City Proposes Filming Permit Fees For First Time Ever

Photo via Daniella Zalcman's flickr

For the first time since the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting was established in 1966, the city will start charging productions for permit fees. While this certainly won't help to lure the Hollywood set here, other cities (including Los Angeles) already charge for permits. The one-time fee will be just $300—pocket change for blockbusters, but a healthy chunk for those working on a shoestring budget. In comparison, L.A. charges $625 for two weeks of filming, with additional fees for services like cops on set, parking, and street closures (which will all remain free perks in New York).

The move comes in an effort to combat budget cuts, and while the fee will likely only bring in $1MM to the film office annually, that is half their current budget. 1010Wins reports that senior Bloomberg administration officials gathered with representatives from Hollywood studios, advertising and labor unions today to discuss the fee, which will effect films, commercials, music videos and television series.

The city will now have a commenting period on their fee proposal, and a public hearing will be scheduled for the future. Initial criticisms will likely focus on low-budget productions, but the city has already noted that they will waive the fee for those that could demonstrate "unreasonable hardship.''

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on April 27, 2010 2:45 PM

Comments [rss]

Divine Moving

We at Divine Moving (http://www.divinemoving.com ) worked on a few of these films as for movers and also for storage, We are actually part of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting...

And the money is not in the permit $300 would not make a dent in the budget.. it is in the revenues that these films while shooting in NY brings in... you can't make it a high number and risk loosing future productions...

sunnyqueens

Actually, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting advertises free police, but productions actually pay for all the traffic cops that oversee any outdoor filming, for the tow trucks and car relocations, for fire department inspections and permits (which have to happen any time they use a special effect), hydrant permits, etc., etc., etc. It's not like they get a free ride from the city. The point of the free permits is to attract film business to the city. LA can charge for those things because they already have better facilities than New York and are generally more film-friendly. I get that the MOFTB needs to fill holes in their budget (like every other city and state agency), but they should be careful not to scare away production (and jobs) from the city.

verbal

No fees, period. It may seem small, but it is enough to scare away potential work. This industry has suffered, and rebounded, only to be hit again and again. Once again our little lord bloompoleon is going to screw something up.

mingusahum

hahaha if only all the bloomberg bashers used bloompoleon it would make their caustic rants that much more tolerable

kevd

Productions should pay based on how much they disrupt the city.

Holding parking for 1 l'il old grip truck? Nominal fee.

7 blocks of trailers, light trucks, craft service tables and a bunch of closed streets? $300 is nowhere near enough. "I am Legend" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" aren't going to relocate to Toronto because of a few grand in permits.

I don't think we should take a "screw Hollywood" 'tude on this. 95% of the people making their livings on those sets are local.

Though if there is a way to prevent a third "Sex and the City" movie, do what ever needs to be done Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting.

jibbly

This is a sensible approach.

Mr Mel

Toronto not only didn't charge for permits, they some how gave them incentives as well. Their pitch was that they had neighborhoods that resembled some of those in NYC. If they needed landmark shots, bridges, skylines, etc, they either used stock footage or shot them here. The film "Moonstruck" was filmed in a Toronto hood that resembles Brooklyn Heights. I don't know if it's that popular anymore unless Canadian Filmmakers are involved. The way I could tell if a supposed NYC scene was shot in Toronto was the lack of window air conditioners.

jaja007

The truth is shoestring films that plan carefully probably won't be affected at all. Permits are not necessary unless you are planning on completely blocking walkways or streets (whether with gear or crew or both) and if so, you can afford $300, or you didn't budget correctly or you're an idiot (or ironically, sometimes all 3!). With very small cameras taking great video and everybody loving that crappy shaky cam look, you should just do it guerilla and no one would be the wiser. As a filmmaker, even I think this is much ado about nothing.

mingusahum

I hate that crappy shaky cam look, but its true that these nyu kids don't need to blow thousands of dollars for film/processing when digital is quickly creeping up quality wise.

Mordicai

Totally opposed. New York City is THE dominant place in the American imagination. It is Gotham City, Rome, Metropolis, Babylon, The City. Perpetrating that is in the city's best long term interest.

ozik

I don't think charging a minor fee will change the primacy of New York among film settings. A larger fee might send a film company scurrying to another city that looks like NYC, though, and quite a few do that already. They still claim it to be NYC.

Ten, twenty years and hardly anyone will be shooting on a city street - it'll all be digital.

buttface

Wait, so up until now, Hollywood has gotten free street closures? FREE COPS?

Fuck them in the butt.

Liam

They should pay a fee for every person that has to wait to get in their front door (though you don't really have to wait). My favorite part of walking to school was not stopping for film shots. Man, I was such a badass.

JacqueMehoff

unbelievable. a buildings permit costs more.

mingusahum

Agreed, it makes no sense to charge so little across the board and offer free police parking and street closures. They shouldnt charge as much as LA does for these things, and overall should keep fees low (movies often use cheaper toronto as NY stand-in) but its ridiculous that big budget films don't have to pay for any of these things.

FDTW

Awesome, a fee just big enough to stifle independent film projects but too small to bring in a substantial amount of money from huge production companies. If you're going to charge a fee at all why not attach it to the production budget of what is being filmed? That way film students and 0 budget films can pay a token amount and big studios can pay for all the police presence and street closures they cause.