The strangest place that you have filmed?

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stingman
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Post by stingman »

ned c wrote:We were shocked to see in The Little Knight that the film maker was arrested in Malta for filming the US Embassy.

ned c
I can see why the Police did this. It`s not normally the type of thing you film unless you are doing a documentry!

Our country had people arrested a few years ago, they were filming from a tourist plane an airbase or something like that!
We are all filmed 24/7 when we do our shopping in the high street. We should be allowed to do the same.
I will carry on what and how I film. I will be carefull to try and not to film little kids. It`s a bit hard living near the beach and not to include children. I don`t see a problem in filming who-ever and what-ever. It`s not like the kids are doing anything on the beach.
It`s all a bit daft really!
Ian Gardner
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Brian Saberton
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Post by Brian Saberton »

It isn't just for taking pictures of children or women that photographers have been picked on. I heard about a new, young member of a camera club in Glasgow who was quizzed by a policeman because he was taking photographs of the statues in George Square, right in the city centre in a very public place.

It seems that in some quarters at least, anyone with a video camera or still camera is viewed with considerable suspicion by officialdom.
Brian Saberton
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Willy
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Post by Willy »

[quote="Brian Saberton"]It isn't just for taking pictures of children or women that photographers have been picked on. I heard about a new, young member of a camera club in Glasgow who was quizzed by a policeman because he was taking photographs of the statues in George Square, right in the city centre in a very public place.

A very interesting thread. My experience ?

Horses and mistresses
A long time ago I was in Newmarket to film the horese races. I bought a very expensive ticket. I wanted to film the horses but also the gentlemen wearing bowler hats and the ladies wearing special dresses and hats. With that expensive ticket I entered the winners circle, but suddenly I felt that I myself was not a winner at all. A gentleman with a posh accent came upt to me and ordered me to leave the area immediately. Only TV-channels were allowed to film there. They had paid for it. I told him that I was an ordinary amateur filmmaker and I show him my small super 8 Canon-camera. It didn't help. Maybe he feared that I would film gentelemen together with their mistresses.

Egyptian temples
Anyway it's more and more difficult to film tourist attractions. My clubmates who went to Egypt told me that they were not allowed to film in the Egyptian temples unless they paid extra. In fact I understand. Also picture postcards and films are for sale. Those amateur filmmakers take the bread out of the Egyptians' mouths by filming their monuments.

I also know that you are not allowed to film National Trust properties. Once I tried to film Scotney Castle in Kent but without any success.

Catherine Parr
On the other hand it was easy to film Catherine Parr in the crypte of Sudeley Castle, but I had asked the permission to do so by writing a letter.

Ducks and pretty ladies
Some months ago i was in Guernsey. I filmed life on some beaches in the South. I filmed some ducks swimming between the rocks. I was too close to the breakers. The waves were rolling onto the beach and after some time I has some water and sand on my camera. That was very stupid of course but you can get the best photography from a very low angle.

I also filmed some parents who were playing with their children in the sea and also two girls who had made a sandcastle with the English flag on it. A very functional shot because it shows that many British tourists prefer the sandy beaches of Guernsey to the beaches in Spain or Portugal.

I also filmed a pretty lady who was lying on the pebbles of the seashore. Her eyes were closed. She was enjoying the sunshine. I know that I took some risks, but ... after having seen the film they auience must have the following feeling : I would also like to go to Guernsey, not only to attend the festival but also to enjoy the tourist attractions. After some time a granddad came up to me and he asked me why I was filming. I told him but after a short time we talked about the weather and about this and that. At that time I had already taken some lovely shots.

A nude beach
The Rouillards told me that there is also a nude beach on the island. Of course they didn't tell this in order to do some camerawork over there. Anyway I would not do this because I guess that the number of nudists in Guernsey is a small minority and maybe in the summer there are only foreigners like Belgians in the nudist camp.

Muslim ladies and their children
First of all I would like to tell you that I am not a muslim neither a christian. I am a free thinker who is very tolerant. I am for freedom of religion an opinion.

Some weeks ago one of my clubmates called Emile wanted to film "Kind en gezin". It's a centre where little babies are weighed and examined by a doctor and some nurses. Emile asked the permission to do some camerawork there. There was no problem. Unfortunately some muslim ladies didn't want him to film. He could only take shots of their babies but not of the mothers. They seemed to be afraid. A Turkish mother however didn't mind at all. She even laughed at the camera. So Emile could show us his film about "Kind en gezin" with a multicultural atmosphere in it. Our society changes very quickly. Now more and more we live in a multicultural society and we will have to accept this. Not very easy for filmmakers and cameramen in particular.
Willy Van der Linden
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Willy
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Post by Willy »

[quote="Willy"][quote="Brian Saberton"]
Sorry for some spelling mistakes in my previous message. I should have checked the text before sending it.
Willy Van der Linden
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FILM THURSO
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Post by FILM THURSO »

