SHOOTING ON LOCATION QUESTION

I'm going to be shooting a scene in a local small town in a few weeks, and the scene is going to be on the sidewalk in front of the pizza place. I'm planning to shoot this in a guerilla-style (4 actors, me, camera operator, assistant), and I was wondering who I need to contact to shoot here without getting in trouble? If its in front of the pizza place, do I contact the owner, or do I need to contact the town officials? I'm not going to be taking up the whole sidewalk, by the way.
 
What do you mean by "guerilla-style".

I would start with the local police and ask them first. They may or may not have an answer but they WILL be the one to show up if you are breaking an ordinance or law.

If the police cannot direct you, then I'd go next to the mayor's office.

If you're going to show the pizza place's name then by all means ask permission.

You'll also need release forms for anyone on the street who appears on-screen.

What about parking? Some towns place limits on the amount of time you're allowed to park. Working with the police and city is simply a good idea. If there is significant resistance, pick another town. Here in Georgia we have "film-ready" towns and cities with contact numbers to someone from the town who knows what's needed.

I'm going to be shooting a scene in a local small town in a few weeks, and the scene is going to be on the sidewalk in front of the pizza place. I'm planning to shoot this in a guerilla-style (4 actors, me, camera operator, assistant), and I was wondering who I need to contact to shoot here without getting in trouble? If its in front of the pizza place, do I contact the owner, or do I need to contact the town officials? I'm not going to be taking up the whole sidewalk, by the way.
 
The owner of the pizza place is who I would contact. If he's good with
you shooting on the sidewalk in front of his place than that might be
enough. Unless someone actually files a complaint and the cops arrive,
there should be no other issues. You should check to see if the town
has any film permit requirements. Most don't.
 
Agree.

Go into the Pizza shop, speak with the owner about the ´free´advertising he´s gonna get thru said movie - he´ll prob end up throwing you guys a bunch of pizzas!

Most shops have a certain amount of ´frontage´, if so stick within that!

If a cop floats by, tell them it´s a student shoot - make sure someone has a uni id on them.

be polite to everyone, apoligise to passing foottraffic etc.

Get in and out ASAP!

Shoot shallow - keep as much bg out of focus as humanly possible. Have someone on hand with ´waivers´in case you need to use someones image - a sweet talker to ensure they sign...

I think that´s what you mean by guerilla - otherwise, go via the local council/film permit office for permission BUT they may just say no - again with the student id in hand...

All the very best - Jim.
(oh yeah, when sweet talking the shop owner mention if he or his son/daughter wants to appear in the scene?)
 
Last edited:
Agree.

Go into the Pizza shop, speak with the owner about the ´free´advertising he´s gonna get thru said movie - he´ll prob end up throwing you guys a bunch of pizzas!

Most shops have a certain amount of ´frontage´, if so stick within that!

If a cop floats by, tell them it´s a student shoot - make sure someone has a uni id on them.

be polite to everyone, apoligise to passing foottraffic etc.

Get in and out ASAP!

Shoot shallow - keep as much bg out of focus as humanly possible. Have someone on hand with ´waivers´in case you need to use someones image - a sweet talker to ensure they sign...

I think that´s what you mean by guerilla - otherwise, go via the local council/film permit office for permission BUT they may just say no - again with the student id in hand...

All the very best - Jim.
(oh yeah, when sweet talking the shop owner mention if he or his son/daughter wants to appear in the scene?)

Yes, that's what I mean by guerilla.
 
I doubt Michigan is more strict than LA. We shot B-roll stuff all over Hollywood Blvd. At one point, while standing on the corner, a cop drove by and the partner in the passenger seat just stared at us. They didn't care. We only had 1 camera, albeit a big honkin' Panasonic Varicam, and 3 of us crew people.

I've heard stories of people trying to shoot with lights and bigger crews and an off duty cop broke up the production.

The bottom line is we are not getting rich making indie films and we are sick and tired of being taxed and regulated to death. In Los Angeles they charge like $900 a day for a permit and they often require you to pay for a police officer to be present (perhaps $60 an hour with a 4 hour minimum). In some cases it's definitely worth taking a chance to shoot without a permit when it saves you over a thousand dollars.

Ask yourself how much will it cost IF the whole production gets shut down. If you don't have a ton of paid crew and rented equipment then just bargain with the owner and shoot the thing.
 
Back
Top