FILMING PERMIT INFORMATION (Staff Presentation)

FILMING PERMIT INFORMATION

This report provides information to Council regarding the creation of a Filming Permit as a faster, more applicable, and customer friendly alternative to a Temporary Commercial Use Permit as the only tool currently available to permit filming within the Town.

The City of Victoria has taken the local lead on the creation of Filming Permits, providing materials (attached to the report) addressing the process and its impacts on the community and the municipality. Victoria expects to update their process this winter.

Filming has several unique impacts on communities and municipalities which need to be addressed by the permitting process:

1. Traffic disruptions and road closures
2. Equipment/trailer parking and storage
3. Intense lighting requirements
4. Potential noise, action, stunts, explosions, scary monsters etc
5. Odd hours of filming
6. Potential damage to Town infrastructure
7. Town expenses related to filming and permitting processes

In discussion with Arts and Culture staff at the City of Victoria, there is a shared desire to keep the filming permit process similar across the CRD, as most film production companies are unaware of the vagaries of our many municipalities. It becomes easier for the Vancouver Island South Film & Media Commission (https://www.filmvictoria.com/) to promote the region and to provide information to the industry if there is consistency in permitting requirements.

As the City of Victoria suggested, staff will be taking a cue from the District of Oak Bay in copying the City’s forms and processes for filming permits, which address various elements.

Film Production Guidelines (written in note form from full requirements attached to this report)

1. Requirement for a Permit
2. Insurance Requirement ($5m liability)
3. Deposit requirement (barricade delivery, pickup, Special Duty Police, garbage cleanup, work done by Town crews)
4. Electrical Permit requirements
5. Access and Notification requirements (notifying residents and/or merchants who will be affected by filming, by flyer/information leaflet, record of notification, dates, times, duration, area, traffic or parking information, potential advertisement in media)
6. Road closure requirements
7. Cancellation rights of the Town
8. Proper use of site as per permit
9. Applicant responsibility for maintaining site/route in clean condition and responsibility for cleanup
10. Applicant’s requirement to ensure safety of all
11. equipment and other chattels of the Town, responsibility to replace if damaged or removed
12. Applicant’s liability for any damage to site or route
13. Applicant shall not construct, erect, attach, permit construction etc. of any device or fixture without prior written consent of CAO or officer.
14. Applicant shall not permit anything to be nailed or hung to boulevard trees, planters, etc.
15. Indemnification of Town respecting all claims against the applicant.
16. Any other specific conditions relating to site.

Location Sheet (written in note form from full requirements attached to this report)

1. Organization applying
2. Film name or client
3. Location
4. Shooting dates and times, including set up and clean up
5. Number of cast and crew
6. Number and type of vehicles
7. Liaison person and contact information for advance and on-site shoot
8. Electrical Permit information
9. Specific requirement for Town services, site amendments, etc

Film Production Street Use Request (written in note form from full requirements attached to this report)

1. All dates, locations, times of street use.

The Town would create these same documents attached for the Town of View Royal, and they would (as proposed) be issued by staff and approved by the CAO or appointed officer. At the CAO’s discretion Council may be required to approve any aspect of the filming request.

The Town would also have to amend the Fees and Charges Bylaw to include a Filming Permit fee and a filming performance deposit amount (estimate of costs, not a fixed fee). Staff will make a determination of the fee proposed in advance of the item coming to Council, noting that the fee will be designed to cover Town costs.