All the action at the Mayor’s Office of Film is still behind the scenes, but we hear things are moving in a positive direction - one that addresses our concerns.
Still, we won’t know for certain until they publish a new proposal. When it’s official, there will be (per city policy) a 30 day comment period. Keep checking in, and using your 1st Amendment rights to make beautiful pictures of NYC . . . and thanks again to everybody who came together as Picture New York.
This Thursday December 13 is the deadline for public comment on the most recent version of camera regulations proposed by the Mayor’s Office of Film. Thursday at 10am is also the open public hearing, where you can enter your thoughts into the public record. We hear the time limit is 3-5 minutes. You can contact MOFTB to reserve a spot, or just show up at 10am and sign up. photo credit: NotAnAlternative
Paul Amita, left, and Eileen Clancy deliver petitions protesting the rule proposal to Dean McCann of the city’s film office. (photo by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times)
Responding to an outcry that included a passionate Internet campaign and a satiric rap video, city officials yesterday backed off proposed new rules that could have forced tourists taking snapshots in Times Square and filmmakers capturing that only-in-New-York street scene to obtain permits and $1 million in liability insurance.
In announcing the move, officials at the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting said they would redraft the rules, intended to apply to commercial film and photography productions, to address complaints that they could be too broadly applied. They will then release the revised rules for public comment.
“It appears that the mayor’s office on film has come to their senses,” said Eileen Clancy, a member of a group formed to protest the rules. “Clearly, they did not anticipate the way in which the rules were likely to affect so many different groups of people.” (more…)
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.
Still no word from the Mayor’s Office on Film about how they’re going to revise those camera regulations.
We want them to consult some photographers before putting anything out this time.
The NYTimes City Room blog popped in to videotape at today’s joint press conference of Picture New York, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the New York Civil Liberties Union. The NYCLU is the only one you’ll see mentioned in the Times coverage that we’re linking to, but we were all there. The Free NYC Rap guys from Olde English were there too! We’re the “huge and dynamic group of New Yorkers … who won’t take it lying down when the city tries to squelch free expression” that the NYCLU’s Donna Lieberman talks about with obvious pleasure in the videoclip. That’s us — that’s 31,600 of us — that have something to celebrate with today’s reversal by the city.
The NYT City Room blog gets the petition numbers wrong by a third, but at least ‘the paper of record’ followed us uptown to the Mayor’s Office on Film, where we delivered into the public record those nearly three reams of paper holding 31,600 of your names.
Film Permit Clampdown?
National Public Radio station WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show looks at why many film and photography professionals oppose the proposed regulations. Streaming audio here
The NY Daily News weighs in with a second killer editorial against the regulation of cameras on the streets of NY . . .
“The reviews are in. City Hall’s plan for requiring the camera-wielding public to get permits before shooting film or video on the streets is a turkey, a bomb, the bureaucratic equivalent of “Waterworld.” It’s that mind-numbingly dumb.” (more…)
We’re up and over an astonishing 31,000 signatures on the petition - in just ten sweltering summer days! John Sayles and Moby just joined the list. Please sign, and get all your friends and colleagues to sign. The deadline for comment is this Friday, Aug 3.
Reach out to your listservs today!
All the action at the Mayor’s Office of Film is still behind the scenes, but we hear things are moving in a positive direction - one that addresses our concerns.
This Thursday December 13 is the 
Paul Amita, left, and Eileen Clancy deliver petitions protesting the rule proposal to Dean McCann of the city’s film office. (photo by Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times)
Great news!
Still no word from the Mayor’s Office on Film about how they’re going to revise those camera regulations.
The NYTimes 
We’re up and over an astonishing 31,000 signatures on the 