Thought you needed a permit plus $1 million in insurance before filming in Times Square, Central Park or any other public space here in New York? If a certain proposal from Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting in May had made it on the books, every NYC-based location shoot, no matter how small, would need to take out this outlandishly prohibitive policy. But thanks to those who subsequently staged a First Amendment rally in Union Square in protest to that original proposal—not to mention a New York Civil Liberties Union-backed lawsuit—the film office was finally nudged in the right direction. A permit-free option is now part of a new plan issued this morning.

The catch? It’s what you might expect—the no-permit rule applies to hand-held cameras and tripods only. If you have a truck, lights, or larger rigged camera, you still need to file for that permit and production insurance. Get the full details from the MOFTB here:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/110107_moftb_issues_new.shtml