NYTimes blogs Shout Out To The M.O.F.T.B.
Sewell Chan of the NYT City Room blogs A Shout Out to the M.O.F.T.B., with lyrics . . .
It’s hard enough to shoot in Manhattan
So much happenin’, sirens flashin’
Every single minute there’s another distraction
And now you wanna cash in every time I say action??
Proposin’ new rules to try and get rid of me
A million in insurance just to cover liabilities!
From Little Italy all the way to Harlem
Bloomberg’s jealous cause our movies won’t star him
But wait. There’s more:
Make no mistake these rules are heartless
Everyone knows they just target artists
The video bloggaz at protest marches
And kidz making vids for the YouTube contests!
it’s garbage! Let’s tell the people in power
We wanna film for more than half an hour!
We won’t rest ’til that law gets trashed.
- posted Tue., Jul 31, 2007 at 3:24am
- filed in Press Coverage
- [2] Comments
July 31st, 2007 at 10:37 am
Full lyrics:
Free NYC Rap
Good evening. The New York City mayor’s office has recently released a new proposal severely limiting the rights of citizens to film in public. The new rules require film permits, and at least one million dollars worth of liability insurance for groups of two or more filming for more than thirty minutes or groups of five or more using a tripod for more than ten minutes. People who hate independent filmmakers are calling these proposed laws a triumph. Independent filmmakers, however, are less enthusiastic.
Hey, Bloomberg! I don’t know if you’ve heard,
people are talking about some pretty bad rumors.
And there’s one that we’re concerned with,
about permits and needing insurance.
It’s hard enough to shoot in Manhattan,
so much happening, sirens flashing.
Every single minute there’s another distraction,
and now you want to cash in every time I say action? Action!
Proposing new rules to try to get rid of me,
a million in insurance just to cover liabilities?
From Little Italy all the way to Harlem,
Bloomberg’s jealous cause our movies won’t star him.
Filming videos is our day to day.
It’s not a crime, it’s how we make our pay.
We’re not blocking the street, we’re in no one’s way.
If you need to get through you just- you can go ahead, go, it’s fine.
Now picture a scene where you catch a snake,
it takes more than ten minutes for the perfect take.
Make no mistake, these rules are heartless.
Everyone knows they just target artists.
The video bloggers at protest marches,
and kids making vids for the youtube contest.
It’s garbage! Let’s tell the people in power,
we wanna film for more than half an hour!
We won’t rest til that law gets trashed,
but here’s what you do if the laws do pass.
Number one: dress a tripod up like a dude.
Hey, is that a tripod? Nah, it’s a dude.
Two: put yourself into Seinfeld or Friends.
Three: shoot from Jersey with a zoom lens.
Four: run for mayor and change the rules,
but just give up and go to business school.
If you do get arrested, make your movie in jail,
cause if you can’t afford permits then you can’t afford bail.
The mayor’s office is taking comments from the public until August 3rd. If you have an opinion, send an email to Julianne Cho.
It’s absurd! We gotta spread the word.
We’ve only got til August 3rd!
So while we still can make our voices heard,
here’s eleven minutes of us flipping the bird.
If you get what I’m saying and you’re feeling my flow,
send an email to Julianne Cho.
If you wanna start your own internet show,
send an email to Julianne Cho.
These laws are no good and we say no!
Send an email to Julianne Cho.
So raise your voice or just say hello!
Send an email to Julianne Cho!
January 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Make peace, not war!