Permission to shoot in Spain and France

R

RightMindProductions

New member
Hello, my apologies if this topic has already been covered before in a different thread but I did a couple of searches and didn't find anything similiar.

I am planning to shoot a documentary-style TV pilot (similar to the PBS series Globe Trekker) in September in Barcelona and Paris. It will be a fairly simple and inconspicuous ENG setup... we're talking about something along the lines of 1 DVX-100a, a shoulder brace for the camera, 1 tripod, 1 sun-gun mounted on the camera, boom & microphone and a crew of three people plus 2 talent.

The premise of the show is to document the backpacking experience so we would basically be following the 2 "cast members" around as they explore the cities, travel the trains, dine in restaurants, etc. It would be, again, shot in a documentary style so there would be no elaborate lighting set-ups or the need to block roads, redirect pedestrian traffic or anything like that.

I am wondering what the cities of Barcelona and Paris are like when it comes to videotaping in public areas (streets, parks, etc.). What is the liklihood of us being asked to stop shooting by a police officer? I have sent emails to the French and Spanish film commissions about obtaining shooting permits but neither have responded. Obviously if we shoot in a restaurant, bar or other private establishment we would seek permission directly from the owner, so this question pertains mainly to the city streets and other public places.

Has anyone shot ENG-style in either of these cities before? I'd love to hear about your experiences or any advice you have to offer.

Thanks!
Erik
 
The only thing I know is that in France, in theory & law, you are not allowed to photograph people in public places without their permission. This is of course highly theoretical, given the number of people & tourists & cameras. But it means that if somebody (usually an illegal street vendor) asks you not to include him/her into the shot they have the law on their side in this matter at least.

Also all photography of policemen is prohibited.

I do not think you would have problems with a small, fast crew.
 
A couple of year ago one of my friend was fallowing a hockey team in france, during there visit of Paris, they start playing under de Eiffel tower the security people just ask them not to disturb the visitor. No need for special permission. My friend was using a betacam.
 
Thank you for everyone's responses, the information has been very helpful. It sounds like with a small enough camera package, and if we remain inconspicuous enough, shooting documentary-style should hopefully go pretty smoothly in these cities.

I'll make sure to report about my shooting experiences there, in case anyone ever needs to do something similar.

Erik
 
i live in Barcelona
Shoot all you need, people will not mind at all. No one will care, you will probably have tons of volunteers to interview. People are VERY open
If you need any info regarding what to see where to go drop me a private message
 
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