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State film commissions/Trynna shoot in a cave


kaylee
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lol what a great thread title ?

GUYS!!!

did you know that there are these things called state film commissions where they give out location permits?? ? i forgot that they existed lolol

but little did i know that places where i thought that filming would ~never~ be allowed, may be allowed, with a permit, under the right circumstances~!

oh, i forgot to mention, im currently obsessed with caves. i wanna shoot something in a cave

i got into the idea of building a fake cave, which is borderline easy in that i already know how to make stuff out of foam/plaster/chicken wire/whatever, but to make the amount of rocks and stuff i would need for my shots would be a TON of work. id be making boulders for a year ?

so then i started looking at actual caves, which i figured would just be all blocked off bc... idk why?? like, ppl could hurt themselves? the state i live in has a lot of laws...

anyway, come to find out that THIS exists

https://ca.reel-scout.com/loc_detail.aspx?parent=loc_results.aspx&id=1059&cid=50&search=cave&rgn=All Regions&rgnid=&cnty=All Counties&cntyid=&city=All Cities / Towns&cityid=&subcat=&style=&lname=&lid=&dist=&zip=&mat=all

not to mention THIS (??!!!!)

https://ca.reel-scout.com/loc_detail.aspx?parent=loc_results.aspx&id=10120444&cid=50&search=cave&rgn=All Regions&rgnid=&cnty=All Counties&cntyid=&city=All Cities / Towns&cityid=&subcat=&style=&lname=&lid=&dist=&zip=&mat=all

i was like... how in the heck could a film crew possibly be allowed in that place ???

 

so, heres my question: can i actually do this? whats stopping me? besides money

my understanding is that they assess fees based on your project, havent found any firm info on that yet

...im guessing that some of you guys have dealt with film commissions, or state parks, or something of that nature...???

lookit this pic tho

3362437.jpg

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Don't know much about permits (and I haven't looked at your links), except that if the location/cave is in a park, you will probably need a permit from the parks department that has jurisdiction (municipal, county, state or federal).

 

Also, there are significant safety concerns with caves (and mine shafts).  Here are some safety guidelines.  A lack of oxygen or noxious gases can kill you -- that is a hazard that you cannot see.

 

If you will be crawling through tight passages, you will be glad if you are wearing a hard-hat, knee pads and elbow pads.

 

Be careful!

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Have you seen Herzog's film on caves... really great.

They also build an exact replica of that cave which is super interesting and thought about filming there myself:

http://archeologie.culture.fr/chauvet/en

Not sure about shooting a proper film in such sensitive locations... usually need permits and relivant insurance.... but I was shooting in a cave in Ireland last night... no crew, no permit.

P

 

 

 

 

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There's probably never been a better time to do it, because now you can get almost every piece of equipment to run on batteries.  @tupp was right about gases and stuff, which is a really huge deal if you're trying to run a generator down there, but hello 2019 and its cheap LED lights and affordable high-ISO see-in-the-dark cameras!

That leaves dealing with the authorities and working out what they will or won't do.  It might be a good idea to ask around who has done such things before, as it's possible that they really don't like people making scary cave movies because they think it will scare tourists away, or maybe they like scary cave movies because scary movies are popular and people will come to the caves for excitement or whatever, you never know.

I saw a great film once about homeless people living in a subway station and they got permission from (IIRC) the polish rail department to film there with the criteria that the final film must begin with a statement from the rail people, so it did.  The first 3 minutes of the film was a portly gentleman from the rail department reading a statement about how the rail department wants to reassure the public that homeless people don't live in the subway and that it's clean and everyone should use it and that they are proud to support the arts, all while looking like he's completely terrified to be on camera.  It was great!  Can't remember the name of the film, but it was a first feature and it was really good, so if someone can remember then please let us know :) 

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9 hours ago, kye said:

 @tupp was right about gases and stuff, which is a really huge deal if you're trying to run a generator down there,

I actually wasn't referring to running a genny inside a cave (which would be an obvious hazard).

 

Natural noxious gases can collect in caves and mine shafts, hence, the use of canaries in underground mines.  Also, having a decent sized crew and cast in a small closed space can deplete the oxygen.

 

If you are in a cave with a cast and crew and if you are not close enough to the entrance to feel a breeze from the outside, then you probably need to run an active ventilation hose/duct from the outside to the set (in other words, you need to pump fresh air into the shooting area of the cave).

