IAC DISCUSSION FORUMS

Greetings to the learned list..

Hoping to get some serious filming done next week in London, (I'm a simple northern lad ye know) but I have heard that there are restrictions on where you can film, and the use of a tripod .....

obviously using a tripod on busy Oxford street is a no no !!! but if you are tucked away in a quite corner would that still be a problem to the authorities ?...??


just a thought...

I was told you have to get police permission to put up a tripod on London's busy streets. But enquiring further, it is only if you are going to cause 'an obstruction'.

However, you have to be very very careful what (and who) you film in London these days: they think terror suspects could be filming potential tasrgets.

Because of that, it is best to advise the police in the area you wish to film of your intentions etc. They will gifve the definitive answer you want.

Unfortunately you can even draw the attention of the Police their helpers 'community policemen' and a various collection of security guards even if you are hand holding a camera that looks as if it could be a 'professional' model. What makes things even worse is that none of these people actually know what the rules are with regards to filming or photographing in public places.

I have been stopped on numerous occasions especially at the major site seeing locations (London Wheel, Oxford street, houses of paliament) as I have been handholding a Sony HDR-FX1, they don't seem to worry about the thousands of other people snapping away or videoing (or maybe I look suspicious )

I find that just explaining what I am doing works fine and often enables me to 'blag' a better spot.

As far as I am aware everyone has the freedom to be on the public highway or footway provided :

they do not make a nuisance of themselves
obstruct others from going about their business
cause a disturbance
or cause a hazard

Filming people without their permission can be a bit dangerous although the BBC seem to get away with it.

Unfortunately its a sign of the paranoid times we live in, common sense is the order of the day.

Good luck with your London filming.
G

here's some interesting links:

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/media/UKPhotographersRights.pdf

and

http://current.com/items/88856223_you_c ... cture_this

and

http://benneh.net/blog/index.php/2008/0 ... -presence/

I forgot to include this in my previous reply,

This e-petition was set up by a friend of mine sometime ago and its relevent to this discussion some of you on the forum might feel that you would like to sign it.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/photographylaw/

Can I refer you all to the news pages (4 & 5) in last weeks (17 May) edition of Amateur Photographer which casts considerable light on the problems that people have been experiencing across the UK, including London, and of action that is being taken at political level to try and address the situation. I'm afraid It's too lengthy a report to try and summarise here.

Stephen, bring your IAC Membership Card with you. It identifies you as a responsible amateur film maker and can help if anyone questions your intentions.

Most major national organisations for non-commercial film makers have suitable wording on their membership cards to soothe officialdom.

Dave

Some great points here... the list has indeed lived up to its name of the learned list.... great stuff

Dave... I have my IAC fleece and polo shirt packed already !!!!
the membership card is in the wallet !...

but it is indeed a sad day when restrictions are being bantered about as we have found in the excellent articles above (Thanks Chrisbitz, Graeam, Brian ) which pointed out these so called officials do not understand at the best of times the reasoning behind the legislation (where it exists) and common sense sadly becoming a rare attribute...

we are not stupid peeps.... we do understand that the security of the country in these troubled times is paramount... but at the cost of our freedom????.... with all these CCTV cameras watching us 24/7 with face recognition systems against our government held identities are we in danger of loosing too much???

I liked the article which stated that you should keep your camera running if you are challenged to stop filming..... I may get more footage than I bargained for.....



rant over


oooeerrr... I'm taking me tripod and await an email for my permit from the city of westminster at least !!!

The irony is that when an incident occurs (e.g the failed attack on Glasgow Airport last year) the police usually put out an appeal for members of the public to come forward with any video or photos of the incident to help them with the enquiry.

exactly Brian....

this can work both ways ...... a little respect from the authorities will go a long way.... we can all help towards making a safer society while enjoying our pastime....?

must admit that not too long ago I met a couple of jobsworth security guards that decided to give me the 3rd degree while I was filming from a high rise public car park.....
after flashing my IAC card and positioning myself to show the IAC logo on my newly purchased fleece... (cheques payable to Stephen please !)) they turned out to be 2 canny blokes..... even showed me a better angle to get the view of the tyne bridge !!!!!!

it works Dave.....!!!!

We have gone a little 'off topic' here but this is an important matter. Tripods as such have always been frowned upon, mainly on safety grounds. Having said that I made my film 'Oxford Street' using a tripod for my 16mm film camera but that was in 1972! Now it seems to me to be merely paranoia with no concerns about safety. When you think that everybody (mostly young) videos all and sundry on their increasingly versatile cell phones how can objections be raised against our cameras? When I mention this to some official he replies ''Yes but yours is a professional camera''. I reply that my activity is in no way 'professional' but purely as recreation but they are not convinced. As Dave suggests, our IAC cards should help here.

My last encounter, only two days ago, with an official on Hampstead Heath, was amicable but his concern was with liability in the event of damage or injury! Was I fully insured? I'm not sure whether he was referring to injury to me or someone else. My suggestion to all is to keep a low profile and attempt to pacify officials with their IAC card and above all to keep calm and be polite. It's truly a minefield but trying to get rulings on the correct prodedure might be self defeating, I urge people not to tread this path, we may end up worse off.

Michael makes an important point about seeking rulings; sometimes it's better not to ask the question as you might get the wrong answer.

On the subject of cameras; members of the public and officialdom have some odd ideas about what is or isn't professional and many assume that just putting a camera on a tripod somehow makes you into a pro photographer or film maker. I've heard that the London Eye people assume that if you have an SLR camera you must be a professional. Of course it shouldn't make any difference - to the best of my knowledge the law makes no distinction between amateur or professional film makers or photographers. The whole situation has become a farce.

Here's another story to illustrate how silly things have become. In today's Herald newspaper there is a story of a window dresser at a shopping centre near Glasgow who went out to take a picture of his work but was stopped by a security guard who told him he couldn't take any pictures. When he asked why the guard replied "it's to prevent terrorism. The shopping centre is still on high-alert status". I'm still trying to get my head round how stopping a window dresser from taking a picture of his work for the shop that has employed him is going to prevent terrorism. Is it any wonder that photographers and film-makers are experiencing problems when such stupidity abounds?

As long as I can remember, and thats 75 years when I was six,tripods have always been banned in all the Royal parks of London. Monopods however were always allowed. I think one of the reasons given, in Hyde Park anyway, was that it might frighten the horses. How it would do that I never fathomed out. Roy

That's the best one Roy. But the horses don't seem to mind tripods on top of moving cars at the Grand National!

I've learned something from this thread though, and it's not reasurring...