Want to Film in New York? You May Have to Pay a Fee

Film and TV crews are a common sight in New York City, as a slew of TV shows, commercials, and movies are regularly shot all across the five boroughs.
Until now, however, the right to film here has largely been free.
That’s right--access to city-owned parks, streets and other locales have been there for the taking to TV and movie producers and even students making independent films or music videos.
Budget cuts, however, are forcing the city to come up with new ways to make up the lost revenue, and film permits may now be subject to a $300 fee.
If the fee is approved, TV producers would have to pay the amount once per season, while filmmakers would pay the fee once for the duration of shooting--no matter if it’s an NYU production or the sequel to a major zillion-dollar blockbuster.
While the fee may seem surprisingly low, it’s meant to make it easier for smaller producers and directors to be able to come up with the money and not look elsewhere to film.
Some exceptions would apply: Films using hand-held cameras or taking up a tiny amount of space wouldn’t have to pay the fee, and producers can apply for an exemption based on financial hardship.
The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting had to cut $155,000 from its $2 million budget this year. Most city agencies were ordered last month to cut 7.2 percent of their budgets
TV Shows like “Gossip Girl” and big-budget films such as “Sex and The City” regularly film in New York.

The Standard of Living Goes Up--At Least for the Carriage Horses

Two weeks off each year, larger living quarters, and regular doctor’s visits--doesn't seem like a bad deal, huh?
Especially if you’re a carriage horse.
New York’s carriage horses got a bump in their living conditions when the City Council passed a bill yesterday that substantially improves the standard of living for the horses.
Rates will now go up from $34 for the first 20 minutes of the ride to $50. After that, passengers will be billed at the rate of $20 for every 10 minutes, a jump from $10 for 15 minutes. (It’s the first rate hike in the carriage-horse industry in 23 years.) In addition, automatic cost-of-living increases will now occur every three years.
Other changes? The horses will receive five weeks off each year, an additional vet visit, larger living quarters, and warm blankets. New lights and reflective materials will also be added to the carriages, as will an emergency brake system.
In addition, you’ll have to find another way to impress your date below 34th Street--carriages won’t be allowed there. And you’ll also have to find something else to do between 3 am and 7 am—no carriage rides will take place then.
Members of the Horse and Carriage Association say they support the bill. The carriage horse industry in New York has repeatedly come under fire for what critics say is inhumane treatment of the animals; many people have tried to completely shut down the industry. Although animal advocates say the bill doesn’t go far enough, Mayor Bloomberg is expected to sign the bill into law.

For a New Career in Film, New York's the Place to Be

Ever thought about a career in film? Wondering what exactly a rigger does on a film set? Well, now may be your chance to find out.
A program is being launched by Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s administration to help train women, minorities, and New Yorkers who are struggling job-wise to train for jobs in New York’s film and TV production industry.
The training will include teaching hands-on skills like rigging (whatever that may be) and dolly operation. (In other words; you won’t be learning how to be Sandra Bullock’s stand-in, but you will be learning what all that cool equipment does.) Teachers are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical & Stage Employees. It also includes a placement service for mid-level film jobs in those areas.
The first classes launch this spring, and will have about 24 participants. A recruitment event is also being held later this spring, sponsored by the city and held at the New York City College of Technology.
New York is home to a thriving TV and film industry. TV shows from “Sesame Street” to "Ugly Betty” and "Gossip Girl” have filmed (and continue to film) here, while endless movies use the city as a locale, including such recent entries as the “Sex and the City” movies (the latest opens in May) and “Percy Jackson and the Last Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”
While many film and TV shows now shoot in other cities as stand-ins for New York, we know that there's nothing like the real thing.

Trying to Stay Healthy? The City Wants to Help You

Honestly, now: How many of you look at the postcard you get in the mail reminding you to get a checkup (or a blood pressure screening; eye exam, etc.) and immediately rush to the phone to make an appointment?
Right, we thought so.
New York wants you to be healthier, people, and now someone’s doing something about all those reminder flyers you get in the mail.
They’re calling you directly.
So now, you can throw away, but you can’t hide.
A new initiative is being launched today in New York City that will notify people who are due for health services--and call them so they can’t wiggle out of it.
Aimed at needy patients, the new Panel Management Program will determine when someone is due for a blood pressure screening or cholesterol check, for example--and then, gently but firmly, we hope, get on the phone and ask patients to schedule an appointment right then and there.
The Health Department has partnered with 20 medical practices, and will use electronic health records to locate the patients. The two-year pilot program is being funded privately by Pfizer, and is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s initiative to reach out to needy New Yorkers. The goal is to catch high-risk New Yorkers before an emergency.
Those targeted include patients with diabetes, heart conditions, or are obese.
Last year, a modified program was tested in a few practices. City staff were lent to the practices to help do outreach—and as result, 567 patients with heart conditions were reached--and 60 percent of them went in for long-overdue testing.

In New York, Even Scaffolding Can Get a Makeover

Walking under an ugly piece of scaffolding, or “sidewalk shed,” is as much a part of many New Yorkers' days as the morning subway ride or the line at the bank. But now, in an effort to make those dark, creepy, ramshackle enclosures less, well, dark, creepy and ramshackle, a new design is set to be unveiled.
The sheds are designed, ostensibly, to protect walkers from being hit by runaway debris while a building is being renovated or repaired. They’re found on both residential and commercial properties.
An international design competition was held to determine a new design: The winner was Young-Hwan Choi, a first-year architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania.
The design, entitled “Urban Umbrella,” will have customizable, transparent roofs. A UV-stabilized film could be used for the application of either different colors or a variety of art work; in other words, the roofs would become the basis for public art projects.
Mayor Bloomberg issued a statement saying that although the city changes, the sheds themselves have not. (Wouldn’t faster, more efficient work also be a solution, to get rid of the sheds faster? But we digress.)
A prototype should be up this summer. Supposedly more than 6000 sheds exist in New York City--this works out to more than one million linear feet. (You’re welcome for doing the math.)
So keep your eyes open—but your head covered--when you approach a sidewalk shed in upcoming months.

Mayor Bloomberg Gives Go-Ahead for Spanish TV Programming for Kids

With well over a million people speaking Spanish in New York, the recent initiative to offer the first Spanish-language educational TV programming for kids 2-7 years old comes at an appropriate time.
NYC TV Kids Presents V-me Niños was recently launched by Mayor Mike Bloomberg; Carmen DiRienzo, the President and CEO of V-me, a national Spanish-language network; and Katherine Oliver, the acting president of the NYC Media group.
The programming block, which includes both animated and live-action shows, can be viewed on NYC TV Channel 25, from 7:30 am to 10:00 am, Monday-Friday.
Some of the programs include ”Plaza Sesamo” (Yes, it is indeed “Sesame Street,” the classic and much-loved show for preschoolers, and yes, parents have been known to wander in and conveniently “find something that has to be done” while the show is airing as well); “Lazy Town,” a show dedicated to healthy kids that encourages them to eat healthily and to get up and move; “Five Minutes More”/”Cinco Minutas Mas” which features short segments that promote literacy with characters from Jim Henson; and “Bruno & the Banana Bunch,” which highlights a mischievous monkey who helps teach kids numbers, colors and shapes.
Three other programs complete the three-and-a-half-hour programming block, a welcome-—and much needed--addition to New York City’s TV options for kids.