The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting:

For nearly three decades, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB) has been the one-stop shop for the international production center here, which provides 100,000 New York entertainment professionals with employment and generates just over $5 billion dollars annually.

This office is an advocate for all kinds of productions, from major feature films and television series to commercials, music videos, documentaries, and student films.

We provide a free permit and services to assist your project, and we look forward to working with you. We have a reputation for finding a way to say yes.

Last year, the MOFTB unveiled the "Made in NY" incentive program, which includes a ten percent State tax credit and five percent City tax credit for qualified film and television productions, a one percent marketing credit which provides free advertising on City bus shelters, NYC TV and NYC Radio to "Made in NY" productions, and the "Made in NY" logo, a mark of distinction awarded to projects which shoot 75 percent or more in New York City.

The MOFTB Permit:

Our permit forms are now available for downloading from our website: www.nyc.gov/film

Please visit the site for permit forms as well as current information about production in New York City.

HOW SHOOTING WITH OUR PERMIT WORKS:

The permit we issue to your production provides access to public locations and location parking for essential production vehicles throughout 300 square miles of public settings in the city’s five counties, including 27,000 acres of city parks.

When your project is shooting at an exterior location and requires traffic control, re-routing, work in the street, or a scene with guns or uniformed police, you must have the special NY Police Movie and Television Unit on the location. The police unit will assign its officers at no charge to you.

All decisions with respect to what is permitted are made by MOFTB, working in close consultation with the Police Movie & TV Unit, and other key city agencies as necessary.

INSURANCE:

In order for you or your organization to be eligible for a Motion Picture or Television Permit, you must present to MOFTB an original certificate of insurance, which is signed by the Broker’s Authorized Representative. Please see our website for the exact language that must be on the certificate, and for other insurance requirements and guidelines.

PRE-PRODUCTION:

Very simple shoots of one or two days, or shoots of longer duration, which are walk-and-talk, and are not working in the street do not require police assistance. It is possible to get a permit for this type of project with 24 hours before shooting, providing the insurance certificate and permit application are presented in good order before noon of the day before shooting.

Pre-Production Meeting:

All feature films, television movies, series or specials, elaborate exterior commercial shoots and music videos doing exteriors with celebrities, multiple locations and/or playback, must have a pre-production meeting with the MOFTB. It is recommended that this meeting be scheduled with the MOFTB about three weeks before shooting, but must be scheduled no later than five business days before the shoot begins.

After your main pre-production meeting at the MOFTB where the entire schedule is discussed, a permit which contains a listing of location activities can usually be issued quickly for feature films and TV projects. Longer and more complex productions customarily send along several location requests at least three to four days before the shoot dates, which helps the Police Movie & TV Unit to plan coverage.

The outside deadline for all permit issuance in all cases, is by noon of the day before any shoot on a Tuesday through Friday, and by 4:00 pm on the Thursday before a shoot on Saturday, Sunday and/or Monday.

PARKING FEATURES OF THE PERMIT:

The permit provides for special parking privileges at working locations for vehicles essential to your shoot, defined as equipment trucks, lifts, cranes, campers and honeywagons. Crew or personal cars are not covered by the permit.

SPECIAL PERMISSIONS:

The NY State Department of Labor issues and administers child performer permits. Visit their website at www.labor.state.ny.us and click on the Child Performer Center icon in lower right hand corner. If you have further questions, contact the NY State Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and Television Development at (212) 803-2330.

Special Effects:

Pyrotechnics, fire effects and explosions, including simulated and other smoke effects using a substance with a flash point of less than 400 degrees Fahrenheit, at both exterior and interior locations, require a prior inspection and the supervision at the shoot by the New York City Fire Department.

Exceptional requests (i.e. removing a lamppost, building a stage) may require additional permits from another city agency. MOFTB will advise you as to who to contact in these cases.

SPECIAL JURISDICTIONS:

There are a few frequently requested locations within the city which are under the jurisdiction of other governmental bodies and are not available on the MOFTB permit, and require special permits. Here are two major exceptions:

In order to film scenes involving the use of subway stations, trains or buses, you must make arrangements well in advance, from one to five weeks or more, with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The Transit Authority’s Special Events Unit will provide you with an estimated cost for your request. Other divisions of the MTA provide access to Grand Central Station and the Metro North and Long Island train lines.

The Port Authority arranges shoots at all airports, the PATH trains to New Jersey, certain piers and the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels to New Jersey.

GENERAL LOCATION ASSISTANCE:

For any location sites not directly available through our permit, the MOFTB production unit has extensive contacts and will support your requests. This includes the MTA, the Port Authority, government buildings, parks and landmarks under state or federal jurisdiction, as well as many, key privately owned locations such as Rockefeller Center and most non-profit institutions, which have relationships to city government such as the American Museum of Natural History and Lincoln Center. When you start pre-production, we will provide additional details, and we will work with you to anticipate and resolve any problems that may arise.

Please visit our website for current and detailed information about production in New York City at: www.nyc.gov/film

Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting
Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor
Katherine Oliver, Commissioner
1697 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
(212) 489-6710
(212) 307-6237 Fax
www.nyc.gov/film