filming in a bus

[faze]

what would be the best way to shoot in a bus?

should i contact the local transit service here in Toronto?

like rent or charter a bus for an hour or 3?

 

[MGov]

How many pages do you have to shoot on the bus and what's your budget?

 

[faze]

Its a 5 - 10 minute short with about 5 pages, not alot of dialogue, alot of action tho, and the whole short takes place on the bus

 

[robinthecrow]

If it isnt too long - then just spend a little on taking the bus as far as possible one morning perhaps and film as is... if its a double-decker (like we have here in England) then do it on the level up.

 

[Punch'n'Judy]

If it isnt too long - then just spend a little on taking the bus as far as possible one morning perhaps and film as is... if its a double-decker (like we have here in England) then do it on the level up.

But remember to keep in mind the formalities and indeed legalities of shooting other passengers on the bus.

 

[Phantom]

Please don't shoot the other passengers...they didn't do anything to anyone... oh the humanity....

 

[MGov]

I don't know much about Toronto's filming regulations, but if you go to the Toronto Transit, they likely will require film permits, full insurance coverage as well as paying for the driver's time. Depending on your shot list, 5 -10 pages will probably take more than an hour with set-ups, rehearsals, multiple takes.

Even if you charter a bus, the bus company might also require the permits and insurance (personally, unless I knew the driver and/or the company, I wouldn't take a chance without the insurance).

The Toronto film office might have special deals for student films or shorts that would fall under the category "experimental" films here in the states. The film office might be the way to go to find out a lot of helpful information.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

My suggestion is shoot external shots by a parked bus, and then rent a passenger van for internal shots. The interior shots on a regular lens should give you the effect you want.

In tight quarters like a bus, etc, you might be nice enough to ask permission, but if someone is in everyday society and are in the background of a shot and are not the focus of the shot you do not have to have permission. That's why the news does not have to chase everyone down that they get photos of to get permission to run their shots. (My buddy is a photographer for a local television station so we ask him all these kinds of questions as we work on different little things here).

 

[Buck-Beaver]

If you're doing it by the book, to shoot on TTC property (including vechicles I think) you have to get a permit and arrange permission through Toronto's Film Office. A rate gets negotiated and you also must have a $2 million General Comprehensive Public Liability Insurance Policy, which is very difficult to get if you're an independent filmmaker unless you're a student and your school and .http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=25604

There's always a chance you can swing a deal (like chartering a privately owned bus) or finding a TTC bus in a transit museum in Southern Ontario. I think one of the city's sound studios used to have a bus or streetcar as a standing set. Check the OMDC web site at http://locations.omdc.on.ca:8080/filmlocation/ for more leads.

 

[faze]

that website is pretty useful, so i can contact the person and use that background?