City Guide Filming in East Williamsburg, NY
Production Permit Fees
- New project application fee - $300
- Optional Permit - $0
- Letter In Lieu of an Optional Permit - $0
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $1,000,000
Additional Permits
Discounts
About East Williamsburg
East Williamsburg has become known as the neighborhood in New York to go to for filming movie scenes that need a certain aesthetic toughness. This semi-industrial, semi-residential area of Brooklyn intersected by Newtown Creek, one of the most polluted waterways in the US, totally fits the bill.
East Williamsburg's abundance of industrial sites, old warehouses, and rundown housing has probably appeared in more movies than you think. Newtown Creek, with the skyscrapers of Brooklyn in the background, has been a favorite b-roll shot with filmmakers wanting to add a dark, depressing edge to their production. It works, too, especially if the shots are taken during the winter months.
East Williamsburg is a neighborhood that's had strong ties with New York's Italian community since migrating became a thing. One fictional Italian-American who was right at home strutting his stuff on the streets of East Williamsburg was Tony Manero. The scenes John Travolta filmed for Saturday Night Fever in the neighborhood may have been short, but they defined the gangland atmosphere of East Williamsburg during the '70s.
In the first decade of the 2000s, East Williamsburg lent its drabness to some scenes shot for the movie American Gangster. Why was it chosen? Because it defines the 1970s and the dreariness of that era exactly, and even a cast of major A-list stars like Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington can't make it look any more attractive.
If this Brooklyn neighborhood is starting to sound just like the place you're searching for, you can take a more in-depth look at filming locations in East Williamsburg on Giggster. Before you head there to film, though, make sure you're aware of all the filming regulations that apply to filming in New York and the atmospheric neighborhood of East Williamsburg.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in East Williamsburg?
While the answer, sometimes you will and sometimes you won't, may leave you feeling perplexed, don't be. Permitting in East Williamsburg and in New York itself is almost as easy as saying a, b,c. If reading that made you sigh with relief, that's good, but don't relax too quickly.
The times you'll need to apply for a film permit to film in East Williamsburg are:
When you want exclusive use of public property
When you'll be filming using anything other than hand-held equipment
When there are special effects involved
When stunt work is involved
When the use of fake weapons is involved
When you'll be using prop vehicles such as ambulances or police cars
When you've chosen to film in a park
When the production calls for road or sidewalk closures
Optional Permit
An optional permit is a permit that's not a film permit but serves in place of a film permit should anyone question what you're doing. It's possible that the police may see your filming as suspicious activity, but show them your optional permit, and you'll be good to go.
Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit
A Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit is exactly as the name says. It's a letter rather than an optional permit for productions that don't require a film permit. It's simple to obtain and is cost-free.
Student Permits
For permitting purposes, student productions are defined the same way as any other production. If your student production involves the use of any of the above, then you will need to apply for a film permit. Student production companies can also apply for an optional permit or a letter in lieu of an optional permit. Student productions are only treated differently from regular productions if the shoot involves fake weapons, actors dressed as police officers, firemen or paramedics, the use of prop service vehicles, or could be a risk to public safety. If that applies to your production, you will be obliged to have the police present when you are filming. NB: Police attendance at any film shoot in New York City, student or otherwise, is free of charge, but the service is only available for student productions on weekdays.
Permit Management in East Williamsburg
OFTB of the MOME
Film permits, optional permits, and letters instead of permits are managed by the Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (OFTB) of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment or MOME. The only filming locations in New York that the OFTB doesn't permit are the city's parks. To learn about film permits for parks, check out the special requirements section of this guide.
Applying for a film permit from the OFTB is simple; submit via their Online Permit Application app. The standard processing time for most film permit applications is seven working days.
Register your production on the Online Permit Application app to acquire an optional permit. You can't apply for an optional permit online. You will need to print it, sign it, and fax it to the OFTB, who will assess and authorize it and then fax it back to you.