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perhaps try maybe old railway tunnels except no real character to speak off. sometimes 4 wheel drive enthusiasts know of caves that aren't known to  members outside of the club .the few caves i know about are quite shallow and have glow worms. think tourists by the bus load ?

In a similar vein i bought 100 tea candles all i need now is a very still night and i'll find out how many candles to illuminate the bmp4k or i'll be building my own man cave ?

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3 hours ago, tupp said:

I actually wasn't referring to running a genny inside a cave (which would be an obvious hazard).

 

Natural noxious gases can collect in caves and mine shafts, hence, the use of canaries in underground mines.  Also, having a decent sized crew and cast in a small closed space can deplete the oxygen.

 

If you are in a cave with a cast and crew and if you are not close enough to the entrance to feel a breeze from the outside, then you probably need to run an active ventilation hose/duct from the outside to the set (in other words, you need to pump fresh air into the shooting area of the cave).

It depends on the cave wouldn't it?

If it was a tourist cave then that stuff would already be managed, etc, and you'd be renting it out essentially, or using it on a day that it wasn't in use.

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9 hours ago, fuzzynormal said:

He assures me that working with the state parks is pretty straightforward.  They'll indulge just about any request, even the Indie ones

wow, thats fantastic to hear, thanks for the tip~!!! heck, i might as well give this a try....!

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  • 1 month later...
1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

I was thinking about you yesterday actually because I was in this cave house :)

1415729364_Cave00.thumb.jpg.2ddbb9f95aa91e98356352b1593d548f.jpg

OMG i LOVE ITttttttt

i would buy that cave house but it would obvs be too depressing for me in practice. @BTM_Pix do ppl live there??

update: im still ?shooting in a cave. easy and fast. no audio recorded on set. 3 hours. in and out! itll be sicc ?

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19 minutes ago, kaylee said:

 

i would buy that cave house but it would obvs be too depressing for me in practice. @BTM_Pix do ppl live there??

Well, I'm not sure its that depressing considering this is the view from its front door ;) 

1766285923_Cave005.thumb.jpg.866bd542e9d76c29e14af61f03ac3ca4.jpg

Yes, people live in them but this particular one was a "have a look inside my cave as I'm renovating it and give me a euro to help me with it" place.

Lovely cool natural temperature in there considering it was 39C outside.

If you ever find yourself in Granada, you can try one out as there are plenty on AirBnB to choose from in the same area with slightly more brighter interiors !

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/31094926?location=Granada%2C Spain&toddlers=0&adults=2&check_in=2019-11-06&check_out=2019-11-08&source_impression_id=p3_1565545654_LYpFx%2B%2BPbPCOHpGy&s=eXoImwQB

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1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

Well, I'm not sure its that depressing considering this is the view from its front door ;) 

1766285923_Cave005.thumb.jpg.866bd542e9d76c29e14af61f03ac3ca4.jpg

If you ever find yourself in Granada, you can try one out as there are plenty on AirBnB to choose from in the same area with slightly more brighter interiors !

Only 1 hour driving from my house! 

I've been so many times in Granada, but never in a cave. 

But few years ago I stay in a similar house in Las Palmas (canary islands) 

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20 minutes ago, Grimor said:

Only 1 hour driving from my house! 

I've been so many times in Granada, but never in a cave. 

But few years ago I stay in a similar house in Las Palmas (canary islands) 

Its about 2 1/2 hours from mine but we go there quite a lot for weekends too.

Just jump on the little tourist train thing and get off at Sacromonte and there is a lovely little area of cave houses up there.

Idiots such as me ignore the first part of that advice and decide to walk up there of course!

I would definitely consider staying in one but I'm not sure my calfs agree after the hike up there.

 

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2 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

Well, I'm not sure its that depressing considering this is the view from its front door ;) 

WOW! ?

gorgeous omg.

actually i only want to live in remote areas from now on, and im moving from my current mtn to a snowier, crappier, more remote one 500 miles away

THEn im going to transition to miles of property when im rich (a sq mile is 640 acres btw) so im REALLY isolated

then ill be happy. with my wifi :)

 

 

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ok but ferreal i met this cinematographer and worked with him, got his number, hit him up a couple weeks later, and he was like "Oh yeah, I've actually shot in some caves..."

hes a dynamo and his day rate is a steal. id gladly pay him more tbh. and his work looks great. not sure hes human but its whatever

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