I am doing a film in Los Angeles on private property. I have the owners approval and there are no businesses around him. I was wondering if anyone has ever been shut down on private property while shooting for not having a permit. The city of Los Angeles wants too much money and we are such a small crew I figure we can work around it. Please share BAD any experiences.
PERMITS - Anyone ever shut down?
- Thread starter RickBakewell
- Start date
Private property with owner's clearance, no pyro and no blocking traffic you should be fine withou a permit. Make sure you have owner's permission in writing.
We've had cops ask us what's going on plenty of times. As long as your polite and act like you're supposed to be there (you are, you have permission) then they're usually pretty cool about it.
We've had cops ask us what's going on plenty of times. As long as your polite and act like you're supposed to be there (you are, you have permission) then they're usually pretty cool about it.
I was shooting in a college frat garage, the guys came by and said it was fine since I told them we'd only be about 10-15 minutes. Few minutes after they left, two cop cars came by and said we were trespassing and that there was a report of illegal gambling (it was a scene with a game of dice). We just showed them the camera and what not, they were nice and just told us to leave.
Neighbors called the cops about someone "breaking into a vehicle". As it turned out, it was our truck and we were unloading it. The cops chuckled and left (2 cars.) We were filming in the middle of a dead end street. They did not ask us to leave or ask about a permit. In Portland, OR.
Never had an issue on private property.
In public places though it has gone either way. Many times we've been asked to leave and many times cops/security guards have just asked what we were doing and just let us be.
Locations: Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Florida, Spain, Portugal.
Actually now that i think about it, i was never asked to leave in Spain or Portugal.
But in any case, private or public, always be polite and courteous, tell them your professionals and put their fears of disturbance at ease.
In public places though it has gone either way. Many times we've been asked to leave and many times cops/security guards have just asked what we were doing and just let us be.
Locations: Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Georgia, Florida, Spain, Portugal.
Actually now that i think about it, i was never asked to leave in Spain or Portugal.
But in any case, private or public, always be polite and courteous, tell them your professionals and put their fears of disturbance at ease.
I hate that. I just absolutely hate that.
I completely understand the guy who IS just doing his job. I had a cop once apologize earnestly to me 3 times saying it was a bad deal but it was the law and he was sorry he was asking such a small crew of 5 to leave.
Not that i expect every cop to do that, im just talking abt the other extreme of the spectrum.
But when they're being rude, rough with that sadistic glint in their eye...
make you just want to shove a mic right up their arse 8]
I've had when i was shooting a scene of a band in the garage, and the neighbor came by and told us off. Took quite a while to explain the situation. I can imagine it being worse if the neighbor, instead of coming over, called the police or noise control or something. So might be a good idea to put post notes into neighbor's mail box a week before just to let them know you are shooting.
Also, always alert the local police if you want to shoot with fake guns. And also put up signs around the place so you don't freak anyone out.
Also, always alert the local police if you want to shoot with fake guns. And also put up signs around the place so you don't freak anyone out.
The only thing you need to worry about with shooting on private property is the owner's requirements if something were to go wrong.
We shot Very Special Agents by in the year 2K, partly in the very plush Con Denest Building in the heart of Times Square in NYC. I had the building's owner in the cast. So, all I had to do was supply him with a copy of the production insurance and we got a letter of permission to shoot. When the cops saw us shooting one night, they were on their way to question us, until they saw the owner's daughter with us. Then, they left us alone. A crew guy lost a very expensive piece of lighting equipment that was a rental during the shoot. The rental company hit me up for $10K. That is why I have never rented jack since. Either myself or my crew must have everything for us to work.
When I rented a cottage for 2 weeks for I, Creator, the owner took a $300 deposit, along with the rent for security. A wall in the master bedroom broke during the shoot, and the $300 deposit covered the damage. I have a wish list of software and equipment to add. I'm hoping we makee something that brings in a profit for once; at least.
I advise you to see if the owner wants you to have insurance or wants to take a deposit from you for the event of property damage.
We shot Very Special Agents by in the year 2K, partly in the very plush Con Denest Building in the heart of Times Square in NYC. I had the building's owner in the cast. So, all I had to do was supply him with a copy of the production insurance and we got a letter of permission to shoot. When the cops saw us shooting one night, they were on their way to question us, until they saw the owner's daughter with us. Then, they left us alone. A crew guy lost a very expensive piece of lighting equipment that was a rental during the shoot. The rental company hit me up for $10K. That is why I have never rented jack since. Either myself or my crew must have everything for us to work.
