How do you get the SWAT team to help you out?

C

CamenHodges

Active member
Yeah....

I want to shoot a music video with scenes of tactical room entry.

I personally don't think it's completely out of the question. I live in a pretty small town, and I have heard of a local TV producer making a training video for the police.

Does anybody have any experience working with the police?

Barring that, does anyone have any experience shooting stuff with a group of hobbyists? (airsoft, reenactment, etc).

The budget is more or less inexistent.
 
A SWAT team would probably charge a lot for something like that if you don't know them. The proper equipment to reenact such an event would also cost a lot. Even people who already have it would probably want to only rent it out. Less likely for someone in a small town to find anyway.

As for training videos, if you've heard of a local TV producer making those odds are they already have them. I don't know if they'd be able or willing to let you use already shot footage from that, but it might work. Or check online, someone might be selling a stock clip of that scene. Much more likely and cost effective to find something already done than to try making it yourself in this situation.

It would be irresponsible for me to suggest convincing an expendable friend to threaten make believe hostages while holding a prop in a second story window while you have a camera set up on the first floor until they send in the team, so I'm not going to say something that obviously ridiculous and dangerous.
 
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All I could suggest would be some careful planning, one guy in tactical gear with an airsoft gun and some rotoscoping to "make" a full SWAT team

A lot of airsoft hobbyists have the full gear too - perhaps try and track down a local club?

... but make sure nobody calls the cops :)
 
CamenHodges said:
Yeah....

I want to shoot a music video with scenes of tactical room entry.

I personally don't think it's completely out of the question. I live in a pretty small town, and I have heard of a local TV producer making a training video for the police.

Does anybody have any experience working with the police?

Barring that, does anyone have any experience shooting stuff with a group of hobbyists? (airsoft, reenactment, etc).

The budget is more or less inexistent.
Click to expand...


Sure, cheap... look like your shooting or beating the snot out of someone on the streets, and the SWAT team will be out...

Generally speaking, many locations have permit requirements, and using police, would probably make that an absolute requirement. Further, don't know what the 'day rate' would be, if you could interest an organization in your project, but most likely an 'official' activity would not be part of the project. While some films do get off-duty personel to play roles, or be part of the group, and most films get permits and permission to use premises, there are still fees and rentals to equip, outfit, or place in a location, any film talent used.

Also about permits, if you do have some scenes that could be construed to be 'a crime in progress', that absolutely needs permits, even on private property, so that the police are aware filming is being done, and not send out the troops needlessly. If you use sidewalks, city streets, etc, you will probably have to pay for police traffic control.

Did I mention insurance... most permits are issued based on proof of insurance, and named riders for the any public property used, that they will be held harmless should any incident arise from the film activity.
 
I've used police in two films I've made. Just asked them and they said, "sure!"

Just ask. :)

First point of call would be the local station, if the person you ask there says no, ask someone else. If you can approach a younger (20-30 something) officer they'll usually be more than happy to get you in touch with the person you need. I encountered different departments during my experience, some were quite happy to lend officers, cars, and resources, another one wasn't, so don't give up straight away.
 
I totally agree on the "just ask". I did the "just ask" one time and got flown around for two weeks on the private RCMP challenger jet. The police love to "get on camera" and they also see it as great PR.
 
Just make sure you direct them right. I had a wreck scene and had 3 cops, 3 paramedics, and 1 fireman. They loved it, but they loved to smile, and I loved to not notice it. That was a few years ago. But we "just asked" too.
 
for my last film, "Mahlen", I didn't have swat guys, but soldiers and was able to shot them in multiple locations and rotoscope them. Just need lots of planning and patience in post. the wrong lighting, or bumping the camera, etc can be a nightmare.

there was a costume shop here that I could have rented the uniform. Maybe get two of them and have each actor do three actions. That way you've got six.

Also, i think it was that trailer here on DVX called, "METH" that used a similar approach. just a lot of quick camera pans and tricky edits, they were able to pull off whip pans and boom, you have more soldiers coming down the pipes just by reusing your existing actors.

good luck!
/j
 
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