Permits Etc.

For safety and monetary reasons most government organizations want their share of the big budgets of movie and TV business. When in competition with another area for filming sometimes everything becomes free and available with one phone call. But when local budgets are slashed, they look for any other sources of revenue.

Some times a fireman on a beach shoot may be the highest paid crew person. He may not see much of that money, but it goes somewhere. You can be required to have duplicate firemen, policemen, safety inspectors, public works representatives, business licenses, and permits if you are on the boundary of two jurisdictions.

What is considered film production can be a Bolex on a tripod, the tripod making it "professional". Betacams and very small crews are usually not bothered.

Low/no budget crews often avoid the high cost of permits and required safety personal. They also don't get permission on private property or live up to promises to owners of "just an hour". They make it hard on the rest of us. Some successful low budget producers even brag about how they "winged it" without any of that regular bureaucratic problems. They make it even worse for the rest of us who have to regularly shoot in those areas.

There are places where small crews without trucks and a lot of people who don't interfere with traffic etc. are ignored. Local film crews will know what the unwritten rules are. If you abuse those rules you may be jeopardizing their future freedom to shoot.

© Copyright 1999-2004 Ron Dexter. All Rights Reserved.