Rules on filming in London for videographers

As a videographer, finding a good location in London that you can film at can be a grey area.  The city is vast with so many incredible locations dotted around here there and everywhere.  So where exactly can you and can’t you film in the city?  So what are the rules on filming in London for videographers?

Rules on filming in London for videographers

As a videographer it’s likely you’ll be part of a smaller crew.  If you’re less than a team of 5 certain rules will apply and if you’re part of a larger crew then more complex rules apply.  Lets take the example of a small crew because its unlikely that your crew will be larger than this as a videographer.  According to Film London, If you have five or less people in your crew then the filming procedure in London is fairly straightforward.  It’s worth noting that participants, actors and the actual film crew all count towards your allowance of five.

Each Borough in London will have a film officer.  These officers should be contacted before any filming commence so you can advise them of your filming.  This should be nice and straight forward if you’re filming with a small camera without a tripod.  In the age of gimbals this is good news as I personally know as a videographer. I rarely get my tripod out for external filming jobs.  If you are filming with a tripod then a Notice of No Objection  is required.  these can be obtained from the local authority.

With London being such a large city, filming as a videographer could feel overwhelming.  However, hopefully you can now have the confidence to reach out to the relevant authorities to get the right permission.  Before you know it you’ll be filming your latest video production onto streets of London soon.