Breaking News: City Withdraws Proposed Regs!
Great news!
The Mayor’s Office of Film announced Friday afternoon that they are headed back to the drawing board with their regulations.
You spoke – they listened.
And did the right thing. Wonderful, right? We’ll be watching for the revised regulations, so we’ll have to get back to you on that. Tony Overman, president of the National Press Photographers Association really got it right: “We are offended at the notion that a city agency or police officer would have the power to keep a photographer from taking a picture or video on a public street. City property belongs to the citizens and the city has no right to limit safe, constitutionally protected behavior in a public venue.”
Stay tuned for the next stage — new proposals that we hope truly reflect the massive outcry of this community of 1st Amendment-loving amateurs and professionals alike.
Read the complete statement from the MOFTB here.
Read about it from Diane Cardwell in the Saturday New York Times:
After Protests, City Agrees to Soften New Rules on Photography Permits
Photo Credit: I.M.Bitter
- posted Tue., Aug 14, 2007 at 4:53am
- filed in About the Rules, About Us
- [17] Comments
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:05 pm
These idiots would love to shut down the public’s ability to gather information
to may enable us all to keep them honest. What complete bullshit.
All these kinds of bureaucratic lunitic’s are drowning this country with
their power/profit/control-driven antic’s.
Enough is enough.
Get them ALL out of any position of power.
They are killing this country.
And they are for real.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Great that the regs. have been pulled. But why would such a crazy law be enacted in the first place and who, as a legitimate government official, could condescend to it? Anyone with this sort of mind should not be in office, period. Or is there a wider agenda? Is this really about “art” or is it about more basic and urgent things, like suppressing truth by limiting visibility (of police actions, for example). Before dropping the issue the culprits and their motives should be exposed.
The irony of it is that as such oppressive laws percolate, the “security cameras” that adorn every major city establishment roll along silently, watching all.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
THE STAGING OF REALITY…MUST HAVE PERMIT TO LIVE?
The Mayor of New York’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting needs to reconsider their proposed restrictions of filmmakers’ and photographers’ rights.
If these unfair rules are passed, opportunities for artists to excel in their endeavors will be gravely curtailed. This will mean that one needs to be part of a multi-million dollar media company in order to do one’s life calling. This may constitute an unfair allocation of marketshare and ability to conduct business as a photographer and filmmaker and would have the suffocating effect of limiting independent filmmakers who have no such affiliation or sponsorship and cannot afford insurance.
In addition, cinema verite type filmmakers like myself will be forced to schedule the unschedulable…trying to estimate what will happen and where, in advance…and apply for a permit. This is akin to being a mind-reader and unreasonable to assume a filmmaker will know where and when unstaged and uncontrolled events will take place. This would force a filmmaker who does not believe in staging circumstances to do so, and goes against the very nature of the philosophy of “direct cinema”.
The inability for enforcement on an equitable level will create opportunities for corruption, harrassment, and abuse by the police force as well as the Mayor’s office in their power to decide at whim to grant or deny applications or waivers of permits and additional requirements.
In addition, it is unfair to demand that the police enforce these draconian measures and would be misallocating taxpayer monies to fund such enforcement activities of public servants, who would be much better utilized in job responsibilities that would be more suitable to stopping the serious criminal activity and terrorist plans that could potentially cause much more damage than simply taking a public photo or making a film.
Do the right thing, Mayor’s Office…DON’T JUST GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. Stop this nonsense!
Colleen M. Delaney
Independent Filmmaker and Photographer
PO Box 404 NY NY 10014 colleendelaney@yahoo.com
Manhattan Resident
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Congratulations on focusing the public and media attention on this misguided proposal and galvanizing the resistance to it. Without your work, it would have likely slipped right under the radar and we’d be stuck fighting to un-do it - a much more difficult proposition.
In case you hadn’t received it, Councilmember Rosie Mendez issued a letter opposing the onerous restrictions, and I know through my contacts with Councilmember Alan Gerson’s office that they were involved in outreach to other members of the council, where there was apparently deep concern. I’m sure that they were feeling the heat from their constituents thanks to your efforts.
Again, well done getting the word out.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Congrats Picture New York!
- Sujewa
August 4th, 2007 at 3:17 am
this is fantastic news and thank you for this initiative! I am looking forward to the next stage and hope there will be no restrictions at all and instead the money will be allocated for the appropriate NYPD training regarding the use of public space by photographers and film makers in NYC. thank you, maria.
August 4th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Congratulations on the success of your efforts!
Earlier this year, I wanted to film an interview in Central Park and needed to obtain permission from the Parks Department along with the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting. The Parks Department gave me immediate permission via an exchange of e-mails and then directed me to get a permit from the Mayor’s Office. Although I have videographer’s insurance from the Traveler’s which provided a certificate of liability to the Mayor’s Office, my application was rejected because the certificate did not contain the language required by the City. My broker said the language required by the City was unreasonable and implied that they were a party to the contract. I wrote to the Mayor’s Office asking for a review of the matter, but never received a written reply. After making a follow-up request to the Public Advocate’s office, I received a polite call from Corporation Counsel (the City’s attorneys) and was referred back to a person in the Mayor’s Office of Film, but never received a reply from him. Even though I had liability insurance from a major insurance company, I was not allowed to film with a tripod in New York City.
It is clear that the voices of small, independent filmmakers need to be heard in this matter. If they are not, they will be subject to rules that will make it impossible for them to practice their trade.
August 4th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
[…] some help from bloggers and journalists–what a dumb move this would be and has backed down. Much thanks has to go to this group who made all of us New York media people aware before it was […]
August 5th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
[…] to say, the battle had been won by Thursday–although, the MOFTB didn’t announce their capitulation till Friday perhaps so as not to be embarrassed by their “public comment period” […]
August 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Awesome! Very pleased with the results! Would not be able to shoot videos like (”Been There”) our protest of the RNC convention back in 2004, with a cast of thousands from NYC or “What’s The Rush, Superstar?” our shoot at The Chelsea Hotel….. Rock on! Peace, Harmony and ONELOVE…..Laura Fay Lewis www.myspace.com/theblisstones
www.myspace.com/laurafay
August 13th, 2007 at 7:28 am
[…] some photographers before putting anything out this time. Here’s the round up from round one: Petitions Delivered; City Agrees To Withdraw Regs After Protests, City Agrees to Rewrite Proposed Rules on Photography […]
August 13th, 2007 at 9:54 pm
in my experience (as a lawyer/law professor), reasonably making public officials aware of the potential political and legal downside of proposed official action tends to work, eventually. officials tend to be risk averse. they also tend to be open to compromise. one key is timing: relevant communication needs to occur early enough in the process that no one has to admit a mistake.
August 14th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Let’s hear it for artists getting collective.
Let’s do it more.
August 21st, 2007 at 8:15 pm
Nice to win one every once in a while. I salute all the folks who pitched in to get things to this point.
September 3rd, 2007 at 12:40 am
This was great. You all did a wonderful job in getting the word out. Keep on keeping us informed!
October 9th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
[…] Petitions Delivered; City Agrees To Withdraw Regs […]
October 9th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
[…] Here’s the backstory: Petitions Delivered; City Agrees To Withdraw Regs […]