I understand that to film in the city centres of Glasgow & Edinburgh, one needs permission from the city councils and you also have to inform the police of what you are doing and why. This may also apply in Aberdeen and Dundee. I haven't had any bother in Inverness but it's grown so much these last few years (sucking the life and money out of the rest of the Highlands- ooo politics) that I could see it being subject to legal attention. Generally I think it's a good thing because not everyone with a camera is of good or genuine intent and we should be careful though not over careful.
Our members are advised that if they are to film in a public location that might have the public wondering, they should inform the poice first before filming anything. If filming in an area where there are kids the widest possible lens angle with 10-15ft gap is our policy. That way any faces of people are too low res to identify any individual. It ensures the safety and privacy of people who might appear in our films. If needs be we can pull in on the frame to shif out-of-shot anyone who is too obvious. The key is to film the event and not focus on any individual. We always keep kids at distance and try to take the shot with their backs to the camera if they can't be avoided.
There is a local website here in Caithness that does masses of photographs of local events. Whilst they do say who they are before taking pictures, they never ask permission from the people they photograph and they have a lot of pictures of kids at local events on their website. Whilst the photos are innocent there presence on the web is a risk to the people in the pictures. They forget, it's not just Caithness looking in and even then we know that some of those filthy convicted scums get shoved up here out of the way of the major populations in the UK.
Showing images of people who are very much alive and recent is against our rules unless we have the signed release form from the individuals. On our website you will see faces clearly but the pictures are old and any living person's appearance will have changed. Otherwise the people are openly performing and aware of ongoing photography for various purposes and exhibition. For people photos on our site or in our films we generally apply a 10, 15 or 20 year safe gap from the time the picture was taken. It depends on how old the person is when the picture was taken. If a child is 9 then 10 years is a safe gapbut if a child is 6 then 20 years would be applied. What ever the case our presentation must always show people in a safe and posative light. It's important to look after the people we film as well as ourselves.
Michael Slowe
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The Strangest Places That You Have Filmed?

Post by Michael Slowe »

I am baffled by Thurso's last post. Why on earth is it necessary to get permission to film or photograph in the Scottish towns he mentions? Do the press get such permission? Do the press have any problem when they photograph people without their permission (indeed often ignoring requests to desist).
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FILM THURSO
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Post by FILM THURSO »

The press can do it partly because they have a press card and only need to whip it out (steady) when the law arrives. The press are also pushy on the boundaries because they know how far they can push.
As such if you are a tourist there's no problem. If you are filming an event you are covered by the rules of press and media, i.e. public events are potential news material and anyone attending a public event is generally aware that cameras may be present and that they are likely to be recorded without their concsent being requested and further that in accepting such terms even without written contract, they have no rights to control the potential uses of any recording unless it places them at risk in any way or portrays them in a missleading, defametry or embarrassing way. However if a person specifically says the don't want to be filmed you MUST turn off or away and ensure that any footage containing that persons face is never be used in any way.
If you are making a film on a specific subject placing yourself and any cast and crew in a public location, requires permission because your activities may reap attention of the public that create legal problems. In Scotland the first problem being 'Breach of the peace'. This charge can be applied in any, let me say it again, ANY SITUATION that brings the public to feel the need to complain about your activities. This is a good reason to think carefully before launching a filming project into the realms of the unsuspecting public. Ignoring any demands not to be filmed can bring about this charge. Filming an acted scene on Prince's Street, Edinburgh might be seen by some as a roadside distraction putting drivers and pedstrians at risk.
Yes this all sounds extreme but we all know there are lunatics and sad individuals who love to complain and do think to these extremes so there's no point feeding their ambitions.
Whatever way you look at it the reason for getting permission is common sense, if people know your doing things at a particular location at specified times and dates they then have a full knowledge and understanding which is very helpful when the first phone call reaches the police station. People like to know what's going on and that it won't impinge on their safety or lives generally. It can and does save you a lot of problems and also looks after your personal safety too when out on location. I certainly don't find it difficult to pop into the bobbies and tell them what I'm going to be doing for a film project.
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stingman
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Post by stingman »

The first year we went to Paris, I filmed underneath the Eifull Tower. I noticed the Police were at there post under one of the legs of the Tower. As I filmed, one of them turned round and shook her finger to beckon me to stop. I did straight away (they carried guns). I filmed them on purpose as it`s quite excitting seeing the Police in a different uniform. When you go on holiday, you lap up the culture and the experience of it all. Road signs, buildings, shops and also people doing public jobs, even digging a hole in the road and the way they cordon off the area! It may all sound a bit strange but it all helps the Holiday Experience.
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FILM THURSO
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Post by FILM THURSO »

If you hadn't mentioned the Efflee Tower or Paris I would have thought you were talking about our neibouring town! :shock:
ned c
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Post by ned c »

Actually the law is clear on where we can film withoutpermission. That is in any public place and any people in that public place can be included in the filming, you can also film into private places from a public location. If there are restrictions on filming in public places in specific cities it is important to read the actual regulations. There are certainly restrictions on shooting with a tripod as this constitutes potential hazard and a permit is required.

have to go will add more later

Ned C
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