L.A. Shoot. Do I need a Permit

[BRANDON JAMESON]

Filming in LA is very specific!
Remember the industry in this town is film making, so EVERYONE is savvy to permits AND location fees.
Getting a permit allows you to physically shoot in a specific location, however if you happen to be facing a building, house, store, park, etc.....You will often have to pay these folks a location fee.
You also are required to bring your own cones, post the area the day before and stay ONLY in the specific location listed on the permit.
If you want to shoot in LA parks, well that's a whole other kind of permit that may require you to pay for a safety monitor as well.
SF ain't much easier.

 

[Tony Harris]

Man the hell with all of that get your point guys and go turkey..by the time you catch me and give me a ticket it will be worth it. I've shot two feature films that way. After they told me I would have to pay the cops, insurance etc. People paid about 5,000 for the same area I went turkey in and I got better shots...cost $0. Big timers don't care about us while they are being flashy and trying to draw attention but its up to you..man I will go turkey at the white house if I had to.

 

[Jason Comparetto]

Man the hell with all of that get your point guys and go turkey..by the time you catch me and give me a ticket it will be worth it. I've shot two feature films that way. After they told me I would have to pay the cops, insurance etc. People paid about 5,000 for the same area I went turkey in and I got better shots...cost $0. Big timers don't care about us while they are being flashy and trying to draw attention but its up to you..man I will go turkey at the white house if I had to.

Hilarious!

 

[Mark Andersen]

Funny story, I wanted a stock shot of Wall Street (stock exchange building) when I arrived to shoot it, a major Hollywood feature was being shot at the same time. I just walked in with my Red and a tripod and shot away, the cops were all around me but they assumed I was part of the gig. I got my shot and got out. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[Mark Andersen]

my question is, lets say you get away with it.. you got all your shots you needed without permits.

then you get accepted to a film festival... do they require to see all that stuff before screening it? If you get distribution (if you're that lucky), do you have to go back and get all that stuff? do they charge you a lot more money then because you "cheated the sytem" and now gotta pay your dues?

In most cases no one is going to ask. I got thrown out of Arches National Park, but once I've got the pics I'm fine. You don't need permits to posses images of national parks, or other locations, you just need permits to conduct a production. In most cases once you safely got the shots then you're fine. The exceptions are trademarked landmarks, like the Hollywood sign, Lone Cyprus, private property, things of that nature. Even then issues with trademarks are mostly associated with commercial uses of the footage, news and docs, and some entertainment are often exempt. Any lawyers out there?

 

[Paul Russell]

I know it's not LA but this story is still relevant.

Last year, after shooting the senate building in Washington DC with a Red on a tripod and never being troubled at all, I tried shooting in the Lincoln Memorial. A Parks Ranger arrived rapidly and threatened me and my assistant with arrest. When I pointed out that plenty of other people (tourists) were shooting video he climbed down and then told me that if I used the footage commercially he would have to arrest me. After that it was just a polite and cheerfully delivered logic chain to show him that he couldn't prove any usage, so legally as it was a public place he had to let me shoot, and if they spotted any of my footage being used commercially the Parks Dept may or may not decide to sue. Within five minutes I was shooting again and he had gone off to hassle someone else.

It's not illegal to shoot anything if you're standing on public ground. It's the usage that counts, or (as other guys have pointed out), the disturbance that you may be causing that are potential issues.

Recently the Supreme Court also made it perfectly clear that it is not illegal to video cops, especially when they are committing crimes. You are protected by the First Amendment, and public servants need to be held accountable. That doesn't mean that you won't meet an asshole in uniform who can ruin your day.

 

[Jason Comparetto]

Funny story, I wanted a stock shot of Wall Street (stock exchange building) when I arrived to shoot it, a major Hollywood feature was being shot at the same time. I just walked in with my Red and a tripod and shot away, the cops were all around me but they assumed I was part of the gig. I got my shot and got out. Sometimes you get lucky.

I love those kinds of setups.

 

[Manfred Lopez]

I was at the Pentagon on 9/11/2001.

That must have been quite an experience. I can relate a little. I was in the subway in the A line right under the world trade center when the second plane hit. I'll never forget that day.