License for shooting in public
 

I was wondering... what places do you need a license for shooting in... Like downtown, etc. Even if it is a small production.

I have done multiple shoots in very rural locations so am not very aquainted with this.

Depends on where you are from.

Most places will require you to get a location permit from the local council. Depending on the council in question and the size of your production there is often a fee involved.

It once cost us $100 to shoot in an almost deserted park and the council gave us all manner of runaround. The permit wasn't faxed through until 1 day too late, the contact was unresponsive and hostile and we were'nt permitted to use an area greater than 3m square or we'd hav to pay more. We also weren't allowed to block off any paths.

Not all councils are this bastardly. Some can be quite encouraging. My home own let us block off a mallway (on a non-trading day, but hey!).

Depending on where you are, who you have and what you are using, you can sometimes get away with pretending it is a 'home movie' and thus skating the permit issue. This goes out the window as soon as someone rocks up with a flecky-board, lights or a boom.

Hmm, your last words seemed to make sense; make it appear a home video.

But of course, with the equipment I use, it wouldn't work to say that.

How risky is it to go unlicensed?

It would be very helpful in answering a question like this if you would fill in your location in the profile. Knowing what part of the planet you reside in allows answers tailored to your country/state/city, etc.

Please take a moment to do this.

Thanks,

Greg Boston

My experience is that shooting permits/licenses are OCASSIONALLY necessary. (I''m in AZ not in LA!)

Much more common, at least in the type of corporate/industiral videos I commonly produce, is a requirement for specific liability Insurance.

For every shoot where I've been required to get a shooting permit, I've done probably half a dozen where a business or public location like a park, sports stadium, etc wanted a certificate of insurace specifically listing them as a "named insured" before they'd let me shoot there.

Having the proper policies already in place and a working relationship with a good independet insurance agent can get you a certificate of insurance faxed to anyone in an hour or two.

YMMV.

Well, near SF, california. About 30 miles north though.

A town called "Inverness" is where we will be shooting. A very exquisate location.

As Bill alluded to, one of the biggest issues (at least, for me) in getting a film permit is not the cost of the permit, but the cost of insurance (liability, worker's comp, etc), which even for a few day shoot will usually cost (well) more than $1k. Additional costs are sometimes a provision that off-duty police cops must be present at any public filming. For example, in San Diego, I believe that the requirement is for two off-duty cops to be present, plus the cost of using a police car. Needless to say, a lot of guerrilla filmmaking goes on...

if you're shooting a Doc then shoot all you want in Inverness with no problems .. however if you're going to have a 10 person crew/10 actors that and shooting in town will makes it different ... shooting on private property should not be a problem
it comes down to your project and how it affects the everyday flow of the town ...
how risky ? it all depends on the town's police/sheriff ... sometimes it helps in small towns if you speak to them ( police ) so they know what you're doing in town/county
go over to Bolinas and shoot in town with crew/actors and you didn't make arrangements and you'll be run out of town before the police even arrive ...

insurance is less by the year vs. a month ...