Location Scout + Location Manager R. Richard Hobbs
The High-Wire Act of Getting Photo Permits
By Scott on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 3:09 am | updates.
“I’ve had a number of posts, email, and even phone calls from friends, asking about when they would need a permit to shoot, and how to go about getting one.”
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Here are links to the more-often used pages on the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, Broadcast and Television website. On these pages is lots of info (as well as live forms and instructions) that you need when dealing with MOFTB and New York City film and photo permits
Still Photography
Schedule A
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A companion site (as well as my Locamundo Portfolio) to nyc.locationscout.us is locationscout.wordpress.com.
locationscout.wordpress.com is a photo blog of sorts, highlighting remarkable locations from my location library. As time goes by and time permits, I intend to add photo posts of more locations with high potential for use as locations for film, photo video and event production projects.
I haven’t really seen the term “p-blog” as an abbreviation of photoblog used before, so I think I am gonna “coin it”.
P-blog = photoblog. there…
Ck out locationscout.wordpress.com p-blog…
Location Scouting For Film, TV and Photo
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As a producer or production coordinator, when asked to estimate production costs for a specific shoot, there are almost always some of the basic line items that have to be covered…
The following laundry list is presented with the caveat that, every production is uniquely different and can, in fact (and often does) change on the fly. The following should be used ONLY as a very basic jumping off point:
Basic Line Items to Consider:
1. Producer (you!;-)
a. PrePro Day(s) (research, crewing, coordination…)
b. Shoot Day(s)
c. Strike / Wrap/ Returns Day(s)
2. Location Scout
a. Research / File Pull Fees / Clearing / Permitting
b. Location Scouting - Photography / Organization / Presentation / Storage
c. Tech Scouting with Photographer / Client
d. Location Management - on set presence on shoot day
3. Casting Director
a. Research / Booking Day(s)
b. Casting Day(s)
4. Stylist(s) (Wardrobe / Set / Prop Stylist(s) as appropriate
a.Research / PrePro / Prep Day(s)
b. Shopping Day(s)
c. Shoot Day(s)
d. Wrap / Strike / Returns Day(s)
5. Hair and Makeup / Groomer
a. Shoot Day(s)
6. Digital Tech
a. Prep / Research / Rental Equipment Pickup / Returns Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
7. Assistants
7a. First Assistant
a. Research / PrePro / Rental Equipment Pickup / Returns Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
7b. 2nd Assistant
a. Research / PrePro / Rental Equipment Pickup / Returns Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
7c. 3rd / 4th Assistant(s)
a. Shoot Day(s)
7d. Stylist Assistant(s)
a. Research / PrePro / Prep / Shopping Day(s) / Returns Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
7e. Casting Assistant(s)
a. Research / Prep Day(s)
b. Casting Day(s)
1. Photo Location(s)
a. Prep / Wrap Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
2. Casting Studio
a. Casting Day(s)
3. Stylist Prep Space
a. Prep Day(s)
4. Talent Holding / Equipment / Prop Staging Space(s)
a. Prep (Staging) Day(s)
b. Shoot Day(s)
1. Photo Equipment (often as coordinated btn and specified per photographer / digital tech / assistants)
a. Cameras
b. Computers / Accessory Hardware
c. Lighting / Grip
2. Stylist / Misc Rentals
a. Steamer(s) / Clothes Rack(s) / Hangers/ Iron/ Ironing Board/ Tools (some items may be part of kit?)
