Permits are always required and they are very expensive. Along with that you may need insurance and possible security and before you start shooting you are down a $1000 a day or more. So the best advice I can give is to forget about the permits and shoot anyway. Have all of your cast and crew sign a release agreement and waiver in case someone gets hurt during your shoot. I would avoid normal LA shooting locations...places where the police are more likely to stop you if they see a camera, etc. If they do stop you then tell them you are a student filmmaker...shooting a class assignment...you didn't know about permits, etc. Keep your crew to a minimum. We are storytellers so have your story ready. Just shoot it! I'm sure someone with deep pockets may not like this post, but when it comes down to shooting or not shooting...always shoot it!

Permits here in Los Angeles don't run anywhere near $1,000 a day unless you are parking equipment trucks and/or blocking public access ways. What might run you more money than you want to spend it the insurance needed to get a permit.

Depending on what you're shooting and how much gear and people will be used, you can usually get by here in L.A. without a permit. The worse that can happen is a local merchant or business/property owner will call the police and they will ask you to stop.

Two problems with Kess's advice; if you aren't a student but claim to be one and then are asked what school you are attending - that will get you into trouble. And waivers aren't worth the paper they're written on. Despite appearances, they won't hold up in court should someone actually get hurt. They are a poor placebo.

You have the right idea. Keep a low profile and stay in one location for a very short period of time. Don't use a tripod (that is one thing police in this town look for) and keep your "etc" to a minimum.

Check http://www.eidc.com/

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

I admit most people will not respond well to Police stopping them...that's why they need to have their story straight. You could tell them you are shooting a short video to get into film school...how's that? But have your response ready no matter what. Guaranteed someone will wonder what you are doing. I would still have people signing a contract stating you are not responsible...it will be better than not having it. It will advise them that if something happens they knew the possibility existed and continued to work on the film. Anyway...shoot it! Everybody else is shooting!

A friend did once work on a low-budget feature where their solution if asked about permits was apparently to say 'Yeah, the producer has it, he's over there around the corner', wait for the person who was asking about permits to walk over to look for the non-existent producer and then run away.

However, that probably goes some way to explain why the finished movie was so bad :). Still got a DVD and VHS release though.

Either way, I wouldn't recommend it. If you can get permits you should, and you should always get insurance if at all possible... even if you're poor enough that you can go bankrupt if you're sued, that won't help the person who got hurt or whose property you damaged.

Having a false story ready to tell isn't quite as good as just telling the truth. And pointing the cops in one direction while you run in the other might be really funny in a movie, but here in Los Angeles the cop isn't going to stand there, shaking his fist and yelling, "You kids come back here!" as the crew piles in the van and burns rubber. There is a real possibility that the cops will chase and catch you. Then you're in even more trouble.

If you choose to not get a permit and the police pull up, my advice is to act professionally and tell the truth. I've done it. The cops will tell you you can't shoot without one, take down the info of the person in charge and send you on your way.

In San Diego the film permits are free as long as you have the insurance, which can be expensive.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA