New York City entered their Phase 4 this week and with it comes an allowance for filming to ramp up. The Mayor’s Office of Film and Television (MOME) issued guidance for outdoor shoots on public property that will become effective on July 27, 2020. The guidelines will run through October 31 when new guidelines will be issued. Filming is expected to begin in the city in August.
The guidelines make me wonder how they’re going to film any action movies because they’re still pretty restrictive in many ways. Here’s what is and isn’t allowed in NYC filming. Imagine your favorite movie being filmed with these restrictions in place.
- Cast and crew: No more than 50 cast and crew at exterior locations on public property.
- Safety Plan: Film permittees must conspicuously post their COVID-19 Reopening Safety Plan on the location and make it available to authorities
- Street Closures: No street closures or intermittent vehicular traffic control.
- Dangerous Activity: No pyrotechnics or potentially dangerous activity (e.g., stunts, use of police uniforms, real or simulated firearms).
- Limits on Locations (not applicable to news media): No locations (1) that may interfere with COVID-19 response, such as hospitals, mobile COVID-19 testing centers, and makeshift morgues; (2) within 21 feet of an establishment participating in the NYC Open Restaurants program without written consent of the establishment; (3) that may infringe upon or conflict with the flow of traffic in the surrounding area or the use of any part of a street that is in the Open Streets program, as per the Department of Transportation website.
- Equipment (at exterior locations on public property): The maximum equipment allowed is up to (1) two cameras (handheld or affixed to a tripod) and (2) three stands to be used for any combination of lights/silks/reflectors.
- Vehicles: July 27 to October 31, 2020: Up to five of the following vehicles in any combination allowed: passenger vans holding no more than 15 people, cubestyle trucks, cargo vans, and a two- or three-toilet trailer connected to the delivery vehicle. \
- Parking: July 27 to October 31, 2020: No reserved parking, except that reserved parking may be allowed on a roadway adjacent to a film production facility.
