City Guide Filming in Hell’s Kitchen, NY
Production Permit Fees
- New project application fee - $300 one-time payment per project
- Student Permit - $0
- Optional Permit -$0
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $1,000,000
Additional Permits
Discounts
About Hell’s Kitchen
If you're looking for information about filming in Gordon Ramsey's Hell's Kitchen restaurant, you're in the wrong place. His Hell's Kitchen is in Las Vegas, which is a good two and a half thousand miles west of the Hell's Kitchen filming location this guide is about.
The New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen may have given Chef Ramsey's renowned eatery its name, but that's where the similarities end. Hell's Kitchen is not the sort of place you're likely to find a beef wellington cooked to perfection. It's a great filming location, though, and has been seen on screen in more movies and TV series than most people have had hot dinners.
Hell's Kitchen was a 1990s movie starring Angeline Jolie that not only took the name of the neighborhood but was filmed on location there too. The biographical film about the life of composer Leonard Bernstein, Maestro, also took to the streets of Hell's Kitchen for multiple scenes.
Other notable productions that have used Hell's Kitchen as a filming location are The Equalizer and Law and Order. The comedy-drama series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, was also partly filmed in the neighborhood. While Marvel's superhero, Daredevil, was supposedly born and raised in Hell's Kitchen, the actual filming location, which depicted the somewhat dark and dingy Manhattan neighborhood, was actually in Downtown Los Angeles.
Because of the cheap rents in Hell's Kitchen, in the 1970s, it became the in place in New York to open studios as well as an economic place to live for aspiring actors. There were many TV shows filmed at those studios during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, including:
The Daily Show
60 Minutes
NFL Today
The Montel Williams Show
The Colbert Report
Tha God's Honest Truth
Those are just a few, and the studios of Hell's Kitchen continue producing shows right up to the present day.
In the past, Hell's Kitchen might not have been the most salubrious or wealthiest of New York neighborhoods, but it's one that took creative people as well as the film and TV industry to heart. It still does, and any filmmaker will naturally feel right at home here.
The folks of Hell's Kitchen are well accustomed to seeing film crews on the streets and are more than open to letting filmmakers use their premises as filming locations. Take a look at the huge variety of filming locations in Hell's Kitchen available on Giggster, and you'll find it a real eye-opener.
Once you've scouted out the filming locations in Hell's Kitchen that are the perfect match for the script you're working on, all you need to know are the regulations for filming in New York. Brush up on those, and you could well have found the recipe that will make your production a success.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Hell’s Kitchen?
There are times you may need a film permit to film in Hell's Kitchen. There are also times when you won't and also times when you can get a film permit even if you don't particularly need one. If that sounds confusing, you're not wrong.
You will need to apply for a film permit to film in Hell's Kitchen if:
You want exclusive use of public property
You will be using more than hand-held equipment
You will be using special effects
The shoot involves stunt work
The shoot involves the use of fake weapons
The shoot involves the use of prop vehicles
You will be filming in a neighborhood park
The shoot involves road or sidewalk closures
You require parking privileges for production vehicles
If none of the above apply to your film shoot, then you won't need a film permit.
Optional Permits
Should you be worried about your activities being questioned by the police or members of the public, you can apply for what is known as an Optional Permit or a Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit. Both the Optional Permit and Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit are handy to have in your possession, even if you're only filming with a hand-held camera. Should anyone question your activities, they demonstrate that you're doing nothing wrong and are acting within the realms of the filming laws.
Student Permits
The same rules about film permitting also apply to students. Student productions are also obliged to have a police presence if: The shoot involves fake weapons The actors will be dressed as police officers, firemen, or paramedics The shoot involves fake service vehicles The shoot is deemed a risk to public safety Police assistance for student film shoots is only available from Monday to Friday. Student productions are also not allowed, with a permit or without, to film after 11 pm in residential areas.
Permit Management in Hell’s Kitchen
OFTB of the MOME
Film permits for filming in Hell's Kitchen, and the rest of the city of New York, are managed by the Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (OFTB), which is a department of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment otherwise known as MOME.
The OFTB strives to make permitting as simple and swift as possible and so permit applications for regular film permits can be made via the Online Permit Application app. While the app is relatively straightforward, it's a good idea to take time to read through the application instructions on the OFTB website before getting started.
