Local photographers and filmmakers have concerned about the Mayor Ashton Hayward’s setting up his office as the focal point for film productions in the city of Pensacola.
Some photographers worry that the language is to broad and may prevent them from taking wedding, modeling and portrait photos at city parks and other public areas.
In an email to Councilman Larry Johnson, Steven Gray, a local photographer, wrote:
“The ordinance, stated in Sec. 7-12-2 as applicable to “all parks, streets, sidewalks and other rights-of-way, parking lots, buildings, and the grounds adjacent thereto,” and going on in Sec. 7-12-3 to say that “no person shall film, digitally record, or take still photographs on city property for commercial purposes without first applying for and obtaining a permit from the Film Commissioner” has put myself and other photo and video professionals very ill at ease.
Most wedding and editorial photographers in this area, myself included, rely on easy and free access to city streets and parks to capture photographs and video of both local and destination weddings in downtown Pensacola. Use of city parks like Seville Square, Plaza Ferdinand, Plaza De Luna, and even the city streets themselves (on calm days) is standard practice among local photographers and videographers. The results of such common practices have been nothing but beautiful imagery of Pensacola and its people circulating on the internet and in wedding and lifestyle magazines across the country. The same can be said of local professional videographers who shoot their own stock footage of this beautiful city in order to better edit commercial pieces for local businesses.
In its current form, the proposed ordinance is terrifying for these aforementioned creative professionals. As of today (May 11th), no details have been given on possible permit costs, how frequently they will need to be applied for and what criteria will need to be met for approval. It is also not yet clear how soon the ordinance will be implemented if it passes the May 14th vote in its current form. As you can imagine, this many lingering questions has many in the local photographic community very concerned.
I fully appreciate the need to regulate large productions that require the use of equipment trucks, tents on city property, drone flights, use of city utilities and the coordination of large equipment in public areas, and I firmly believe that my peers in photography and video do as well. With that said, there is a great difference between large-scale productions involving multiple people and large equipment versus an individual videographer, wedding or portrait photographer with a single camera.
Without a more specific definition for “commercial photography” and allowances made for the photographers and videographers who already rely on free access to city parks and streets for the events they shoot every weekend, this ordinance could cripple dozens of going concerns that add value to our community at large. Local, long-time photographers like Jeremy Cook, Rick Schamberger, David and Jessica Marshall and Josh and Sara Thurber all come to mind, just to name a few. Their bodies of work are more than a means to their own living. Their images help define Pensacola far and wide as a beautiful place. The same can be said of the numerous video production companies who have, until now, freely shot their B-roll footage in public spaces for use in local commercials.”
Gray suggests that the mayor’s office look at how other cities’ regulate commercial film and photography. He said, “The City of New York has a very solid system in place, the details of which you can find here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/permits/permit_required_fee.shtml. In short, the system they have in place has a very accommodating set of rules stating a permit is not required when “hand-held cameras or tripods are used and the person filming does not assert exclusive use of City property.” This exception has allowed for individuals and small businesses to thrive in New York City while still nurturing a profitable and active film industry under the purview of the city’s film commission. Closer to home, the City of Tallahassee has a near-identical set of rules that you may find here: http://www.visittallahassee.com/industry/media-film/.”
Filmmaker Liz Watkins believes the film commissioner should be independent of the city and county governments. Over the weekend, she issued this statement this weekend:
There are no positives with any mayor or any elected official acting as a film commissioner.
I have pitched this idea for 2.5 decades to various County and City elected officials.
A film commissioner should be independent of city/county/private advertising/production companies.
This person should be housed and work for Visit Pensacola.
The city and county should split 50/50, a salary ($65,000ish) for a full-time film commissioner who is independent of the city, county and state governments and who does not own or work for a video, photography, film, modeling, graphic agency etc..
The incoming requests/jobs should be bid out appropriately and not given to the friends of the film commissioner. The film commissioner should be boots on the ground, doing site survey’s, taking location photos, etc for possible incoming productions.
Any potential hire should be posted on the Commission website for vendors to review.
If it is a last minute need, the job should be posted on the Commission website and the enrolled vendors should receive a text and or email. The individual vendors should contact the client and negotiate a deal.