Jersey City’s Mayor Steven Fulop Announces Launch of FilmJC Website; Website Streamlines Film Permitting Process and Allows Filmmakers to Apply Online for Film Permits

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced today that the City of Jersey City has launched FilmJC.org, a website that streamlines the film permitting process and allows filmmakers to apply online for film permits as the administration continues to encourage the expansion of art and the film industry in Jersey City.

The filmJC website, one of a handful of municipal film permit websites, streamlines the film permitting process by allowing filmmakers to submit their request and information, upload necessary forms, and pay for the permit online. Other cities with an online film permitting process include New York City, Los Angeles and Miami.

Last year, the administration introduced an updated film permitting process to encourage filmmaking in Jersey City and to make the process less cumbersome. The FilmJC.org website is a product of the updated permitting ordinance.

“We want Jersey City to be a destination for filmmakers and have not only streamlined the process and created an easier, online application process, but we are reaching out to the community to promote locations and local businesses who can benefit from filming in Jersey City,” said Mayor Fulop. “Jersey City has iconic locations, beautiful neighborhoods and parks, and one of the nation’s most diverse communities, and the more movies and shows that are filmed helps promote our great city and supports our local economy and our artists.”

The website, which can also be accessed from the city website homepage, is user-friendly, provides a comprehensive FAQ page for filmmakers, explains the fee structure and accepts credit card payments, and includes a location library of city-owed spaces available for filming. The website will also feature a Filmmaker Resource Page with film-friendly businesses who will offer discounts on food, hotels, hardware, etc. to FilmJC productions as well as a resource list of professional production personnel and vendors who register on the site, as well as private locations that will be offered for shoots.

About the Jersey City Film Ordinance

·The film ordinance creates one point of contact for film permitting and formalizes the process of notifying residents and business owners about film production to minimize the impact on the local community.

·The fee for commercial film production in Jersey City is set at $250 for productions with less than 30 crewmembers and $500 for a production with 30 or more crewmembers. Permits are for four-day shoots, with longer productions requiring renewals.

·The permit fee is waived for any filmmaker with three or fewer crewmembers who is filming with one camera and a tripod. Additionally, a permit is never required for non-commercial shoots, such as news productions or student films.

·The updated ordinance also reduces the permit fee for Jersey City-based production companies and filmmakers by $250.

·The administration will revisit and make easier and less burdensome the off-duty police requirements.

Not only does the administration envision Jersey City as the premier destination for filmmakers, but the administration also wants to encourage the film industry to establish roots in Jersey City. By reducing permitting fees for local production companies, and creating an online permitting process, Jersey City will attract the more permanent components of the film industry, such as sound stages and post-production studios.