Optional permit applications can also be delivered and collected in person from:-
The Film Office
1697 Broadway
6th Floor
New York
NY 10019 (212)
NB: The OFTB office hours are Monday to Friday between 9 am and 4 pm.
If you want to obtain a letter instead of a permit, you will register with the OFTB's Online Permit Application app. Once you've done that, complete an eligibility questionnaire. If your production is rated as eligible, then you'll be able to print off the letter. It doesn't require authorization from the OFTB.
What Insurance Do I Need in East Williamsburg?
It's not compulsory to have liability insurance when you're filming in East Williamsburg unless yours is a production that requires a film permit. But that said, and considering the nature of the neighborhood you're going to be filming, having liability insurance is a good idea.
When yours is a production that needs permitting, your insurance broker will need to submit a valid insurance certificate to the OFTB at least 48 hours in advance of you making your permit application. The certificate must be submitted by the broker, not the production company. Any certificate submitted by a production company won't be accepted.
Having insurance is not a requirement if you will be filming with either an optional permit or a letter in lieu of an optional permit, but, as previously stated, it's really not a bad idea to have at least some minimal coverage that gives you some protection against any liability claim.
Student productions, permitted or not, are permitted to use their school's insurance. In some cases, the OFTB may already have the school certificate on file, but if not, you will need to submit a letter from your school to the OFTB, and they will obtain it.
If you can’t meet any of these requirements, you’ll need to explain in writing why you can’t meet the requirement to the Office. They will determine if the shoot can go ahead without the necessary insurance.
Note that these requirements are minimum requirements. Larger and more complex shoots may require additional insurance which will be determined by the Office.
What Kind of Filming Locations Are Available in East Williamsburg?
What kind of filming locations are available in East Williamsburg is an easy question, and the answer is derelict ones. That's maybe slightly unfair as the neighborhood is undergoing improvements, although it's slow going and probably not yet as noticeable as the residents would like it to be.
If the scenes in the script you're working from call for rundown, badly maintained streets with numerous potholes and graffitied garage doors and fencing, then take a slow drive down Knickerbocker Avenue, and you'll know straight away you've found exactly what you're looking for.
When you need a residential area that's seen better days, look at the McKibbin Lofts. The two low-rise project buildings on McKibbin Street will almost certainly be a perfect match.
Need a disused warehouse? You'll find plenty that are no longer in use in East Williamsburg, as a lot of the industry that was here once has moved on to new pastures. It's fair to say that some of the warehouses have been remodeled and are now used as event spaces or turned into loft apartments to attract new, artistic residents. Other warehouses have transformed into housing recording studios, photography studios, gyms, and versatile office spaces.
You won't have to search too long to find bars with dimly lit interiors suitable for speakeasy scenes or dodgy deals where you don't want too much light on the action. Several restaurants in East Williamsburg double as perfect filming locations, varying from classic pizzerias to more contemporary eateries decked out in metal and glass.
While you won't come across luxurious Victorian mansions in East Williamsburg, the filming locations available are diverse and lend themselves to all film genres. You'll even come across a 1970s-style discotheque if you're considering filming a new version of Saturday Night Fever that fits the era perfectly. What more could you ask for a boxing gym or cage fight club?
Special Requirements in East Williamsburg
Filming In Parks
East Williamsburg isn't one of New York's neighborhoods that's been plentifully blessed with public green spaces, but there are a couple that might be useful as outdoor shoot locations with trees and a patch of grass.
While the parks in East Williamsburg might not be huge crowd-pleasers, you'll still need to get permission to film in them, and that's something the OFTB can't give you. You also need to get permission to use a park as a filming location before you apply for a film permit if your production is one that needs one.
To obtain permission to film in a park, you need to apply to the New York Parks Department. You do this by completing the Parks Film Shoot Request Form on the official NY Parks website. The request is sent to the manager of the relevant park, who will usually respond within five working days. If you're given the go-ahead, then you can use the park as a location on your film permit application, or if you're not applying for one, just go ahead and film on the dates you requested.
