aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South
Monday, July 02, 2007
New public photography rules in NYC
Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.
New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.
The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment. [...]
The rules are intended to set standards for professional filmmakers and photographers, said Ms. Cho, assistant commissioner of the film office, but the language of the draft makes no such distinction.
I hear and understand the critics’ concerns, but I don’t share them (and that first paragraph of the NYTimes story is unnecessarily provocative). Apparently, not many of us do. The city held a public hearing on the issue. No one came.
