Getting ready for "work" tomorrow.

[pitfighter]

Linked up over 1000 rounds of .308 blanks, oiled and packed.
(Yes, the horror, those are 60 year old belts with .308 blanks in them, lol.)
My hands are embedded with grime, and brass splinters.
Over 1000 rounds 9mm blanks ready to go.

Shooting with the Phantom hi-speed camera - should be fun!
http://www.visionresearch.com/ - 1500FPS
All the guns are C&R - at least they've over 60 years old - so excuse the slight irrelevance to this forum.

New permits all crisp and plastic covered in my bound book.



It will be a noisy day.

[TRAP55]

Work? Sorry Pit, I have no sympathy for you.

[Capybara]

Permits for doing what? Shooting blanks? No entiendo.

[deadcoyote]

I will just point out I was once paid to run 750 rounds each through 12 pistols to confirm their reliability for my work. I thought I had seriously got one over by being given such a great task until I was done, then not so much.

[pitfighter]

Permits for shooting blanks - yes sir -

http://www.filmla.com/

FilmLA baby, full $1 million liability insurance ($3 million & E&O at Universal and some other locations BTW) is required as well as workmans comp through the state, then a permit for filming, that specifies size of blank, (half load, full load, 3/4 quarter flash) (I kid you not) and whether full auto is being used or not -
The permit money goes to the city, not the location, the location fee is a separate fee, in case anyone was unclear on that one.
A film permit is simply for the right to film in LA - whatever you pay to the location is an additional figure.
Then the neighborhood is papered the night before, meaning a FilmLA worker delivers a letter explaining what is going on to all the houses and business' in the vicinity - etc., - this is our $1000 privilege to pay, that serves absolutely no discernible purpose.
Then a minimum of one retired LAPD cop is paid $60 an hour for a minimum of eight hours to stand and watch that the specifics of the permits are adhered to.
(He is necessary even if we use rubber firearms BTW)
We are also using pyrotechnics, so a $60 an hour ex-fire-fighter is also on hand, to make sure the specifics of the permit are adhered to.
(This may also be required in fire season as well as a water truck, even if we have one already, FX or not)
Then we call it into the LAPD in the morning, who will also check that the FilmLA permit has been filed electronically and they have it.
And yes, if they visit, they will likely check my permit too.
Being DOJ Dangerous weapons permits with the specific provisions for the weapons being used, and the Entertainment firearms permit.
As we have pyro, there is a good chance ATF will visit, they have been spot checking quite often lately - so they will check the explosives one card holders info. is up to date, and will likely also check the $1000 a year, DOJ permits info. too.

So, yes, in answer to your question, blanks = permits = yes sir.

Oh, and there is also now a specific LAPD task force whom soul purpose is to check the permits are being adhered to correctly.

PS - I make low budget films, I routinely spend more on my permits than the entire days filming budget - it is sickening.
It is why film production is flooding to other states - as I will be soon, too.
To get a SAG contract and use actors I must be insured, to be insured I must have a permit.

Capibara - if your statement was a joke, I apologize for the long winded answer - it's a raw nerve, lol.

[BrokerB]

incredibly depressing..bye bye sweet CA.. There needs to be some big changes under those white domes.

can you set a small video camera on ground to see or at least hear the blanks rattling..links falling to ground: )

[VegasND]

I can't blame you for planning to leave California. The jobs will certainly be welcome elsewhere and I hope your profits grow once freed of CA restrictions.

