Disney is reining in Jerry Bruckheimer’s bottom line. The L.A. Times reports the budget for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, though still looming large at just above $200 million, will be about one-third less than the original Pirates. That’ll mean fewer shooting days and visual effects, which could have a big impact on movies that depend on big budgets to produce a blockbuster escapist franchise like Pirates.
While Bruckheimer’s big-budget features face a pinch, New York’s getting creative with its filmmaker pinching. The city is proposing to charge a fee to film on its streets, which has been a free privilege for anyone who wanted the New York cityscape as its film or TV backdrop. The New York Daily News has more on the proposal:
The proposed permit application fee is subject to a 30-day comment period and a public hearing before it could take effect. It would be paid just once by a movie – whether it’s a blockbuster or a low-budget film and regardless of how many days it shoots in the city. TV shows would pay one fee per season. “I doubt it would be any kind of detriment to a high-budget feature or a TV series,” said John Johnston, who heads the New York Production Alliance, a network of unions and industry groups. “However, for an independent film or music video, every dollar counts. It could be a bigger obstacle for them.” The fee would not apply to films that use hand-held equipment and don’t take up much space. Films that can prove a financial hardship would be exempt.
Hopefully for Bruckheimer they haven’t yet proposed a fee to shoot on the high seas.
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