Filming permit question

S

sonicfan287

Hi, Im new here and I might not be as professional as some of you (actually probably not most of you). My films are on youtube.com/sonicfan287 if anyone's interested but now that Im done plugging myself, I have a question about filming permits.

My biggest problem making movies so far hasnt been so much that my camera is average at best or even finding a cast. I have those things, but my problem is location, plain and simple. Im tired of filming movies at my house or at public parks because if I try to film somewhere else Im asked to leave. Basically my latest project is a secret agent parody movie, but I want it to be taken seriously, which means ideally, Id like to film some scenes at my public beach and i need a big building that could serve as a business for my fictional villain, stuff like that. I researched film permits for my area (I live in Connecticut) and in addition to requiring liability insurance, it also only appears that people with high reputations in film making or fully staffed camera crews are eligible for permits. Is there anyone else in my situation, who just wants to make a decent youtube video without breaking the bank who's trying to get a permit, and how did you get around it (if you did). If it helps at all, I dont plan to film in public cities or anywhere where anyone will be filmed besides the people who've agreed to be in the movie.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.
 
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sonicfan287 said:
it also only appears that people with high reputations in film making or fully staffed camera crews are eligible for permits.
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The good news is this is an incorrect assumption. As our founder
said, anyone can apply for a permit. The money paid by a no budget
movie maker is just as good as the money paid by a big studio and
no city will turn down a permit fee because a filmmaker doesn't
have a high reputation.

And there's more good news. Many places don't require permits at
all. A quick call to Mark Dixon at the "Connecticut Commission on
Culture & Tourism: Film Division" should get you the info needed.
I've spoken to him in the past - he's a great guy and very supportive
of local filmmakers.

And one more bit of good news for you: since you're just making
movies for YouTube with your friends you might not even need to
call Mark at all (though making a connection in that office could be
good thing). You might be getting kicked out of places because you
didn't ask the right person for permission before you started shooting.

Most of the time if you take the time to find out who owns the location,
present them with a plan (shoot date, how many hours, how many
people) ahead of time, they are quite willing to let you shoot with no
permits at all.
 
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well the only time getting kicked out of anywhere was serious was when i tried to film a short movie on my campus called marine mayhem, in the marine science building of my school. I figured since I was a student there and wasnt filming anything classified (just the hallways and outside of the building) it wouldnt be a big deal but i was kicked out by campus police for filming there, and the only other times im kicked out is for filming at the crystal mall, but thats no big shock. Thanks for giving me the name of the guy I could call though. This may work out better than I thought
 
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And I suspect if you hadn't just assumed that because you
were a student you could shoot without notifying anyone
you wouldn't have been kicked out. If you had simply told
the campus police ahead of time, the chances are pretty
good you could have completed your shoot. I've shoot on
campuses (without being a student) many times.

Same with the mall.

Your troubles stem from not asking permission rather than
not being able to get a filming permit. You will be amazed
how willing people are to help what you ask.

I remember one time when I was about 20 I needed a
restaurant for a rather long scene. It took me about two weeks
and about 15 restaurants until I found the one willing to let
us in. When I told the owner that this was a no budget movie
being made by a bunch of "Hollywood" hopefuls and we could
barely afford to feed our cast and crew, he not only let us shoot
all night (from 11PM until 7AM) but fed all of us and provided
coffee all night.
 
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You don't know till you ask.... about anything! I've gotten free catering by just asking. There are lots of local businesses that like to donate to the arts, and filmmaking is an art.
 
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Agreed...you'd be amazed at how many folks out there have stars in their eyes and would jump at the chance to let you use their office/restaurant/grounds/etc. Next month we're shooting a prison drama in my city's old municipal jail/police station/courthouse building, all for free, just because we asked and the mayor is excited about his city "maybe gettin' famous." They wouldn't let the Jaycees do their haunted house there, but once you involve movie cameras, clapperboards, all kinds of lights and boom microphones...people start remembering their childhood movie star fantasies and will often bend over backwards to help you out.

Go forth with an air of professionalism and you'd be amazed at how many folks will say "yes."
 
