Permits to film in Morocco and Jordan?

Hey, Capt Quirk, at least your keeping the thread alive!

Need to decide if I should send the form in on my own or go through a film company in Morocco.

James, any thoughts?...
 
I can't offer any practical hands on advice for shooting there, but it truly is one of the places I have always wanted to go to. My Dad was in the Air Force, so my older siblings got to see much of the world, including Morrocco. By the time I came into the picture, Dad was retiring from the service, and I get stuck with Queens Ny and Melbourne Fl. Yippee.
 
This past March, I filmed portions of my documentary in Morocco. We were there for 10 days, and while I'm not advising this, I didn't have a permit . Overall, I didn't run into any major problems. I was asked to stop filming a couple of times, but the scariest incident occurred traveling from Agadir to Marrakesh. There were numerous police checkpoints along the way and I would always put my camera down when we came up on them. One time, however, my timing was off and the police saw me filming out the bus window. He pulled us over and made me show him several minutes of footage, then let us go. He didn't ask for a permit. I think he must have thought it was simply personal footage.

I loved the country and the people and had a great time there.

-Bill
 
Hi Guys.
Thanks Bill for the info. I have had some say go in without a permit, but it seems like it would be good especially since the footage has a religious theme. I am in the middle of the process and will see how it goes. I think I will head into Turkey as a tourist and shoot low profile. I am also trying to extend the days to 7 in country. I am also leaning towards Marrakesh as the city of choice, but have not done enough research. Will also try to confirm flights by Friday, so things are tight and decisions have to be made in the next three days!
 
There is an old saying, it is easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask permission. However, I really wouldn't push your luck in some of these foreign countries. Is it worth being imprisoned and losing your gear? And keep in mind, the U.S. is probably the only country that has prisons with cable, A/C, and decent food.
 
my recomendation is to just go gorilla. They realy dont care like they do in the us. just get a tour guide who can keep you out of trouble. Moroco is like walking on thin ice when your alone. plus is there a moroco film organization? lol
 
Morocco is a very sophisticated country. The movie industry is very alive and you will met people in many places that understand what filming is..so it is really about how obnoxious you will be with camera and equipment.
Regarding the choice of location, it really depend what you want to shoot, but by my experience, Fez is more interesting than Marakech. Within 2 hours drive from Fez you can also see Mouley Idriss (a sacred city) , Meknes (an imperial city, small but historically very important and beautiful) and near by , one of the most amazing anciant Roman city :Volubilis.

If you are coming from Spain, Tangiers and some of the small towns around may prove to be very interesting and it is very cheap to cross from Spain to Tangiers, the ferry run several times every day. I do agree that Tangiers can be a dangerous city, but some planning and a guide-chauffeur would be of great help. Moroccan are really OK, important not to patronize them, or underestimate them.

Turkey is amazing, your project seems very exciting.
If you choose to ask for a permit, I rather keep the synopsis as simple as possible. The less they know the better it is. For instance instead of mentionning "pilot" for a TV serie, I would keep it as a "personnal documentary for non commercial purpose",
the subject of religion as to taken very cautiously, if you can give more of an angle of "history" and general culture. :violin:
 
I agree with Sirocco, they know what they are doing in Morocco as it relates to creating films. And thanks for the heads up on the synopsis Sirocco. I am writing it up now. I have contacted one film company and we are emailing back and fourth. It seems it will get expensive fast, but I still feel shooting unhindered is going to pay off in the end.

The more I read about Fez more it sounds like the place to go. Marrakesh has the desert close by. Need t omake decisions by Friday. Will update as I get info. Also talking to some equipment makers about blogging through the trip as I use their equipment.

Anyone interested in that?
 
For this project I am shooting with the Canon XH-A1. I am waiting to see about the film permit. So I will basically bring two tripods, travel and real. the travel I have not pruchased yet (got rid of my last one because I hated it), but am thinking about a Bogen 701rc2 or a Gitzo 2830 head. the real tripod is a Cartoni Focus with Miller VJ sticks. Also trying to figure out about shooting with a 35mm adapter or not. I just today had a client ask if I could go to West Africa to shoot something for them, making this trip longer. I have guides ready if I go in as a tourist and go in low key and light. I need to make the final decision soon (booking tickets Friday or Monday). I also have a MacBook Pro and still camera for photography.
 
FYI - Fez is the location I will be based out of. Looks like I will blog the experience and shoot with an adapter if I go with a film permit for Morocco.
 
I think you wont regret it. I was there in January 2004 and I stay at the Hotel Batha, just across the Medina (15 secs walk). The hotel was really great and very safe. They also were very helpful in suggesting a guide for my time in the Medina (don't even think about getting into the Medina alone you would be lost within 2 minutes.
I don't remember the name of the guide but I can forward you a picture so he would be easy to identify by the hotel concierge. He was very knowledgeable and very honest (I fought to give him a tip)
The hotel was cheap but they also have a "pension" probably cheaper , if you book directly you should be able to negotiate a good deal (ask for breakfeast and dinner included and then they giv a good price). When I was there , the place was empty.
Make sure to let us know of your blog adress, and if you need some info on Turkey let me know.
 
Booked flights today. Leave the 15th and will make a daily blog. Going in as a tourist. More news to come...
 
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