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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

New Side Handle. Shooting happened. Cops came. It was awkward.

Timur Civan said:
O

So that's where skrillex got the "call 911 now" sample from!!!!!!
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Haha yep. This video has been around for quite a while, and went insanely viral... when i saw the Skrillex video a month or so ago I was like YES!!!!!!!!
 
It seems everywhere has their own quirks about filming on location, and truth is 90% people who scream at the camera saying its illegal to film here are usually wrong- Particularly if they're on a public street

Some places (like my fair old city of Chester) require a shooting permit only if you're likely to shoot in / around city-owned property. The reason for this reveals itself in the only requirement to get your permit - that you have public liability insurance. They just want to make sure they're not sued by a member of the public if they trip over your 700-200mm

Other than that, sensibly, I think most filmmakers know what they can and can't shoot..
Stay away from airports, children, swimming pools, military complexs etc unless you have express permission.

Shops are tricky, if you ask a big chain store like (and UK people might only get this) Greggs Bakery, chances are you'll have to go via their PR department to submit proposals etc... the better way of doing it is by asking the shops manager if you can shoot- promising to keep the name of the company out of shot (getting this approval on paper is key). It's worked for me countless times - and to be fair, just as many people have said no as have said yes, but be bold and honest and people tend to want to help you out.

One thing I've learned to never do is to say you're a member of the press gathering b-roll footage. Cops dislike the press a lot more than potential loiters...

(Disclaimer: Of course, always get a shooting permit, insurance, security guard. Pay your actors, pay your locations pay your local politicians yada yada yada...)
 
Matt Ryan said:
+1, If this was in LA they would have escorted you out and watched you drive away. I know, I've been there with a Red One haha. You have to be careful because by definition the camera is "professional" and not amateur. It sucks, I get kicked out of places all the time or at least hassled.

Also be careful because by law the Police can confiscate your gear if you don't have a permit. (Usually their lenient but you never know)
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This is what goes on out here in L.A. grocery store parking lots...


 
Andrew PC Smith said:
A cop drops by to question me for "suspicious behavior" while in the store's parking lot. Where I was just taking shots, and talking to a friend.

"Hey buddy, what you got there?"
"Well officer, this may be the only camera of it's kind in a 100-mile radius."
Then he listened very intently as I gave him a brief rundown on RED and HDRx. After that he looked me in the eye with a tinge of jealousy and said, "Carry on."
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Hahaha.. that reminds me of a time in Wall Street NY around the time when I got my first REDONE no.150...
I was told I was not to go down there to the stock engage or I'd get shot! The NY production line producer left everyone at the top of the street and my Camera assistant and I walked into the SWAT team infested Wall street with our Actor and stood in front of the stock exhange and started shooting... less than 30 seconds later, a SWAT looking dude guns, helmet the lot comes jogging down to us in an aggressive manner right up to me, I shit myself! Looked into his eyes ... and he said... " IS THAT THE RED CAMERA"!

I burst into laughter and told him how there was 25 poeple up the top of the street listening out for gun fire...

I let him put the camera on his shoulder and we took photos for him... funny day.
 
I was just picking up (stealing) a few exteriors for a friends film when 2 security guards came over. Mind you we were on a public sidewalk but they insisted it was private property.

The trick is to have a second person with you to talk to them as you "stop" rolling :) I managed to get off another decent shot while they were talking. When they asked me what we were doing we said "We just got our new camera and were just shooting some tests," which of course was just our ploy.

We had a backpack full of gear and a super small tripod so it made total sense thats what we'd be doing.

Overall if you play dumb and are very nice and respectful most people will be the same in return and let you leave with at least the footage you managed to get prior to their arrival.
 
things are very much easier here in Toronto, as long as you're not on private property;
I was runnning couple hours downtown in a full steadi rig just shooting people, testing anamorphic glass ,
the most terrible comment I got - "what the fuck is that"
Timur Civan said:
O
So that's where skrillex got the "call 911 now" sample from!!!!!!
Click to expand...

that's her voice, no doubt :))
 
Casey Green said:
This is what goes on out here in L.A. grocery store parking lots...
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Oh thank God I don't live in L.A. Haha. That was very funny though. Jamba Juice is another place it tends to get real. What is it about healthy food that makes people wanna throw down?

Gary Paul Walker said:
It seems everywhere has their own quirks about filming on location, and truth is 90% people who scream at the camera saying its illegal to film here are usually wrong- Particularly if they're on a public street

Some places (like my fair old city of Chester) require a shooting permit only if you're likely to shoot in / around city-owned property. The reason for this reveals itself in the only requirement to get your permit - that you have public liability insurance. They just want to make sure they're not sued by a member of the public if they trip over your 700-200mm

Other than that, sensibly, I think most filmmakers know what they can and can't shoot..
Stay away from airports, children, swimming pools, military complexs etc unless you have express permission.