When I rented a cottage for 2 weeks for I, Creator, the owner took a $300 deposit, along with the rent for security. A wall in the master bedroom broke during the shoot, and the $300 deposit covered the damage. I have a wish list of software and equipment to add. I'm hoping we makee something that brings in a profit for once; at least.
I advise you to see if the owner wants you to have insurance or wants to take a deposit from you for the event of property damage.
Haha, I've heard one "pro" (some of you guys might recognize this) that said to budget $100 per shooting say as 'just in case' money. Basically, you carry a wad of $100's around so that whenever a neighbor or someone with a legitimate complaint comes at you arms waving, you can politely slip a bill in their hand and tell them "thank you for understanding and being patient" and that almost always works because the 'neighbor' can go home with his head held high like he won, and you can keep shooting with not formal complaints.
Never followed that really, but an extra $100 to keep a crew of 20 and your "well paid" actors churning along is probably really worth it... Assuming it worked.
No way I'd try that with a cop though! Security guard maybe, but bribing a cop is a big no-no haha.
Never followed that really, but an extra $100 to keep a crew of 20 and your "well paid" actors churning along is probably really worth it... Assuming it worked.
No way I'd try that with a cop though! Security guard maybe, but bribing a cop is a big no-no haha.
Yes the city of Los Angeles requires a permit even to shoot on private property. The only exception is when shooting on a sound stage. Yes the city of Los Angeles is full of sh*t to think that they can force indie filmmakers to buy a permit to shoot on private property. How much is it now? $900 or so?
I NEVER pull permits for private property shoots. Done it many times. If you have a small crew then I wouldn't even give it a second thought. Go a head and keep your $900 per day. Just tell your crew to be discreet when moving equipment in, especially if cops or off duty cops drive by.
Currently the fee in Los Angeles county is $625.
Depending on what the shoot entails this can go up. Stunts, fire,
parking, street closing, notifications all ad to the expense.
While technically a permit is needed even when shooting on private
property the only producer pulling one are porn - they must keep
everything on the up and up to avoid issues.
A cop driving by and seeing your pick up truck parked out front,a
few people milling around and even a few lights in the driveway is
not going to stop and ask to see a permit. I’ve done several pretty
big shoots (with genny and 5 ton in the driveway) and never had
a problem.
If the neighbors complain then the cops will stop. so do what you
can to keep the neighbors happy. I’d advice against the bribe. One
neighbor, one day and that $100 will be fine. But that neighbor
will want that $100 the next day and will tell the other neighbors
you are paying them off. Soon you are paying more than you would
by getting a permit.
Keep the noise down, acknowledge the neighbors, address their
issues if any, ask your cast and crew to park a few block over and
you won’t have any problems. And this is only needed with a fairly
large production - crew of 10 to 20, trucks, big lights outside...
When shooting entirely inside with a small crew there should be no
complaints at all. And only if someone complains will the cops show
up and ask about permits.
Depending on what the shoot entails this can go up. Stunts, fire,
parking, street closing, notifications all ad to the expense.
While technically a permit is needed even when shooting on private
property the only producer pulling one are porn - they must keep
everything on the up and up to avoid issues.
A cop driving by and seeing your pick up truck parked out front,a
few people milling around and even a few lights in the driveway is
not going to stop and ask to see a permit. I’ve done several pretty
big shoots (with genny and 5 ton in the driveway) and never had
a problem.
If the neighbors complain then the cops will stop. so do what you
can to keep the neighbors happy. I’d advice against the bribe. One
neighbor, one day and that $100 will be fine. But that neighbor
will want that $100 the next day and will tell the other neighbors
you are paying them off. Soon you are paying more than you would
by getting a permit.
Keep the noise down, acknowledge the neighbors, address their
issues if any, ask your cast and crew to park a few block over and
you won’t have any problems. And this is only needed with a fairly
large production - crew of 10 to 20, trucks, big lights outside...
When shooting entirely inside with a small crew there should be no
complaints at all. And only if someone complains will the cops show
up and ask about permits.
When I was filming an action scene on private property(I had permission) and told the neibors what was going on, I had no problem.
I was shooting Guerilla-Style on an abandoned property of the local school district. I was setting up and one of the talent stated"the cops are here" i went out to chat w/ them and was promptly handcuffed along w/ the actor. The cops searched around and stated that they got a call that we were stripping vehicles there. After a warrant check, they cooled down, asked about "permits" I told them wasn't such a thing, then they said I was trespassing and I told them I had the right to be there up until the point the owner told me I had to leave. The Constable smiled and said "have fun" & left
I hadn't thought about that. I'd say school district sites are iffy -- adults on school property get people's attention easily.