TC wrote: Not to be demeaning, but if you're living in poverty is filmmaking really your biggest concern?
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TC, believe it or not YES. Art is just as important and valid from poor people as it is from those with lots of spare change.

I have known a few to scrounge and save and skip meals on a regular basis to buy a camera and tape stock so they can express themselves. I myself have been known to hack down my grocery bill inorder to keep doing my films.

Our work really IS that important to some of us and often our ONLY concern -from that stand point any further obsticles can be a REAL brick wall not just a nusance.


-rook
 
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