IAN MARLOW wrote > I have heard of some photographers in Central London being moved on by the > Police for setting up a tripod, in one case at least the threat of arrest > for obstruction.A little extreme I know, but one has to wonder at the >mentality of such agencies; that seem to take great delight in being as awkward as possible.
I am shooting on location across London over the next six days, we have spoken to the relevant councils regarding any permits that would be required, and in fact we have not had to pay for this privilege. But all the departments have made it clear that they like to be informed and in fact issue permits, if you require road closures it would cost and there is a minimum organization time, similarly parking bay suspension takes between 5 to 7 days and costs. If you shoot in the Royal Parks, you will need a permit, likewise any of the Borough parks. Today the police were chatty and friendly, and were not surprised to see us, they seemed to have been informed of our whereabouts. The only photographer, I know who has been stopped in London, had parked his white van close to the Lloyds building, and was busily setting up location lights, when the armed police escorted him out of the area, his lack of permit and I suppose his Irish accent didn't help matters. I find that all of the boroughs have departments that help with film and photography, and it is not really difficult to organize. If in doubt the Aop can point you in the right direction. The only requirement appears to be Public Liability Insurance, ( in the region of 5-10 million- from memory), they need to see the document. matthew barlow =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