If your production, student or otherwise, is one that requires a permit, you should start the required application at least seven working days in advance of the proposed shoot date.
Optional Permits or Letters in Lieu of an Optional Permit - If you want to get your hands on an Optional Permit or Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit, then the processes you will need to go through are slightly different.
To be able to obtain a Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit, you will need to open an account on the Online Permit Application app and complete a questionnaire. The answers you give to the questions asked will confirm the eligibility of your production for this document. If you're able to tick all the right boxes on the questionnaire, then, once completed, you will be able to print the letter.
If you prefer to have an optional permit, then there are a couple of different steps you will need to take to get one. Once you've signed up for an account on the Online Permit Application app, you will be able to complete an application for an Optional Permit.
You will then need to print the Optional Permit form and sign it before sending it back to the OFTB by fax. The number to fax the document to is published on the OFTB website on the permit required page. They will then fax the authorized copy back to you.
When you don't have access to a fax, either to send or receive a reply, you can deliver the completed Optional permit form in person to:
The Film Office
1697 Broadway
6th Floor
New York
NY 10019 (212)
The Office of Fim, Theatre, and Broadcasting does not publish any time period for authorizing hand-delivered Optional Permit forms.
NB: The OFTB is open for business from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 4 pm. If you can find a convenient one, it's better to make the application by fax, especially if you're not based in New York.
What Insurance Do I Need in Hell’s Kitchen?
The only time that having liability insurance is compulsory when you're filming in Hell's Kitchen is if you're filming a production that requires a film permit.
The OFTB requires insurance certificates to be submitted 48 hours prior to your film permit application. The certificate must be submitted by the insurance broker and not by you or the production company.
Student productions that require permitting can provide a letter from their school on school letterhead, which then gives them coverage under the school's insurance.
You are not obliged to have insurance if your production doesn't require a permit or if you will be filming with an Optional Permit or a Letter in Lieu of an Optional Permit. You may still want to consider having some sort of minimal coverage just to be on the safe side.
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 Hell’s Kitchen?
Hell's Kitchen is the part of New York producers head for when they need a filming location that has an authentic 1970s look. The streets of this antiquated neighborhood have stayed pretty much unchanged for decades and don't take a lot of set dressing to create the right era-related image.
One great example of Hell's Kitchen's old-fashioned ambiance can be found on 9th Avenue. All the streets off 9th are lined with trees and crammed with so many international restaurants it makes you think you're in Europe. For a more hip vibe, you only have to wander as far as 46th and 47th street to find more food trucks and street food vendors than you'd come across in a Thai market.
Hell's Kitchen might not be overflowing with expansive public green spaces, but it does have a few park areas that are ideal for shooting basketball scenes when you need them to look as rundown as somewhere in the Bronx. If you're considering filming in Hell's Kitchen parks, or even any park in New York, you will need extra permissions. You can find out more about what you need to do to be able to film in a park in the special requirements section of this guide.
Hell's Kitchen's long association with the film industry means you'll have your choice of studios, and they range from full production studios for TV shows to sound recording studios to photography studios. Whatever kind of studio you need, you'll find it in Hell's Kitchen.
Once you start scouting for internal filming locations, you may well start to feel slightly overwhelmed because Hell's Kitchen is akin to Santa's sack before he starts delivering the gifts. It really is a New York neighborhood that's overflowing with amazing internal filming locations of every description.
In Hell's Kitchen, there are rooftop terraces perfect for those mad action fight scenes where some poor stuntman gets thrown off the top of a building. There are plush loft apartments that are as well laid out as any you'll come across in more expensive areas of the city, and they have city skyline views to match.
There are empty warehouse spaces you can dress to suit your needs, impressive bars, amazing restaurants, and cool coffee shops that are all happy to see a film crew turn up at their door. There are also unique, brightly painted spaces decked out with fairy lights and bean bags that would make the perfect rising rock star slouch zone or even a rebellious teenager's escape-from-their-parents den.
If you think you've seen just about all there is to see where filming locations are concerned, you need to think again. Start investigating the filming locations in Hell's Kitchen, and you'll quickly realize you've seen nothing at all. In Hell's Kitchen, you'll even come across a geek-oriented computer room filming location laid out to look like a spaceship. Now, that is totally diverse.
