-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: August 3, 2007 9:02:01 PM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: A New Right to Lose: Freedom to Take Photographs (Now
It'll Cost $1 Million!)
NYC Considers Permits for Pictures
Filmmakers and Photographers Troubled by Proposed
Rules for Using Cameras in New York City
By DAVID B. CARUSO
The Associated Press
NEW YORK
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3434462
Filmmakers, photographers and civil liberties advocates are
protesting proposed rules that would require permits and $1 million
insurance policies for people trying to film or take pictures in
one of the world's most photographed cities.
New regulations drafted by the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and
Broadcasting would require a permit for any type of filming or
photography that involved "an interaction among two or more people
at a single site for 30 or more minutes."
Permits would also be required for five or more people using a
tripod for more than 10 minutes.
The rules would be nothing new for professional crews that film
regularly in the city; they have long been required to get a permit
and insurance to block off streets and sidewalks.
But critics say the proposed rules would affect a new class of
shooters: fashion and wedding photographers, independent
journalists doing street interviews, and amateurs making videos to
post online.
The New York Civil Liberties Union is prepared to take action
against the regulations in court if they're enacted without
revision, said one of the organization's lawyers, Christopher Dunn.
"There is no way that they should be requiring permits for people
using handheld cameras," Dunn said. "It would give the police
license to stop virtually anyone, and that opens the door to
harassment."
Documentary filmmaker Jennifer Livingston called the proposal
"draconian," and a betrayal of the city's long history of nurturing
budding talent.
"Think of that young artist who is going to be hurried along by
some cop, who has no choice but to follow regulations," she said.
"I would hate to see film students thinking that any time they make
an image, it has to be sanctioned by the government."
City officials insist the rules aren't an attempt to quash free
speech.
People unable to afford liability insurance, which could cost
between $500 and $1,000 for even the smallest of photo shoots,
could apply to the city for a waiver.
Journalists with a press pass issued by the police department would
be exempt. So would anyone using handheld equipment to film a
parade, rally or political demonstration.
Julianne Cho, associate commissioner of the film office, said the
city's only intention was to help filmmakers get safe access to
great locations, while ensuring that production didn't obstruct
traffic or interfere with New Yorkers' lives.
The city is accepting public comment on the proposed rules until
Friday and could still make changes.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, photographers of all types have
increasingly complained about harassment.
D. Bruce Yolton, an amateur nature photographer, said he was run
off by a police officer last spring when he tried to take pictures
of a hawk nesting on the Triborough Bridge.
Things will only get worse under the new rules, he said. He
wondered whether the regulations would result in officers cracking
down on groups of amateur bird watchers gathering to stake out
wildlife.
"There is no way for me to apply for a permit," he said. "For one
thing, I never know where the bird is going to be."
The film office drafted the proposed rules earlier this year as a
result of a lawsuit involving an independent filmmaker detained for
using a handheld video camera in midtown Manhattan.
Rakesh Sharma, the Indian director of the award-winning 2003
documentary "Final Solution," was told he needed a permit to record
images of the MetLife building near Grand Central Terminal, even if
he had no crew and no equipment besides his camera.
The New York Civil Liberties Union sued, arguing, in part, that the
city had never properly enacted regulations governing film permits.
The case was settled and the film office agreed to formalize its
rules.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures
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