b. Folding Tables (as may be needed for equipment / props / wardrobe / catering / client workspace)
c. Folding Chairs (as may be used by idle crew / talent / client workspace)
d. Golf / Sun Umbrellas / Folding Canopies / Tent(s) (if outdoors)
1. Possibilities to be either/ or purchase(s) / rentals. Coordinate with Photographer/ Stylist / Client
1. Set Building is more often related to a studio shoot but probably worthy of mention / consideration here
2. Prop or Model / Miniature / Mock-Ups
1. Motorhome (if needed)
a. Shoot Day(s)
2. Equipment Truck(s) / Van(s) Rental
a. Prep / Pickup PrePro Day(s) (if equipment not delivered by vendor)
3. Crew Transportation (Cabs / Subways / Auto Rentals as might be used by crew - could be mileage paid if crew owns vehicle)
a. Photo Asst(s) Equipment Rental Pickup / Return
b. Stylist / Stylist Asst(s) Shopping / Prep / Returns
c. Location Scout
d. Casting Director (i.e. Street Casting)
e. Talent (especially if location is outside Manhattan)
4. Trucking and Deliveries / Pickups (if not done by crew as may be appropriate)
a. Product/ Merch (if not arranged by client)
b. Equipment (Cameras / Computers / Lighting / Grip)
b. Props / Wardrobe
c. Couriers (client / crew production hard copy correspondence as may be appropriate)
d. Catering Delivery / Pickup (often part of Catering Fee from caterer)
1. Shipping (i.e. hard drives / merch / props to / from client)
2. Gas / Tolls / Parking
3. Copies / Printing/ Misc Office Expenses (i.e sundry call sheets / production books / other office correspondence
4. Long Distance Phone Charges / Faxes
Delicious/rrhobbs/production
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Lots of changes afoot at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting (MOFTB), begun this past year and likely to continue well into 2008 that involve a rewrite of many rules that include potential easing of some film permit requirements and other changes.
Lots of news about this currently ongoing process can be found elsewhere on the web, including:
- “August 3, 2007 - Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) Commissioner Katherine Oliver today announced that MOFTB will redraft proposed Charter-mandated rules for issuing permits to film or photograph on public property. The revision of the rules will take into account feedback MOFTB has received over the past two months. Public comment, which is scheduled to end today, will be re-opened for another 30-day period after the redrafted rules are published.”
- “October 29th, 2007 - Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting (MOFTB) Commissioner Katherine Oliver today announced the release of a newly drafted permit rule proposal, which is available online and published in the City Record. Under the proposed rules, which are designed to codify procedures that have existed in practice since the office was established in 1966, a permit would be required for a shoot if production equipment or vehicles create an obstruction, but not for productions that only use hand-held cameras or tripods that don’t cause an obstruction. The publication of the new rules, which are subject to public comment, follows the MOFTB’s decision to redraft rules following an initial publication and comment period that was extended to August 3, 2007. A copy of the proposed rule and an accompanying executive summary and Q&A document explaining it are available on the MOFTB website at www.nyc.gov/film.”
Elsewhere:
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Here is a way to imbed your Flickr photos on your website using the Mapsack Flickr Widget, which could be useful for a location scout wishing to present locations to a client at the same time illustrating said locations’ geographic postion(s).
You will need a Flickr account (and some photos in that account that have been geotagged).
Unless you have some experience working with Wordpress don’t bother. If you have no idea what the term “javascript” means, then don’t bother.
Use the links and info given in this post to explore for yourself and complete your project to your own end. DO NOT contact me for support and please understand that I accept no responsibility for anything you do (or undo) to your website playing around with any of these toys. Otherwise- have fun!
MapSack Blog
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MOFTB: Scouting Tag Program Discontinued
“May 23, 2006- Effective June 30, 2006, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting will no longer issue production scouting tags and all existing scouting tags will expire. Due to the success of the “Made in NY” tax incentive program, the City has accomplished its goal of attracting increased production business and employment for New Yorkers who work in the entertainment industry. In an effort to balance the needs of production and the communities in which they work, the MOFTB will no longer issue scouting tags. Easing the impact of parking upon neighborhoods will serve to keep locations film friendly, and allow the City to attract even more employment for our local entertainment professionals. The MOFTB will continue to issue tags to essential production vehicles with the shooting permit.”
Cinematical | NYC Cuts Film Industry Perk | Posted Jun 13th 2006 8:01PM by Christopher Campbell | Filed under: Newsstand
“Just when the city of New York is enjoying a surge in film production, hopefully cutting down on movies set in NYC but shot in Canada, a new decision is pissing off a lot of people in the movie business.”
