Several "legal" questions.

WYG1Productions

WYG1Productions

We are currently writing a full-length, zero budget script for a "dramedy" focusing on three guys in a small town. We are going to be filming in several locations, both private and public.

When shooting in public places, what precautions can we take to avoid interruptions from local police without having to pay the fees for doing so? Especially when doing scenes that will certainly draw attention (i.e. "smoke" billowing out of a parked car) If we shoot a scene like that in a privately owned business' lot with permission from the owner, are permits even an issue?

And in scenes where a label or logo might be seen such as an advertisement for Coca-Cola or logo on a shirt, do we need to scrub it out in post? And if one of the actors has a tattoo of a logo, for example one of our actors has a tattoo of "the Laughing Man" from Ghost In The Shell, does it need to be covered?

What about cars and their logos? And why do they typically cover license plates?

And finally, what are the rules regarding music? Can you use instrumental or "elevator music" versions of songs?
 
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Don't even film a logo to begin with. Replace the shirt. Shoot around logos in the background (or use tight shots).

You need permission for ALL music.

Anything goes with shooting on private property with permission.

Guerrilla the smoking car with a WS, then have the camera guy split before the cops come. You can shoot closeups later or elsewhere.

Some locales will ignore you filming on public property, others, like LA, probably will cite you for not having a permit. Put your camera in a car instead.
 
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what precautions can we take to avoid interruptions from local police without having to pay the fees for doing so? Especially when doing scenes that will certainly draw attention (i.e. "smoke" billowing out of a parked car) If we shoot a scene like that in a privately owned business' lot with permission from the owner, are permits even an issue?
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Go ask your local city what the filming ordinances are. It's going to vary from city to city. Fees, if any, will vary from city to city.

Smoke billowing fom a parked car in a public area ought to have the fire dept arriving soon. You might be able to do this on private property without a permit... or maybe you live in a city where you need a permit to even film on private property.

You need to know what your town allows.

:cool:
 
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WYG1Productions said:
We are currently writing a full-length, zero budget script for a "dramedy" focusing on three guys in a small town. We are going to be filming in several locations, both private and public.

When shooting in public places, what precautions can we take to avoid interruptions from local police without having to pay the fees for doing so? Especially when doing scenes that will certainly draw attention (i.e. "smoke" billowing out of a parked car) If we shoot a scene like that in a privately owned business' lot with permission from the owner, are permits even an issue?

And in scenes where a label or logo might be seen such as an advertisement for Coca-Cola or logo on a shirt, do we need to scrub it out in post? And if one of the actors has a tattoo of a logo, for example one of our actors has a tattoo of "the Laughing Man" from Ghost In The Shell, does it need to be covered?

What about cars and their logos? And why do they typically cover license plates?

And finally, what are the rules regarding music? Can you use instrumental or "elevator music" versions of songs?
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I don't know what the laws are like in your town, but in Los Angeles you need a permit everywhere except a sound stage. This is not to say that people don't get away with shooting without a permit all the time in LA. We shot B-roll stuff right on Sunset Blvd as cops drove by looking at us. Of course there was only myself, the camera man and the assistant. The more people you have and the more you stand out the more likely that a cop or off duty cop might break up your shoot. Personally I'd say that if you have no budget then pulling an expensive permit is cost prohibitive for a zero budget movie!
With logos it depends on how much space it takes up on the screen and it attention is drawn to it. If you shoot inside a store then you do not have to clear the store of all products that's for sure. Only if for example someone asks to buy a product might you get into trouble with trademarks.
Go to FreshMusic.com to all of the royalty free elevator music you would ever need for cheap.
 
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Blade_Jones said:
I don't know what the laws are like in your town, but in Los Angeles you need a permit everywhere except a sound stage. This is not to say that people don't get away with shooting without a permit all the time in LA. We shot B-roll stuff right on Sunset Blvd as cops drove by looking at us. Of course there was only myself, the camera man and the assistant. The more people you have and the more you stand out the more likely that a cop or off duty cop might break up your shoot. Personally I'd say that if you have no budget then pulling an expensive permit is cost prohibitive for a zero budget movie!
With logos it depends on how much space it takes up on the screen and it attention is drawn to it. If you shoot inside a store then you do not have to clear the store of all products that's for sure. Only if for example someone asks to buy a product might you get into trouble with trademarks.
Go to FreshMusic.com to all of the royalty free elevator music you would ever need for cheap.
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We live in a small town in central Texas, with a pop. of less than 60,000
I've looked over the laws for our county and couldn't find ANY pertaining to filming at all...
We were broken up by police our first go at a shoot, but no mention was made of the fact that we were filming, they only cared about the fact that what we were shooting (a murder) had been reported as a real crime. Don't know if they didn't care about, didn't know of, or just don't have any laws pertaining to it.
 
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WYG1Productions said:
We were broken up by police our first go at a shoot, but no mention was made of the fact that we were filming, they only cared about the fact that what we were shooting (a murder) had been reported as a real crime.
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What you can take from this experience is to notify the cops when
you are making your movie. Your small town does not have laws
regarding filming so a simple notification should be enough to keep
them from breaking up your shoot because they got a call.

I have always notified the people in the area. You alarmed someone.
If you had contacted that person before the shoot to tell them exactly
what you were doing they would not have called the cops. More work
for you - less problems with the cops.

Getting distribution is hard enough for a “dramady” - why make it
more difficult? Do not show any logos and cover that tattoo. Replace
all license plates. More work for you - less problems with distribution.
 
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If there isn't a film office, the city or town clerk should know what you need in terms of permits, etc.

When I haven't been able to find the information on line or by phone, I've simply set aside the time (definitely allow a few hours) to go to the town hall and talk to people in person. The one time that it was clear that we weren't going to get the required permit (nor was anyone else - long story), they made it clear what we could do without attracting cops.
 
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WYG1Productions said:
We live in a small town in central Texas, with a pop. of less than 60,000
I've looked over the laws for our county and couldn't find ANY pertaining to filming at all...
We were broken up by police our first go at a shoot, but no mention was made of the fact that we were filming, they only cared about the fact that what we were shooting (a murder) had been reported as a real crime. Don't know if they didn't care about, didn't know of, or just don't have any laws pertaining to it.
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I've heard of non-permitted shoots that involved prop guns. Actors ran around a corner with their guns only to be met at gun point by real police officers!! Someone at a nearby apartment complex called the police because they thought a real gang fight was taking place. Use common sense.
 
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Happened to me on a shoot I was working on. It's scary when you're looking down the barrel of a 12 gauge or an assault rifle.

"DROP THAT BOOM POLE!" :lol:

Blade_Jones said:
I've heard of non-permitted shoots that involved prop guns. Actors ran around a corner with their guns only to be met at gun point by real police officers!! Someone at a nearby apartment complex called the police because they thought a real gang fight was taking place. Use common sense.
Click to expand...
 
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