Studios Sad About New Filming Fees

Another year, another new fee that may drive productions filmed in New York to, well, Canada or someplace. According to the NY Times, the new charge of $3,200 would accompany each permit to film inside city owned buildings. Of the 54 buildings included, there were reportedly 190 requests to film in them last year.

The fee would affect shows like Law & Order, and city officials note it is "fair compensation for expenses they incur in processing permit requests and providing staff, like electricians." Entertainment industry reps, however, are booing the idea, saying, “Our concern is that this could start a domino effect among other city agencies, which could make filming in New York cost-prohibitive. What’s to stop the parks and sanitation departments or police stations or hospitals from instituting similar fees? We are living in a time when production costs and budgets are very tight, and these kinds of charges can make a difference in terms of the decision process.”

And on that note, maybe the MTA should raise their fee for filming in the subway system. As long as it doesn't backfire, drive away productions, and leave us with fake subway sightings on the big and small screen.

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By Jen Carlson in News on January 4, 2010 2:11 PM

Comments [rss]

oofstar

why don't they film in yonkers and mt. vernon more? they look just like most of nyc, and i bet they could use the revenue.

ed_Extinct

Yeah a $12.00-$16.00 movie ticket isn't overpriced for 99% of the trash they make.

Mordicai

I have always been a fan of tax breaks for entertainment; it more than pays for itself in free advertising. New York is the center of the world! Every sitcom is set here! & I want that to stay the case.

Darrell

Even if the sitcom is set in NYC, its almost always shot in L.A.. Friends for example is shot in Burbank, and most of the sitcoms produced in the 2000's moved the sitcom's setting to either somewhere in the west (Seattle for example) or to a fictional town or city somewhere, mostly because the costs for shooting in a major city like NYC costs too much. Most movies set in NYC are actually shot in Vancouver for the same reasons.

jaycjay

Yep, but this is separate from tax breaks... which of course also represent a lot more money than this relatively tiny fee.

jaycjay

One point that shouldn't be missed is that they're already paying thousands of dollars to any private property owners for access, but have been able to shoot in these public buildings for free. They'll pay two or three times that amount at a minumum to shoot anywhere else. Store owners I've known have been paid a couple grand just to leave their lights off (so as not to be seen during exterior shooting at night) or something similar.

FrankMartin

Fair or not I can't say. But the man just keeps raising prices for everything and in many cases services decrease or don't improve. That is something to worry about.

JacqueMehoff

you're kidding me, right?

3,200? that's an exec's lunch tab for the week.

expense report time.

I say you got a bargain, considering the costs related to keep a city building open during a holiday or weekend.

JacqueMehoff

and, Free police presence.

alice17

You would think that if Law & Order can afford to pay its stars 350k an episode, they can afford to pay the $3200 fee.

jaycjay

$3,200 is essentially meaningless when added onto the expense of even one day of major studio location shooting.

JenChungsBaby

I'm more concerned about filming in city streets than in city buildings. To film in the streets they should have to pay $1 million per day for each city block they shut down.

thewildpansy

Um ok, do you not watch movies or something?

youngpro

Oh, Man. What's our D.A. Jack McCoy gonna do about this one?

Shinobi Shaw

This could very well turn out negative, Tokyo for example has really exorbiant filming fees which is the reason why not too many western movies film there.

Otherwise, Tokyo would be on par with NYC as most widely seen city in movies!