Filming With Special Effects
Any production company that plans to use special effects such as pyrotechnics, smoke, or open flames is required to have an inspection carried out by the NYC Fire Department before filming starts. When pyrotechnics or explosives are involved in the shoot, you will be obliged to have a fire safety officer present on set during the filming.
What Does it Cost to Film in East Williamsburg?
New York has some of the lowest permitting fees in the entire country. No, a film permit isn't free, but all you have to make is a one-off new project application fee.
Additional Fees
Often, if you plead a bad dose of financial hardship, the OFTB will waive the permit fee.
Geographical Jurisdiction of East Williamsburg?
East Williamsburg numbers among the smaller neighborhoods of New York and covers just one and a half square miles of the city's massive urban spread. People-wise, it's a tightly packed area that's home to more than 34,000 people of various ethnic backgrounds.
The I-278 forms the north and northwestern border of East Williamsburg, and Newtown Creek bounds it to the northeast. The remainder of the neighborhood's eastern border is defined by Onderdonk Avenue, while the southern border is defined by Flushing Avenue. East Williamsburg's western reach is marked by Bushwick Avenue and Woodpoint Road.
East Williamsburg is neighbors with Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, and Broadway Triangle to the southwest. To the south are the neighborhoods of Sumner Houses, Ridgewood, and Bushwick. To the east is Maspeth and to the northwest is Greenpoint.
Should your chosen filming location fall outside of the boundaries of East Williamsburg, you will still need to apply for a film permit, if your production requires one, to the OFTB as all the neighborhoods fall within their jurisdiction.
Outreach in East Williamsburg
There's no escaping conducting outreach if you want to film in East Williamsburg, as the OFTB requires all production companies to do it. The OFTB has a set standard for notifications that you'll need to adhere to, so make sure you're fully aware of what they are before you start distributing notifications to the community.
NB: This applies to permitted and non-permitted productions, so there's no getting out of it, even if you're filming with an optional permit or a letter instead of an optional permit.
If you're unsure what to put in your notification letter and want to keep it on the right side of the OFTB, take a look at the sample notification they publish on their website. Use that as an example, and you won't miss out on any vital information they expect to be included.
The one problem you might incur when distributing notifications in East Williamsburg is that many properties have multiple occupancies, so make sure you print enough copies. Pinning one at the entrance or handing a copy to the janitor or building manager won't do. Deliver the notification to every single household or business premises.
As a mark of respect, it doesn't hurt to have the notification printed in Italian, Spanish, and English. By doing that, you may gain more respect from the community and encounter fewer objections to your filming activities.
Community Management in East Williamsburg
Just because East Williamsburg is a rundown neighborhood, it doesn't mean that the people who inhabit it deserve less respect than if they lived in NoHo or Nolita. Your cast and crew will be invading their space for whatever duration it takes to film what you want to film.
Yes, you may have distributed notifications letting the community know what you're going to be doing, but it's still wise to have a community manager on board who understands the location and people who reside in it. Having the right attitude can work wonders, and having the wrong one can instigate gang wars, and that's something you don't want to have to deal with when trying to film a scene. Live action is great, but not the kind that has you hiding behind the nearest dumpster for protection from ballistic missiles.
Exaggerations aside, having a community manager on your team will mean you'll have someone to deal with those awkward folk rushing to work without breakfast and on a low caffeine intake. A good community manager can sweet talk any tetchy night shift worker too, yes, that one who's just desperate to get to bed but can't because your filming is blocking the sidewalk. Your community manager may need to be accompanied by a uniformed security guard while doing it, but that's part and parcel of the fun of filming in East Williamsburg.
Conclusion
East Williamsburg is a neighborhood of New York that might not be the most luxurious, but it has an on-screen presence that shouts — this is New York of the hard-working and humble. It portrays '70s New York, so don’t skip scouting it out. If you do skip it, you may well live, if you’re lucky, to regret it.