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US Permits

N

NicS

UK film maker looking to shoot a short in the US.

Ideal plan -

Spend a day on a beach in Big Sur shooting dialogue scene
Spend two days filming car driving along HWY 1 - from back of vehicle in front and roadside
Spend half a day filming a two person conversation on sidewalk in quiet street in San Francisco

Would like to show Bixby Creek Bridge in road sequence and Zoetrope Building in SF sequence as location guides for audience.

Tiny crew (3) and two cast members. Small(ish) camera.

Question? Go guerilla or get permits?

Advice appreciated.
 
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NicS said:
UK film maker looking to shoot a short in the US.

Ideal plan -

Spend a day on a beach in Big Sur shooting dialogue scene
Spend two days filming car driving along HWY 1 - from back of vehicle in front and roadside
Spend half a day filming a two person conversation on sidewalk in quiet street in San Francisco

Would like to show Bixby Creek Bridge in road sequence and Zoetrope Building in SF sequence as location guides for audience.

Tiny crew (3) and two cast members. Small(ish) camera.

Question? Go guerilla or get permits?

Advice appreciated.
Click to expand...

Well, the work visas will not be easy to get, and without them, you won't be able to film much of anything requiring a film permit, also it will take some effort to get insurance lined up to obtain permits to film on public beaches or highways, but it will give you some advantages if you intend to sell the work later.
 
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harmonica44 said:
Is going guerilla a bad idea in most places? I live in Canada, and we shot a whole scene on downtown sidewalks without permits and no one cared.
Click to expand...

Yes and no.

It depends on where you are and when you're there.

There's a possibility that you could get all of the shots in that you want.

There's also a possibility of you spending the night in jail.

If you are shooting an amateur film and/or a film with a small crew, you could probably get away with it, especially if you are in your neighborhood or close to your neighborhood.

Whenever shooting guerrilla, you're taking a chance.

I've heard plenty of stories about films gone wrong. One of my favorites was told by a friend of mine.

He was shooting a war film in a neighborhood. There were a good amount of actors dressed as soldiers running down the street with fake guns. He saw a woman peeking out of the window, dialing her phone. They all got in their cars, and drove away before the cops arrived.

If you are shooting guerrilla, I recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Guerilla-Makers-Handbook-American-Edition/dp/0826414648
 
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If you get the footage shot without permits and later want to sell the film, will the lack of paperwork be an issue? Or are permits not something distributors would want to see? Are they more actor contracts, etc? Really appreciate the advice
 
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