“The Reeler | Tag, You’re Out: NYC Location Scouts’ Parking Perks Revoked | June 13, 2006
“AM New York’s Chuck Bennett today has the “latest” on the troubles affecting New York’s location scouts, whose liberal, city-sanctioned parking privileges will expire June 30–never to return. The news is kind of old–the Mayor’s Office for Film, Theater and Broadcasting made the announcement May 23–but in case you wanted to hear location scouts bitching on the record, here you go:”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_en_mo/film_scout_parking_2 (dead link) | By SARA KUGLER, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 13, 8:11 PM ET
“NEW YORK - Film scouts trolling New York City for its picturesque stoops and street corners won’t be free to park wherever they want now that officials are halting a special parking-permit program.”
I was interviewed by phone today (but evidently, not quoted by name) by Sara Kugler from WABC-Radio in New York City. Here is some of what we discussed and points I tried to make:
Looks like we location scouts might be losing our location scouting tag priveleges come July.
“And what exactly is a location scouting tag privelege?”, you say?
Well… upon completing a New York City filming permit application at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcast (MOFTB), requesting scouting tag(s) and approval of MOFTB, location scout(s), (for the duration of time allotted on the permit) have considerable leeway and freedom to park anywhere in the five boros in order to see locations with potential for use in their production.
This is indeed a gift in a city the size and density of New York. Public parking is scarce at best and fraught with not only arcane parking restrictions, but sometimes those arcane parking restrictions are obscured further by the fact that the parking signs that contain those arcane parking restrictiction are, in fact, often absent, whether it be by theft/vandalism, perhaps having been in a spot where an auto accident occurred… there are a lot of reasons a parking sign could be missing in a town the size of NYC.
The location scouting tag basically gives you the privelege to park wherever you can (with the intention of performing your duties as a location scout), provided you dont place human life in jeopardy (i.e. obvious no-no’s like parking in front of a firehouse driveway, or in an ambulance exitway) and be immune to the city’s ubiquitous “Brownies” (NYPD Traffic Enforcement) and the quite pricy parking citations they are employed to hand out (the last parking ticket I got some years back cost something like $85). If you receive a ticket, you turn it in with your scouting tag- it goes away.
Doctors and foreign diplomats, as well as some members of the press (this could be an incomplete list) are eligible for many of these same priveleges.
Alas, reports of abuses as well as the fact (per the excerpted article above) that the city has achieved its filming incentive goals combined with the undebatable fact that parking in New York is scarce in the first place may spell the end to scouting tag priveleges for NYC location scouts.
I had a scouting tag once; I was working on a feature film, 9A several years go. The shooting schedule was tight, we were facing significant challenges regarding fulfilling locations required by the script, including scouting for night shots (at night) in what most would consider “less than desirable” parts of town; the scouting tag helped. A lot.
Another argument for continuing the scouting tag privelege in NYC:
New York is a world-class city. Some of the world’s most famous films (including tv shows, commercials, videos and photgraphs) have been made in NYC.
As a location scout, one of the reasons you live in the NYC area is to have an opportunity to work on projects of this caliber.
It is not unreal to assume that you could, in fact, find yourself driving around NYC (showing locations) in the same car together with an Oscar-winning director or acclaimed director of photography, a producer you just read about in a tabloid and a bazillion-dollar net-worth executive producer or financier, with the power between them to give the nod or say no to bringing $100 million or more in jobs or business to the city. (This is “economic development”. It’s good for cities. Production is good at that. And production doesnt pollute the air and water.) Anyway, I am sure you can see the motivation to let these people feel special and get their jobs done quickly and easily.
In contrast, the film industry has changed a lot in the past few years, nowadays, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of smaller budget films in production in New York each year, thanks to the advent of the internet and digital imaging, which have effectively taken content distribution out of the hands of a few big-money players and put it into the hands of anyone with a passion to tell a story and can afford a camera, a crew, talent and their locations. Individually, these types of productions dont always spend that much, but as the sum of the parts, this group represents a sizable chunk of change in New York’s annual production income. It is this group that will be most affected by the scouting tag change, as they will have to figure into their budgets that their scouts will either have to pay for parking or for parking tickets. New York is already a fairly expensive town just to exist in, period; discontinuing the location scouting tag privelege could be one of many ways that production might have an incentive to go elsewhere. This is what is known as “runaway production”
It’s a couple of more weeks till the scouting tag priveleges are scheduled to go away. It’s been good.
