Daniel Watson - Event Officer
I also got an interview with Brighton and Hove City Event Officer for the council, Daniel Watson, who’s filming process is slightly different to Richmond.
This is what I discovered:
What does your role as an Event Officer do in terms of filming permission?
My role is events orientated so it means I look after the events in the city that are on public land. We book the client in and sort out any of the negotiation for prices etc. The bread and butter of my job is the filming part, so that comes with people that want to film on public land. They will ring me up in the events department, and say we want to film such and such on public land and then I overlook the process of booking them in, giving them permission and taking money off them. We don’t do as much in terms of finding places for them to film if we can help we will. If they have a specific thing that they want to do or a specific shot that they want, we will advise them to the best of our ability. But obviously, because we are not solely focused on that, we don’t have a database of locations or that.
If I’m a producer and I want to film on seafront how do I go about getting permission?
So if you are on the beach, you would either give me an email or a phone call, and you say you want to do this on the beach, on this day, we would have a chat about what you want to do, how many crew etc. Then I would ask them to fill out a film application form, ask them to send that in with their risk assessment and public liability form. Any concerns I may have I would give them a ring and talk them through with them, to see if we can find a round any problems. Or anything that is going to affect our business and so forth. If everything is ok, we will sign it off and send them an invoice. We generally let them get on with the filming, and we don’t get too involved so, we don’t go and check on them very often, but we will from time to time. Simple as that generally.
Some of the crew you have will be really big, do you have to block off a certain area that the public may use? For example the beach.
In term of the public beach, it just depends on where they want to film really. Generally, they stay away from the busier areas, if they do want to film in the busier area we just talk about it, and see what is possible. It all just depends on what they are doing and how long. If it’s on the main busy stretch of the beach, we will say can you do it on a Wednesday morning, or a day in the week which is going to be less busy and less impact, compared to the weekend during summer. If it is a big film production, they will be in the city for a week or two so we can pick or choose what days to do where generally, it’s a bit of give and take on both parts. We do try and be as flexible as we can in the city because we do like to have filming in the city.
If they wanted to film on a public road with shops on, how would you get that confirmed?
Again it all depends on what they are doing if it’s just a small crew and they are walking through following someone with a camera that is generally fine, and I will give them permission to do so, as long as they are not affecting any of the businesses in that area. If it is likely to affect the business in the area and then we ask for them to go and consult with the business themselves, and see how they feel about it. They come back to us and we mediate between them all, we act like we are the middleman. If it affects the traders, then we may go with and talk to the shops' traders, and say we want to do this and how do you feel about it etc. Generally, if it’s a large production company with a large budget, it helps move it along quicker as they normally give the traders some money. If not it’s all down to negotiation, people aren’t happy then we will find them somewhere else.
How do film crew go out filming in someone house and on the street within Brighton, if they are a big crew such as a TV Drama?
Let’s start with if they wish to film in a house or block of flats owned by the council. They would, first of all, contact me, who we would then put in touch with our housing department. Since it's on Housing land, they would give permissions for filming to take place. But before they do, they would consider what the film crew want to do, and the likely impact upon residents. They may also consult any resident associations during this period as well. If everything is ok, a fee would then be agreed between the crew and council, and the council may also ask the film crew to make a contribution to the residents association. Resident associations would use the money for the upkeep of the flats, such as planting outside etc. This is of course, as well as paying the person who’s house they are using.
For filming on the street, it is a similar process but this would come to myself. We would discuss what they want to do and where. we would then consider if the filming is likely to impact upon any residents or businesses. If it is, then we would either ask them to consult with the businesses and residents, or letter drop them. The letter would include details about the shoot, location, times etc and who they can contact at all times during the shoot – including a telephone number. We may also arrange a site visit with the film crew to make sure we are happy with the proposal. If everything is ok, I would ask them to complete the attached filming application form and submit it to us with all relevant documents including insurance and risk assessments.
If they crew require road closures, then I would also discuss this with them. Often this can lead to a) Businesses being effected B) residents parking closed off C) residents being effected in general.
Before agreeing with the closure we would take into consideration everything above, as well as how much money the crew is offering. If we are happy that disruption can be kept to a minimum, such as offering residents parking elsewhere close by, then I would put them in touch with our Highways team to apply for the road closure.
If it is a private house/ property, then we generally do not get involved.
Also, do you have a price list of what you charge to filming crew or just it depends on each production?
You will find the price list on the filming application form. Sometimes though, we can negotiate higher fees, depending on what they want to do.
Watson, D. (2017) ‘How does your role help with film crews in your area?’. Interviewed by Esme Simcox for Advanced Skill Assignment, 12 November.
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