Permits for shooting blanks - yes sir -

http://www.filmla.com/

FilmLA baby, full $1 million liability insurance ($3 million & E&O at Universal and some other locations BTW) is required as well as workmans comp through the state, then a permit for filming, that specifies size of blank, (half load, full load, 3/4 quarter flash) (I kid you not) and whether full auto is being used or not -
The permit money goes to the city, not the location, the location fee is a separate fee, in case anyone was unclear on that one.
A film permit is simply for the right to film in LA - whatever you pay to the location is an additional figure.
Then the neighborhood is papered the night before, meaning a FilmLA worker delivers a letter explaining what is going on to all the houses and business' in the vicinity - etc., - this is our $1000 privilege to pay, that serves absolutely no discernible purpose.
Then a minimum of one retired LAPD cop is paid $60 an hour for a minimum of eight hours to stand and watch that the specifics of the permits are adhered to.
(He is necessary even if we use rubber firearms BTW)
We are also using pyrotechnics, so a $60 an hour ex-fire-fighter is also on hand, to make sure the specifics of the permit are adhered to.
(This may also be required in fire season as well as a water truck, even if we have one already, FX or not)
Then we call it into the LAPD in the morning, who will also check that the FilmLA permit has been filed electronically and they have it.
And yes, if they visit, they will likely check my permit too.
Being DOJ Dangerous weapons permits with the specific provisions for the weapons being used, and the Entertainment firearms permit.
As we have pyro, there is a good chance ATF will visit, they have been spot checking quite often lately - so they will check the explosives one card holders info. is up to date, and will likely also check the $1000 a year, DOJ permits info. too.

So, yes, in answer to your question, blanks = permits = yes sir.

Oh, and there is also now a specific LAPD task force whom soul purpose is to check the permits are being adhered to correctly.

PS - I make low budget films, I routinely spend more on my permits than the entire days filming budget - it is sickening.
It is why film production is flooding to other states - as I will be soon, too.
To get a SAG contract and use actors I must be insured, to be insured I must have a permit.

Capibara - if your statement was a joke, I apologize for the long winded answer - it's a raw nerve, lol.

[Enfield47]

Wow, just wow... It's no wonder filming has been leaving CA. Just like everything else, they overcomplicate everything in this state and the city of LA.

Still sounds like a fun day for you. All that linked ammo looks pretty cool.

[Capybara]

No, serious question, I didn't realize you were filming for a real show. I own a production company and everything you are saying is very familiar to me. I was at Angeles a couple of years ago, we had an armorer, Glock 18, AKM, M16, FAL, all full auto, all real machine guns, NOT shooting blanks, shooting live ammo. I was not the producer on that shoot, I was the DP, but I know that the producers had to jump through all of the hoops you just described. Funny though, we were on one of the upper ranges and on the range below us was about 100 LASD SWAT Team members, all shooting MP5s, M16s and lots of other fun stuff full auto. Nobody came onto our range to inspect anything, no questions asked, no hassles. I heard more full auto fire that day than I have ever heard in real life anywhere, plus I got to shoot a few mags through the Glock 18, it was a fun day.

You figure that the firearms policies of the U.S. are getting more and more restrictive. The firearms policies of California are much more restrictive than those of the free states. Then you are in LA, which is pretty much the state capital of red tape, permits, stupidity, it is no wonder that most production save for reality shows, have fled the state. This state has a mandate to drive it's economic base away. As a producer, I never shoot anything with a budget or anything narrative in Los Angeles. Between the city, permits, Film LA, the union pirates, why would anyone shoot anything in LA if they didn't have to when they have the whole rest of the country begging and enticing them to come to their town to film? You want some HUGE tax credits? Come on out. You want a locale that will welcome your millions with open arms? Come on out. In LA, in certain neighborhoods I have filmed in, the local businesses and neighbors will make loud noises and disturbances on purpose to solicit bribes and payoffs from a production. That doesn't happen in many other U.S. filming locations. Most other locations around the country would rather have the millions of dollars added to their local economy.

I am leaving next week to film a Fox show in Arizona. This show shot all over the world, 14 locations, non of them in LA. Kind of tells you something about the jackholes that run this state.

Good luck on your shoot.

[pitfighter]

Yes - I test fire everything live at the Angeles private ranges - I love the set up there.
Thank you for the good luck.

Here is a screen pic from todays Phantom camera monitor - we did 1000+ rounds from the '42 filming at 1500FPS.

Ross McCall (Band of Brothers, TV's CRash.)
Ross posted a behind the scenes of the MG42 shooting on his instagram account - maccageezer

[Simply115]

Damn, that's insane. The permit stuff, I mean. The MG42 is pretty awesome.

[cr250chevy]

But, but... What about the children?!?

[Beetle Bailey]

So. . . uh, is it fun?

[pitfighter]

BB,

There are three potential reasons I say yes to a film:
Fun, Money or Glory.

Hopefully the job offers more than one of the above reasons, but I will be satisfied with just one.