Lights, camera, inaction!
The number of film permits for shooting big-budget movies and television shows on city streets nose-dived 9 percent last year to 19,705, from 21,701 in 2009, city records show.
The number of resulting “shooting days,” on which movie crews actually filmed, plummeted by 19 percent to 15,033, from 18,666 in 2009.
The city maintains the decrease is due to new regulations allowing small crews with handheld equipment to shoot without $300 permits.
“There wasn’t a rule codifying our practice until 2008. It takes time for people to understand that they don’t need our permit,” said Julianne Cho, associate commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
The number of feature films actually increased to 200 in 2010, from 188 in 2009.