Shops are tricky, if you ask a big chain store like (and UK people might only get this) Greggs Bakery, chances are you'll have to go via their PR department to submit proposals etc... the better way of doing it is by asking the shops manager if you can shoot- promising to keep the name of the company out of shot (getting this approval on paper is key). It's worked for me countless times - and to be fair, just as many people have said no as have said yes, but be bold and honest and people tend to want to help you out.

One thing I've learned to never do is to say you're a member of the press gathering b-roll footage. Cops dislike the press a lot more than potential loiters...

(Disclaimer: Of course, always get a shooting permit, insurance, security guard. Pay your actors, pay your locations pay your local politicians yada yada yada...)
Click to expand...

Excellent advice, Gary! Thank you.


Mark Toia said:
Hahaha.. that reminds me of a time in Wall Street NY around the time when I got my first REDONE no.150...
I was told I was not to go down there to the stock engage or I'd get shot! The NY production line producer left everyone at the top of the street and my Camera assistant and I walked into the SWAT team infested Wall street with our Actor and stood in front of the stock exhange and started shooting... less than 30 seconds later, a SWAT looking dude guns, helmet the lot comes jogging down to us in an aggressive manner right up to me, I shit myself! Looked into his eyes ... and he said... " IS THAT THE RED CAMERA"!

I burst into laughter and told him how there was 25 poeple up the top of the street listening out for gun fire...

I let him put the camera on his shoulder and we took photos for him... funny day.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, that's the best story. Once on a short film we had a full "SWAT team" of 4 guys with the whole vest and guns setup in a hotel. (Yes, we had explicit permission) I was standing next to the director in my Steadicam, waiting for them on the 8th floor in front of the elevator. This lady walked up next to the director and he warned her, "There's going to be a SWAT team coming out of this elevator, but we're filming a movie and they're all just actors." Wouldn't you know it, she still jumped when the door opened.
 
thats what is awsome about the Epic its so small that the police dont say anything i did timelapse in front of parker center in downtown LA for those that dont know parker ctr is the police beehive and they swarm around it like you wouldnt believe and i had cases on the sidewalk reading the paper wilst shooting 1fps
 

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I got arrested in Russia in the Red Square for not having a permit. As much a shake down as anything. A ton of people in the square with all kinds of cameras but I had a tripod. After an hour in the back of a Russian police car and a 100.00 US "fine" I was let go.
 
For any off you who hate ENG stuff, it can be a good defence. News people fall under different rules, and are allowed to shoot without permits. In his case it's best to plead amateur, but if that is not going to work, then say your a freelance camera guy you shoot a lot for news cast etc... Best practice though is if it is private property, then just go into the store and ask if it's ok. Best to say it's a stills shoot rather then say it is cinema. People get freaked out about that in the USA.
 
Ted Parkes said:
I got arrested in Russia in the Red Square for not having a permit. As much a shake down as anything. A ton of people in the square with all kinds of cameras but I had a tripod. After an hour in the back of a Russian police car and a 100.00 US "fine" I was let go.
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Tripods... Oh, geez, this is story of my life. My ass had been kicked every time I used tripod on some little shoot in public places, where everybody take photos and videos with DSLRs, camcorders and smartphones. But when I go handheld - nobody gives a damn, not even once. People seem to be scared of tripods or something.
 
Vadim Bobkovsky said:
Tripods... Oh, geez, this is story of my life. My ass had been kicked every time I used tripod on some little shoot in public places, where everybody take photos and videos with DSLRs, camcorders and smartphones. But when I go handheld - nobody gives a damn, not even once. People seem to be scared of tripods or something.
Click to expand...

People are scared of tripods. If you're on private property and someone trips on your tripod, they're going to sue either you or the property owner. If you're on public property, they're probably going to sue you.

What's interesting is that no one will complain about a monopod since there's no trip hazard. There are a few monopods now that have three small feet at the base (sort of like a tripod at the bottom of your monopod), so they are a little more stable than a regular monopod.

But, people do indeed need to be careful when they're using a tripod to ensure that no one comes close enough to trip over it. I like to keep a 'safety' area of at least a few feet around where I'm shooting.
 
When shooting Red I just use the camera test excuse. has worked most of the time.

Shot a music video in Old Montreal recently and never hassled once and at one point i was running full speed with camera following actor. I would have been arrested in other cities. :-)
 
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