NYC: Permits No Longer Needed for Tripod Shoots

Jack Daniel Stanley

Jack Daniel Stanley

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http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/070108_moftb_adopts_rules.shtml

There was a contentious thread (a year ago?) when NYC was about to impose stricter rules for shooting without a permit - basically limiting permitless shooting to handheld only for 30 minutes only when two or more people with a camera were gathered in a single location. News of the impending change leaked out and there was a big uproar and the legislation was postponed.

Now the pendulum has swung the other way. Here's the new policy effective as of a couple of weeks ago: If you don't have vehicles or other heavy equipment and don't need exclusive use of city property to shoot in a given area then you do not need a permit to shoot there. That's right take your skeleton crew with your tripod and your bounce board (maybe even a boom op? haven't read that details yet) and shoot in Central Park or on Brooklyn Bridge or on the steps of the courthouse all day/week/month long for free.

Another added leniency - Permits have always been basically free if you had $1million liability insurance ($700 - $1500 for 10 days), now not only are you not required to have liability insurance if you meet the above requirements, you may be able to get a permit without liability insurance if you can show that paying for it would be a financial hardship. Not sure how all this works or what you have to do to qualify for that.

One cool thing that was already in place and continues to be the case - if you have a permit and need assistants from cops because you're blocking pedestrian or vehicle traffic in some way ... you've always gotten cops for FREE from the city. That's right - free. They show up in a car marked "NYPD Film and Television Unit".

So if you qualified for the liability waver, you could get a free permit and free assistance from cops assigned to your shoot all day.

But the big thing that all NYC filmmakers can take advantage of is the ability to shoot pretty much anywhere for free without a permit.
 
Holy crap. I find it almost unbelievable that it would swing so far from one end of the spectrum, ALL the way to the other, in such a short time. What happened? people spoke, and the city listened? that'd be a first.
 
Well there's a film office and one of their missions is to foster independent film. So maybe that mission statement coupled with the outcry caused it to work out this way.

Initially the film office had the free permits with proof of liability insurance. This was meant to attract independent filmmakers and big budget films from other states but wound up benefiting local indies.

The impression I get is that they hadn't intended to benefit locals so much initially, but when that started happening it became a cool thing that they have evidently decided to take all the way. Let's hope it doesn't get screwed up by someone's skateboard dolly rolling out into traffic and causing a ten car pile up or something.
 
Give the cops a while before they realize that, and stop rousting people for shooting. I can see somebody thinking this will allow them to do a shoot with guns... There's always at least one in the crowd. But it is still a huge step forward for the little guys.
 
word. thanks for the news, JDS.

uh...... why is my name Beat Takeshi?? (This is Arrik. I guess Aram was still logged on)
 
Hey Arrik, this news that does not have you seething I'm sure :)

Capt Quirk said:
Give the cops a while before they realize that, and stop rousting people for shooting. I can see somebody thinking this will allow them to do a shoot with guns... There's always at least one in the crowd. But it is still a huge step forward for the little guys.
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Yeah I was thinkng that. If I had something in the near future I would print out the statute or something and hope that would satisfy them - I mean they could call it in and check.
 
Yes, but unless you're doing a doc, you'll still need model releases from anybody who wanders on your set without a pixellated face.
 
Does this really apply to the parks? Normally you are required to get a permit from the mayor's office and then additional approval from the parks commission.
 
Capt Quirk said:
Give the cops a while before they realize that, and stop rousting people for shooting. I can see somebody thinking this will allow them to do a shoot with guns... There's always at least one in the crowd. But it is still a huge step forward for the little guys.
Click to expand...

Actually you can get an "optional permit" if you want one. So if you were concerned about this you can get an optional permit without liability insurance for free. The documentation says the city issues these permits in it's tradition of issuing permits when they were technically not necessary but there was confusion about the necessity of the permit by or the need for the permit fell into a gray area.

Noah said:
Does this really apply to the parks? Normally you are required to get a permit from the mayor's office and then additional approval from the parks commission.
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Even with a permit you have to clear what you are doing with the whatever agency is in charge of the area where you are shooting.
 
This is really fantastic. I wish Hoboken would follow suit. Amazing that it is now harder to shoot there than in the city.
 
ProfessorU said:
Yes, but unless you're doing a doc, you'll still need model releases from anybody who wanders on your set without a pixellated face.
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I've always heard this, but where is the fairness in it? If you're on public property and they are too why does it freaking matter?!
 
Wow, sounds nice.

Now if only DC could get its act together....


Never gonna happen, but hey, I can dream right? Even better, I can move!
 
That's awesome,

the NY'ker filmakers should send a letter, or short video to the film commision thanking them, so they know how much it means to the filmakers there!

- derrick
 
Kubrick71 said:
I've always heard this, but where is the fairness in it? If you're on public property and they are too why does it freaking matter?!
Click to expand...

I think things are swinging your way. There's a couple of things - 1) yes they're in a public place 2) what damages can they claim. Unless you show them out with another woman and because of you they lose their home in a divorce or something ...

Anyway i just worked on a 500K HD feature in NY and they stole a lot of things in grocery stores where they would maybe have permission to film in the store, but regular store customers were milling about behind them. I asked the producer about this and the above is what he told me.

Yes waivers are better. But my understanding is that distributors etc. are getting less and less squeamish about this.

Take it with a grain of salt - anecdote from one film.
 
Having lived in NYC (wife, kids, dog & minivan so I moved to the NYC burbs) I would suggest that prudent filmmakers might consider printing out a hardcopy of the news release to show NY's finest in case they politely ask you to move along.

Some are cool, some are not. A strategically located box of Dunkin Donuts might also prove to be helpful.
 
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