J
just a heads up that the rec officer for the entire forest contacted me last week regarding filming permits. i told him that last season, each time i came up, i called the law enforcement officer, officer reese, to inform him we would be filming and that i would like to get a permit. i guess they didn't have their ducks in a row last year, an open position or something and no one ever called me back. this year, they called and said if i didn't get permits...they would 'deal with me another way'. regardless of this, i had a good conversation with the head rec guy and he's referred me to 2 different district guys to gain permits from. i'm going to call them today to start the process. i'm trying to work out a blanket 'seasonal' permit so i don't have to guess which days i will be filming. the current FS rules on commercial filming/photography are ridiculously outdated and need amending. i just wanted you guys to know what was going on in case any of you that are riding and have a video camera on you are approached by an officer. as i told the head guy last week, we are a snowmobile club first and make a movie second. if they see team summit stickers on a trailer or a sled, it DOES NOT mean we are necessarily filming. second to that, it is NOT illegal to bring a video camera (or use it) in the backcountry. this is where it gets sticky for the FS to enforce. technically, no rule is broken UNTIL footage is USED commercially. in other words, any of us can ride, film, take stills...whatever, but as soon as you/we/i gain commercially from it, from money or sponsored trade merchandise, we break the rules. the FS has stated to me that they do not agree with this interpretation of the rules and that, since we DO make movies, if we are seen in the backcountry with a camera, we can be cited for INTENT. intent is NOT referred to in the 14 page FS commercial filming document by the way. SO...my suggestion for any of you who are contacted by a FS officer about filming without a permit is this...
be polite. a bad attitude is the wrong way to begin a discussion with anyone.
While you might be a member of Team Summit and have a video camera with you, the footage you are going to/have recorded is not intended for use in any commercial film. Please refer the officer to me.
do not get defensive...even if threatened by the officer with a citation. The rules are very clear on this. If an officer is unfamiliar with the rules he/she has been charged to enforce...that is a FS problem, not yours. again, you need to simply state you are filming for your own purposes and not for any commercial film. at that point, the discussion is over. If they want to do anything after that...they will be in violation of your constitutional rights.
Remember, I am shooting most of the film myself. I will attempt to cover the other camera-people that are helping me into the blanket permit deal. Everyone else can do what they want but I did NOT want anyone to be blindsided, especially someone who may simply have a team summit sticker on their sled and a video camera in their pack but has nothing to do with our movie.
Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Jeff
be polite. a bad attitude is the wrong way to begin a discussion with anyone.
While you might be a member of Team Summit and have a video camera with you, the footage you are going to/have recorded is not intended for use in any commercial film. Please refer the officer to me.
do not get defensive...even if threatened by the officer with a citation. The rules are very clear on this. If an officer is unfamiliar with the rules he/she has been charged to enforce...that is a FS problem, not yours. again, you need to simply state you are filming for your own purposes and not for any commercial film. at that point, the discussion is over. If they want to do anything after that...they will be in violation of your constitutional rights.
Remember, I am shooting most of the film myself. I will attempt to cover the other camera-people that are helping me into the blanket permit deal. Everyone else can do what they want but I did NOT want anyone to be blindsided, especially someone who may simply have a team summit sticker on their sled and a video camera in their pack but has nothing to do with our movie.
Please contact me if you have any further questions.
Jeff