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Note: The following is a draft of “Securing A Great Location”, published in Moviemaker Magazine’s 2005 Beginner’s Guide To Making Movies
MovieMaker Magazine | Securing a Great Location | By © R. Richard Hobbs 2004
Chances are, before too much time goes by, you, as a film maker, will be forced to reckon with venturing out of the cozy, controllable confines of a studio/soundstage and into that great wild beyond known as a location.
If you are a director, your job, (among a plethora of other tasks, of course!), is to think of creative ways to bring a story to life visually.
If, like me, you are a part of the locations department (location scout and/or location manager), your job is to help the creative team toward this end, and while hopefully thinking equally as creatively and presenting actual real-world location possibilities, at the same time you are obligated to pay quite a bit more attention to the practicality, logistics and nuts and bolts of actually pulling the shot off at the location(s) you might suggest and following up on same.
Depending on your budget and/or method of working, even though your title may be Director, Assistant Director, Production Manager or even Executive Producer, you may be required to deal with some of the issues yourself that by rights are normally the Locations Department’s; in any case a little “cross-training 
” and insight into what some of the other crew does cant be any less than a good thing!
All this said, my story will attempt to offer some useful information toward securing the perfect location from the locations department’s point of view.
As mentioned before, (the aesthetics aspects notwithstanding), there are a number of practical aspects to consider when choosing a location. What follows is by no means complete, but here are a few items in no special order:
Does the location you are considering work from all technical & logistical points of view? Some questions to ask yourself:
Where will I put all those trucks and people?
Is there room for (if not normally legal, then permitted) parking? It is imperative that you or someone from your crew scout the area adjacent to the set beforehand to make sure there is room and to be sure that room is not in front of a hydrant, fire department or bus stop, etc.
If parking is “tight “ (in high demand) you need to be sure that parking will in fact exist when your crew arrives! Having a permit to park there is one thing, actually “owning” the parking space(s) is another! (As we all know possession is 99% of the law;-)
In New York City (where I work) there are specialists called Parking Coordinators or Coneheads (for the orange cones they put out). Hire them.
You need to be sure you can meet the electrical requirements of your shoot. Be sure there is sufficient house power or you can get your genny truck close enough, and be sure you have sufficient electrical cable in any case!
Is there holding? (a comfortable place to “hold” people while they are not on set) If you are using SAG actors, a requirement is that they have a separate, private area for changing clothes. Be sure there is air conditioning or heat if the weather requires it!
Does the location work logistically?
Be careful with scheduling! If you are shooting a scene on one side of town in the morning and it takes an hour to drive to the second set, another hour to set up and then an hour of shooting, you are probably already into meal penalties. Try to find locations close to each other when scheduling scenes to be shot/ talent on call on the same day.
Is there room to work?
The most gorgeous room in the world is useless is there is not enough room to get the camera/dolly/lights/actors in there for the angles needed to make the shot.
What if it rains?
Do you have a “Plan B” in your pocket? Be careful with weather and cancellations of locations, talent and equipment. It can get expensive.
Is there light there?
Is there the correct lighting for the mood you are trying to achieve (or can you make it?) A location can look significantly different on a cloudy day from the day you scouted it and there was daylight streaming thru the branches casting patterns on the ground!
Are you absolutely sure you have permission to be there?
Does the owner understand that it won’t just be someone with a camcorder stopping by for a few moments? We become so used to our own world that it sometimes ceases to occur to us that people outside the film industry most often have (or have any reason to have an) inkling about what is actually involved in making a film. You need to be straightforward and accurate about all those trucks, equipment and people that will be showing up for 12-14 hours.
You should have also prepared in advance a synopsis of the story and the specific scene(s) you are shooting and explain this in detail to the owner. Sure, we love our story, but everybody has their own views and what seems perfectly normal to us may seem controversial or blatantly offensive to someone else (for no apparent reason to us) yet it is they that will have to live with being associated with the film. This is a very large, diverse, very politically correct world we live in today!
