© Off Trax Ltd 2009
Due to the potential dangers of filming from moving vehicles, Off Trax personnel will always make sure that the safety of crew and anyone else in the vicinity takes precedence over all other filming considerations.
We work to a strict set of guidelines – Off Trax Safety Rules & Procedures for Camera Tracking Vehicles. There are also two documents produced by the Metropolitan Police Film Unit that give additional guidance for filming on public highways (with or without a police escort). All these documents are sent with our quotes so that the production company can circulate them to heads of departments and any other relevant personnel prior to the shoot day. We normally suggest that they are added to the call sheet along with any general risk assessment undertaken by production. We also require a key representative from production (producer, production manager or director etc) to sign the Safety Rules and Procedures document and return it prior to the shoot day.
Recent legislation and the tightening of existing laws has led to new restrictions when filming on public roads. Please check that the shoot you may be planning does not fall foul of these new rules. Examples include the banning of all front platforms, manned or for remote cameras, and the use of any camera rigs on the outside of vehicles, unless controlled by the police with either police outriders or the closing of roads. We are happy to discuss any specific requirements with production to help make a shoot possible and we also recommend speaking to PC Alan Cousins at the Met Film Unit for help and advice, even if filming is not to be in the London area.
Contact PC Alan Cousins by:
Email: filmunit@met.police.uk or Telephone: 020 71611099
Links to useful information:
Camera Tracking Vehicle Safety
