(no subject)

[taerowyn]

Craptastic day today. Spent all day running in circles. Basically, my first assignement for Broadcast Science, was to shoot a music video. So my group and I picked out a piece of music, kind of a Pulp Fiction feel to it and figured we'd go around Boston taking shots of traffic for time lapse, shots in the T stations, shots of the trains etc. Let's see if we can count how many things went wrong?

1. Couldn't get balcony access in Kenmore Cooperative Tower to get a shot of Kenmore square...the concierge was not cooperative.

2. Got kicked out of the T station as were told we would need a permit to film.

3. Found out getting a permit is a week or more process, costs beacoup bucks and got treated like shit by the guys informing us of these facts.

4. Had to go through three security check points in order to talk to the guy that would let us set up the tripod on the sidewalk in front of a federal building. Not to film the building, mind you, just to have the tripod on their property.

5. Went to Faneuil Hall (huge touristy area) to get the crowds... there were no crowds, the place was dead.

6. Switch got broken on the trains, got stuck between stations.

7. Train actually broke down as we were coming up from below ground. Was stalled, with brief periods of rolling backwards, for 30 minutes. This was during ruch hour, so the train was packed and the AC was out.

All in all it feels like we spent about 30 minutes to an hour hoofing it around the city for every 30 seconds of footage we have. And, as the hour of fottage that we took is for a 3-4 minute piece, it probably equals that for usable footage. And just think, this is just wekk #1.

Comments

[funkbunny.livejournal.com]

hehhee ... welcome to my major. :) I did a 20 minute documentary. We filmed for WEEKS and most of the stuff my partner shot was crap, so I had to do most of the shooting ... and 9 months pregnant at that! *grr* I will never, EVER, partner up with ROTC kids EVER again. ;)

keep plugging away. Yeah, you need permits to film in public. Maybe you should focus on smaller, lesser known areas. Use a handheld camera (not a huge-ass DVC Pro) so you look like tourists. Dress like a tourist to authenticate that. Get as much "B-reel" as possible because most of it will not work, but those few seconds will be worth all the time you spent to get them. :)

good luck. :)

[taerowyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks, yeah we discovered that it was much easier to just whip out the camera and chance a slightly shaky shot then to set up the tripod and be accosted. Plugging away though. At least we learned the crap now on the throw away assignment and not on the real big ones.

[funkbunny.livejournal.com]

you'd be surprised at the quality of video you can get with a steady hand. Some of my best shots were done without a tripod - be creative. I used my coffee table and some textbooks once to get an angled-up shot.

Just don't do a lot of zooming in (except to focus). again, good luck!

[skunk237.livejournal.com]

be careful. some people get arrested for filming/taking pictures of traffic/buildings under the patriot act.

it's too bad we allow govt to get as restrictive as they are. why would anyone need a fucking permit to film in public?!!! where is the danger? sheesh!

good luck with your project! too bad you are having so many obsticles.

[funkbunny.livejournal.com]

you do need one, even before the Patriot Act. I don't rememebr why exactly, but I do recall it being drilled into my head in my documentary class that you need to check to see if you need a permit for what you are filming. And if you can't get one, become a tourist who honestly doesn't know. ;)

[skunk237.livejournal.com]

but honestly, why does someone need a permit? what is the spirit behind the law? what are they protecting the public from? i can't begin to guess.

[funkbunny.livejournal.com]

from here (http://www.cityofseattle.net/filmoffice/film_permits.htm) :
YOU WILL NEED A PERMIT IF:

* Traffic will be interrupted on City streets.
* Pedestrian traffic on sidewalks will be interrupted
* A tri-pod or dolly is used on sidewalks or streets.
* Wires or cables run across or over sidewalks.
* A generator is used on a sidewalk or street.
* Filming takes place on Public property.
* Public parking will be impacted

from here (http://www.ci.burbank.ca.us/police/film_permits.htm"):

A film permit is required for all filming done within the City of Burbank. We have a simplified permit procedure designed to coordinate all your production needs with City health and safety requirements.

Seems to me it's for safety reasons, as well as letting the city know if they need to cordon off the street, eliminate local parked cars, etc. IT basically says We're here, This is What we are doing in case anything goes wrong.

[skunk237.livejournal.com]

okay, i understand it if you are a hinderance or create a not-so-safe environment to street and pedestrian traffic. those kind of things are for the big productions that usually come out of Hollywood. but in Seattle, for instance, it seems you'd need a permit if you are filming on top of a hill in a public park... even if you are just using a camcorder. gosh, i'd hate for someone to trip over my tripod and get hurt, but really... couldn't someone just as easily trip over a cooler, a blanket, a briefcase, a purse, or anything else you might find on the sidewalk/in a park? why don't people need to get permits for using those? are still-photographers held to the same standards especially when they use a tripod?

i mean, i can see how it would be required to get a permit in order to have traffic blocked, or having a big enough production that you might cause a safety hazard, but otherwise, i think this is a really lame excuse that municipalities have for making a little bit of revenue on the side while making amateur filmmakers miserable. really lame.

oh, and thanks for the links and the research material! :)

[funkbunny.livejournal.com]

eh. beaurocracy at it's finest. ;) honestly, I don't see an issue with it - pay some money so the city knows you are there and what you said you are doing? in the grand sceme of things, they aren't infringing on my rights any more than a parent does to a child (you want to know where they are, who they are with, what they are doing) .. except no money is involved. *shrug* I guess I don't care too much about playing the proverbial game. :)

no prob. I wish I had more time to do some research. Not everywhere requires a permit but most of the popular places do and it makes sense - so you don't have geeky filmers fighting over the view. With a specific permit, they can all take turns! ;)