You should always use a property release form and get it signed by the location owner. A property release, in a nutshell, is written permission for you to depict a property to the public on film. Without it, you may leave yourself open to claims of invasion of privacy or other damages. Just do a Google for “property release”, there are standard forms around you can use.
You should always find out beforehand if there are any local or municipal permits or fees required where you are filming and comply fully with those requirements. A local film office, the city clerk or police department for a given municipality should be able to tell you what, if any filming permit requirements may exist.
Q: What could suck worse than finding out you don’t have time or money for a permit? A: Getting your production shut down in mid-shoot because you don’t have a permit.
There a few other general suggestions I might offer that may help you in your quest for the perfect location:
Never underestimate the power of a film office!
Local film offices are some of the most underutilized FREE resources available to film makers. A film commission can get you “in” places you could never touch on your own. They have the credibility of being associated with government plus can be an advocate for your project! They can be a godsend if you are filming outside your home turf- They most often have listings of local crew and location ideas for you. They know the local customs and any permit requirements that may exist! Be nice to film offices!
If you want to find out if there is a film office in your area try here first: www.afci.org
Leave time for permitting/getting permissions
I can’t begin to tell how many great locations have been aborted (or lost!) because there was insufficient time allowed to get permission or secure permits. This malady seems to especially afflict film makers just starting out for some reason (?).
Q: Hey, can you get me and my crane on a rooftop in NYC to shoot tonite?
A: Sorry, ain’t gonna happen, bubba.
If time is tight one option may be to use a location agency. These are people/companies (often scouts or location managers) that have an archive of existing pictures of locations that have often been previously used (or scouted and not used for one reason or another) Sometimes time can be saved this way, but don’t expect miracles- permissions must still be obtained and fees negotiated on your behalf.
Do you have insurance?
I personally won’t go on a shoot or book locations for a production without insurance. You should have a minimum $1,000,000 (standard now actually seems to be $2,000,000) commercial liability policy that allows for additional insurance of third parties. If you are using payroll and have employees then you should have workmen’s comp. Some locations require proof of this.
Use the right tool for the job!
You wouldn’t use a screwdriver to drive in a nail (or maybe you would ! Anyway, hire a location scout/manager! We are there for u!
Adios, good luck and p.s. please invite me to the Oscar Party!
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About Filming Permits | Information for Production and Property Owners:
Additional Info:
Towns and municipalities in “The Zone” are more likely to have formal permit requirements and there may be fees involved. Towns and municipalities outside “The zone” may have permit requirements as well, however requirements tend to relax as distance from New York City increases and population density decreases.
There are exclusive communities that do not allow filming at all, however this is the exception.
The point being made is that property owners and production alike should check with local government as to whether a property (whether it be municipally-owned or privately owned) under consideration as a filming location is subject to film permit requirements.
Property owners and production alike should understand and should be prepared to comply with any local filming or photography permit requirements as they may exist. Not only is it the right thing to do, but when you think about it it be could darn expensive to reshoot after being shut down for not having a permit!
The city clerk’s office or police department are good starting points for getting information regarding local film permit requirements.
Often a film permit will include require production to provide a certificate of insurance showing the municipality third-party additionally insured.
Sometimes “leafleting” or advising neighbors in writing of an intended shoot is a permit requirement.
Many permit requirements revolve around issues of impact on the community with regard to traffic congestion and safety, noise, and “general commotion”. Even a small photo crew, under certain circumstances, let alone a large production with a large crew, many vehicles and a lot of equipment can be potentially be very disruptive to neighbors or the area at-large.
Permit requirements very widely from town to town and can require as little effort as notifying the local police department or sending the town a letter of intent to multiple forms to multiple local government offices / agencies and fees of over $1000 per day.
Even if there is no formal permit required is usually advisable to contact the local government and police department, especially if a shoot is to take place on public property or has any potential whatsoever of being disruptive in any way.
Helpful links:
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