Special Requirements in Hell’s Kitchen
Filming In Parks
Before you can film in a park in Hell's Kitchen or in New York, you need to follow a set procedure to obtain permission. The first step is to complete a Parks Film Shoot Request Form. You will find this on the NYC Parks webpage, or you can access it via a link from the OFTB website.
The Parks Department forward your request to film to the relevant park manager. Responses can take anywhere up to five working days. Once you have received approval for filming in your chosen park, you can add it as a filming location on your film permit application if you're submitting one.
Filming With Special Effects
When you are using pyrotechnics during your film shoot, you will be obliged to have a set inspection before filming begins conducted by the NYC Fire Department. They will issue the relevant permit and organize for there to be a fire department specialist present during filming.
Filming On Subways and Public Transport
Any filming in New York subway stations or on trains and buses requires a film permit issued by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA). Permits can take time to process, so make your application well in advance of your proposed filming date. The MTA charges fees for property use and permitting, which are calculated based on each individual project.
What Does it Cost to Film in Hell’s Kitchen?
Getting the relevant permits to film in New York should your production require permitting costs very little. A one-off new project application fee for production requires a film permit. If your production needs a permit, but you're working with an almost non-existent budget, you can apply to the OFTB to have the new project application fee waived.
Additional Fees
Getting a film permit in NYC is a pretty straightforward process. While access to most exterior locations in the city and its neighborhoods, including Hell’s Kitchen, are free of charge, private entities may require fees to cover the cost of rentals, equipment, and other services used during the production process.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Hell’s Kitchen?
The New York neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen covers an area of less than one square mile. That concentrated urbanization is home to over 45,000 residents.
While, in parts, the borders of Hell's Kitchen can be difficult to define precisely, it is considered to extend to 8th Avenue to the east, 34th Street West to the south, and 59th Street West to the north. The Hudson River and the Hudson River Park make up the entirety of Hell's Kitchen's western boundary.
Should your chosen film location fall outside of the borders of Hell's Kitchen, the same permitting rules published by the Office of Film, Theatre, and Broadcasting (OFTB) will apply unless you have chosen to film in Hudson River Park.
Film permits for the Hudson River Park, for regular and student productions, are managed by the Hudson River Park Organization. Applications for a film permit can be made online via the official website. Processing can take anywhere up to 21 days and incurs a non-refundable application fee which doesn't include property usage charges.
Hudson River Park Permit Application fee - $25 non-refundable
Outreach in Hell’s Kitchen
Because of the sheer quantity of productions being filmed in New York at any one time, the OFTB has devised a set procedure they expect all filmmakers to adhere to where outreach is concerned.
When you will be filming in a business or residential area of the neighborhood, you will be expected to distribute notifications of your activities to all relevant properties 48 hours beforehand. The notifications you distribute should be written in the format required by the OFTB and include all the same information as is included in the sample notification published on their website.
To help maintain good community relations In Hell's Kitchen, the OFTB also suggests production companies liaise with Community Boards, Councils, and Business Improvement District (BID) organizations. This is particularly relevant when filming in Hell's Kitchen as it is one of the New York neighborhoods undergoing redevelopment.
Before you begin filming in Hell’s Kitchen, you can check for the existence of Community Boards, Councils, and Business Improvement District organizations in the neighborhood using the search function provided on the OFTB website.
Community Management in Hell’s Kitchen
Trying to deal with boards, councils, and BIDs, as well as distributing notifications to the general public, can take up more of your time than you can imagine, but it's something that needs to be done. You can free yourself of the responsibility by having a community manager on your team, and if they're multi-lingual, even better because Hell's Kitchen is the proverbial melting pot of nationalities.
A good community manager will make light of the work involved in keeping everyone happy, will be able to deal professionally with any objections that might arise from the notifications, and will generally take the weight off your shoulders where liaising with board members is concerned. That in itself is worth the extra budget expenditure.
Conclusion
Hell’s Kitchen is a popular neighborhood of New York for filmmakers and has been for decades. While the authorities do embrace the presence of production crews, they also expect them to maintain a certain code of conduct.
Make sure your cast and crew act professionally at all times, and that welcome will be extended for decades to come for all the production companies that will follow in your footsteps.