Editorial - Gov't oversight function on filming needed

Mayor Michael Rama is correct in saying that producers of films should exert extra effort in making people in areas where they are filming know what is going in, especially if the filming involves scenes that can easily be mistaken for real occurences, such as acts of violence.

This is the clear lesson to be learned from everyone as a result of that recent fatal shooting of an indie film actor by a barangay tanod who had mistaken the victim to be a gunman fleeing from a perceived scene of a crime.

Of course the matter should be thoroughly investigated, including the fact that the tanod was obviously armed when he was supposed to be unarmed. But these are side issues that need to be dealt with separately. For now, real attention should be on how to deal with location filming.

In other areas, especially in other countries where filming movies on location are not once in a blue moon occurences, cities normally have specific offices that deal with different aspects of movie production, including location shooting.

Normally these specific offices fall under the overall authority and supervision of the office of the mayor. But because Cebu City does not attract frequent filming of movies, there is probably no need for a specific oversight office complete with personnel.

But the functions of a film oversight office can be assumed by any of several existing offices, including the office of the mayor itself, from where production outfits wishing to film on location in Cebu City have to ask for the necessary permits.

Once these permits are given, the said office assumes full responsibility in securing the site where filming is to take place, while the production outfit may be tasked with informing the public through news releases and other announcements.

For even without such an office, the government of the place where location filming is being done cannot escape responsibility for anything that happens there. It cannot merely shrug its shoulders and blame any untoward incident on the lack of public information.