1 - Bullshit. These laws exist to control filming in this city (one of the most filmed places on earth for movies, commercials and tv shows) which without serious restrictions would evolve into a traffic debilitating public nuisance. These laws very clearly do not target tourists or artists. Individuals have a half hour in one place before a police officer can ask you to move. That is more than enough time for any amateur to get what they want unless you really are filming a full movie, which is a commercial venture - whatever your artistic aims - with serious liability that should be registered just like any other small business.

This law is specifically targeted at small-scale professional film production (primarily non-US produced commercials, several of which I have worked for) which have been skirting municipal laws in order to get footage. Recently, I was working on a small Egyptian soap opera production when the staff of producers and directors decided to film scenes out of the car while it was rolling - a serious violation of their limited contract. While I told them we would get pulled over, they said they could get away with it as amateurs. With a 16mm camera sticking out of the window of an SUV, we went up and down 5th - almost causing several accidents and screwing up traffic - until the cops pulled us over. The producers screamed about their rights, but it was clear we were in the wrong. I say this because stuff like this happens every day.

Simply, small productions are filled with people who don't know how to film on the streets of New York and, as we have seen in other Gothamist reports, don't give pedestrians right of way, step into traffic, litter and ultimately create annoying and potentially dangerous situations. Film students and amateur independent shoots are also prone to these behaviors and, while I personally could tolerate them, it is often hard to figure out who is a professional using amateur status to "steal" footage and who is a true artist. Years of unsafe, unprofessional filming in the city has led to this and it is a shame that a few film students will have to go through the effort of obtaining permissions from the Mayors' office (who do grant exceptions on insurance for filmmakers in acknowledged educational film programs - NYU etc.)while other artists will be shut out - but these laws were made inevitable by the misbehavior of people who took advantage of lax laws.

This is a "quality of life" law and many of the civil rights people who are protesting this would be protesting conditions if filming were wide open in the city.

To equate this with tyranny or make it a civil rights question is to miss the point of why this is happening and displays the sort of small-minded behavior that O'Reilly conservatives accuse us liberals of indulging in. ACLU buffs should be concentrating on real issues of censorship, imprisonment and torture that are far more dangerous, obvious and real than this issue.

3-If the rules really are only for pros and not for amateurs, where the hell do you get "only those who can afford... film school programs" being allowed to photograph the city? Seems to me that "only those who can afford... film school programs" will be the ones targeted by the law!

I looked at the original Gothamist post and it looks like the law's too vague, but even with the vagueness it looks like groups are being targeted rather than individual photographers. I would be happy if they would clarify the language, but otherwise I don't see a problem, and I'm kinda sick and tired of professional people and corporations bitching and moaning about being regulated more tightly than amateurs and individuals are. A corporation is not a person, and a group of five people blocking a sidewalk to take pictures is NOT a single amateur OR professional photographer taking shots of buildings.

And bullshit to YOU on the slams against kids, disabled people and obese people. They're all MOVING. A person taking a photograph with a still camera isn't.