Shooting in LA - Non Union - How Hard?

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baquajim

Well-known member
If somebody wanted to shoot in LA non union, how hard is it? I have heard stories of the union or teamsters involving themselves.

More specifically, it would be exterior street shots (mostly from inside a car looking out).

Maybe some shots of the Hollywood Hills, which can really be done from any hotel rooftop.

Beach shots.

Just a small crew - 4 or 5. It wouldn't be a big production. I know that people do it all the time.

I guess I am just looking for advice or personal experiences on the matter.
 
Depending on what and how you are shooting, I'd be more concerned about not having permits in LA than not having a union crew.
 
Dont worry about union or "teamsters" invovolving themselves. No one will ever know or care. The only place you will have to worry is if you are using union cast/crew and it is non-union, in which case, the reprecussions are theirs, not yours.

As Blaine said, permits are the only worry, but if you are careful and creative they can be worked around. Your biggest hassle will be likeness releases and property releases. Tricky but can be handled.

-GageFX
 
Below a certain budget level - and I expect you're probably going to be in that zone - the IA and guilds have zip, zero, no interest in your project. If your payroll isn't big enough to support contributions to MPHW/MPRF/The Donut Fund (sorry, teamsters), then you're off the unions' radar.

Permits on a 'student' basis are pretty cheap and easy to swing.

The SAG schedule for small/independent-type projects is pretty accommodating, although you need to be schedule-conscious in case your cast turns out to include rules-lawyers, which they frequently do.

The specific shots you described don't sound like you need to think about permits, really - sounds like you won't be needing traffic control, and just have the permission of the building management whose roof you want to use, and you should be golden.
 
baquajim said:
Maybe some shots of the Hollywood Hills, which can really be done from any hotel rooftop.
Click to expand...
my studio on the miracle mile has very convenient access to the roof with a great view of the hollywood hills. if and when you need access, drop me a note and we'll arrange it.
 
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