questions about filming a documentary ?

Question

i am getting close to finishing my book and have realized its more of a documentary than a book . its a political nofiction book about life in america . now my brother has actually made a few films ( not documentarys ) so the equiptment is no problem . what i want to know is can you film infront of government buildings and public places or do you need a special permit . we are planning to take a big trip from ca to washington dc and then to new york to see whats left of ground zero . are there many restrictions on where and what you can film .

ps , many say i write like michael moore , go figure .

Answer 1

With the current environment of terrorism I'd check with homeland security and local police departments before filming in front of ANY major building. My wife's office building was listed as a possible target of terrorism. For 6 weeks there were National Guard and Police with assault weapons stationed around the building.

Some cities require that you post a bond and/or get a permit to set up major filming sites.

Unless you have press credentials, you're likely to run into police who think that you are 'casing' a future target.

Answer 2

Permits are a good idea, but if you want to shoot on the cheap they're unnecessary. It's called "guerilla filmmaking."