Filming in New York wasn’t always as easy as it is today! In the 1960’s, producers often required upwards of 50 permits to shoot in the City, and gaining access to some of New York’s hottest locations was tricky, at best. Producers were required to obtain a permit for every single day of production. The Department of Commerce and Industrial Development issued permits for shooting, but producers were also required to receive approval from the Police Department, Highways Department and Traffic Department. If wires and cables were used, the permission of the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity was needed, and if parks property were being used, additional permits were required. All of this aggravation caused many filmmakers to take their production to the West Coast. It was Mayor John V. Lindsay who set out to cut all that red tape, pledging in his 1965 election campaign to lure runaway production back to the City. And it was a promise he didn’t forget! In 1966, Mayor Lindsay gave the Department of Commerce the authority to issue a single permit for shooting in City-owned locations and abolished the power of City officials to censor the content of films shot on public property, as long as they didn’t pose a risk to the public or break the law. He appointed an aide to help the film industry negotiate for shooting at privately owned sites and established a police unit to control crowds during filming. In an open letter to the public, the Mayor explained the reasons for encouraging New York-based production. “Each additional feature film or commercial television show means additional jobs for New York residents,” he wrote. “Additional jobs means a healthier economy. And a healthier economy means a healthier city.” The results were immediate and enormous. In 1966 alone, production in New York increased by 100 percent over the previous year, bringing an estimated additional $20 million to the City. It was the “overall climate of cooperation” that Mayor Lindsay created that sparked the industry. “For the first time, our parks and museums, our streets and courthouses, our libraries and monuments, all these things that make New York unique, have been made available to film people,” he wrote. By 1967, The Wall Street Journal had declared “New York, New York, a wonderful town for making movies.” Filmmakers reported that “about the only time they’re delayed by a city official on the set is when the Mayor shows up to welcome them.” “I never in all my experience filming in the great cities of the world found so much help from the local authorities,” Terence Young told The Wall Street Journal. After filming Wait Until Dark in Greenwich Village, he wrote a letter to Mayor Lindsay, telling him that “if at any time I shall be able to have New York as one of my locations, I shall consider myself exceedingly fortunate.” Mayor Abraham Beame added another dimension to Mayor Lindsay’s initiatives with the creation of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Motion Pictures and Television in 1974. The Council’s director, Walter Wood, quickly began recruiting investment in New York’s production industry. “New York is the most filmic city in the world,” Wood told the Post in 1977. “You can’t point your camera at anything in this city and come up with something dull and uninteresting. You can film anything in one or another of the five boroughs.” When the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB) was established, New York became the first city in the world to offer free, one-stop permits and expedite requests from production companies seeking to use public locations. The MOFTB continues to market New York City as a prime location. The agency also facilitates local production, provides premiere location services and liaises with business decision makers to grow New York's media industry. The MOFTB works closely with the Movie/TV Unit of the New York Police Department, a special team of officers who monitor scenes involving special stunts or uniformed officers, ensure pedestrian safety and reroute traffic. New York City has grown to become one of the world’s largest production centers, serving as host to film, television, commercial, musical and theatrical productions. Today, New York City’s production industry generates over $5 billion annually and employs over 100,000 people. design by    The City of New York Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting 1697 Broadway Suite 602, New York, New York 10019.
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