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Only need a permit in a public place (the street). If you are filing on private property you don't need it. You just need the owner's permission. Sometimes you can get that for free, sometimes it will cost you, sometimes no amount of money will convince them to allow it.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
Only need a permit in a public place (the street). If you are filing on private property you don't need it. You just need the owner's permission.
Click to expand...

Don't make an assumption like this. In many cities you don't
need a permit to shoot in a public place and in many cities you
need a permit even if you shoot on private property.
 
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directorik said:
Don't make an assumption like this. In many cities you don't
need a permit to shoot in a public place and in many cities you
need a permit even if you shoot on private property.
Click to expand...

Good point, just no experience with that. I have only filmed where it was only needed if you are creating some disruption like filming on the street, needing to close a street, impeding traffic on a street (or other public space), etc... I can't imagine living in a facist state where if you are on private property you'd need any type of permit.
 
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You can call it Fascism. But in many cities making a film is a
business and a license or permit is required to do business.

In Los Angeles I can shoot on my property without a permit as long
as I meet specific criteria. Most people who post here would fit
that criteria. But if I am going to park a generator or equipment
truck on the street in front of my private property then I need a
permit. Even if I park all equipment trucks on the private
property there are times when a permit is required - it has to do
with the noise and lights and even foot traffic that could have
an impact on the neighbors. Ten or fifteen cars belonging to cast
and crew parked in a neighborhood can have an impact on the
people living there.

In cities where there is a lot of filming, permits and regulations
are needed. You call it Fascist - I call it doing business. And
as someone who lives in an area where a lot of shooting is done,
I’m glad the company has regulations. I hate coming home after a
long days work to find a genny parked outside my apartment window
running all night. And crews pulling equipment off of trucks and
the doors to the honeywagon opening and closing all night.

But for the type of movie sonicfan is making and the types you are
making (and most of the time the types I make) a permit is not
needed when shooting on private property.

My primary point was to advise people that your comment didn’t
come from experience and didn’t necessarily apply to all
filmmakers in all cities. Many times you need more than just
the owner's permission. It can't hurt to have a broader perspective.
 
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All valid points, and I spoke two quickly. I have only been involved in three southern states and none of them required permits. You are right in correcting me.

To the "Business" Point, yes it is, but if I made chairs in my garage (or my neighbor's garage with his permission, or in a garage I rented from somebody), unless I was handling hazardous materials, or blocking the street with my delivery trucks, or running a 130 db saw, why would I need a permit to make furniture.... If I am causing a problem, then deal with that, don't operate on the assumption I am going to create a problem. To sell that furntiture, or operate as a business in general, ok, I might need a business license, but the idea of going to the local clerk and paying for a hunk of paper because I plan on doing some sanding this weekend = "a run amok state trying to squeeze a few bucks out of me and exert it's control over my freedom" to me.
 
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Sorry Gonzo, but you lost me. I don't know anything about
permits for making furniture. I only know about permits for
filmmaking. You may be right.
 
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well this discussion has certainly cleared up a lot for me. Since I dont know anyone else in my area who makes films, I wasnt really sure of how difficult (or not) it would be to pull this off, but it might just be doable.
 
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Gonzo, you don't need a permit to shoot on private property. You need a permit on public property (in most cases). Maybe that is where you are confused.

And let's not deal with analogies when we can just talk filmmaking and what is needed, the furniture analogy was confusing :lol:
 
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indietalk said:
Gonzo, you don't need a permit to shoot on private property. You need a permit on public property (in most cases). Maybe that is where you are confused.

And let's not deal with analogies when we can just talk filmmaking and what is needed, the furniture analogy was confusing :lol:
Click to expand...

Well that is what I thought. Directorik informed me that in some places you DO need a permit to film on private property.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
Well that is what I thought. Directorik informed me that in some places you DO need a permit to film on private property.
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Nope. Not here in NYC, or anywhere I can think of. Private is private, and the city can't be sued if someone trips on private property (hence, the need for insurance with permits). You can make a movie in your home, or, in a restaurant, with the owner's permission, all without permits. The city has no involvement, it's private. The business owner may ask you to carry insurance.

Now, if you are going to have cables or dolly tracks out on the sidewalk, or even equipment staging, then, yes, you need a permit. That is public property. Also, you get parking permits which is real handy, no tickets or towing.
 
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