Will i be charged professional fees?

touring_manali · May 14th, 2008, 11:14

hi all!!

i have a professional video camera and am planning to take it with me to bandhavgarh national park or ranthombore national park. what i want to ask is will i be charged professional fees (which is very high in INR)? i reside in india. i won't be using the footage recorded by this camera for professional purpose.

Kindly let me know

Regards,

touring_manali

Yogesh Sarkar · May 14th, 2008, 12:49

If you are using professional equipment and shooting for professional purpose, then of course.

zoltan · May 14th, 2008, 13:18

Yogesh, the OP stated it won't be used for professional purposes.

You'd have to explain the situation to the park rangers (or the drivers of the vehicle you travel in). I found that if you explain clearly enough, you may get away with it.

I was in Sasan Gir and had a video camera that was used to take still photos - I had to prove it was for stills only to be charged the basic rate (photo charges) - otherwise I was going to be hit with something like US$100 for taking video, which was ludicrous.

Cheers
Zoltan

touring_manali · May 17th, 2008, 12:30

thanks zoltan and yogesh for your piece of information. that means i will have to convince the park personals that the footage i shoot will not be used for professional purpose. isn't there any other way where i can obtain the permission from the officials regarding the use of the professional camera? what zoltan said involves convincing the officials, which if they are adamant, may not allow me to shoot using my professional camera. i dont mind giving in writing that the footage shot will not be used for professional purpose. Kindly help with ur suggestions.

regards,

zoltan · May 18th, 2008, 04:21

Quote:

i will have to convince the park personals that the footage i shoot will not be used for professional purpose. isn't there any other way where i can obtain the permission from the officials regarding the use of the professional camera?

This is a really hard one to answer, because it's up to an individual (park ranger or guide) who is going to be making a decision on whether you can or cannot use your camera.

You may be able to write to the head of the parks department where you will be travelling through, and make a statutory declaration that your filming is for personal use only (ie. non-commercial).

Hopefully, (s)he will send you a permission slip, but other than that, I don't know what other options you would have.

Good luck and, let us know how things work out in the end for you, so that advice can be given to others in the future.

Zoltan

mikewill · May 20th, 2008, 14:05

Hi. When I have been in Ranthambore (Dec 2007) or Bandhavgarh (Feb 2006) I never had to show the equipment to anyone, although we were only using an SLR. Typically your driver or guide will ask "Do you have a video camera?" and then go off and get the permits for you while you stay in the jeep. So, I'm fairly sure that unless you behave like a professional film maker you shouldn't have a problem.

Note that fees vary massively from park to park (more accurately from state to state) so even home video camera fees can be relatively expensive.

Good luck - hope the film turns out well!

May 14th, 2008, 11:14	#1
touring_manali Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: India Posts: 26	Will i be charged professional fees? hi all!! i have a professional video camera and am planning to take it with me to bandhavgarh national park or ranthombore national park. what i want to ask is will i be charged professional fees (which is very high in INR)? i reside in india. i won't be using the footage recorded by this camera for professional purpose. Kindly let me know Regards, touring_manali

May 14th, 2008, 12:49	#2
Yogesh Sarkar Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New Delhi (India) Posts: 1,074	If you are using professional equipment and shooting for professional purpose, then of course. __________________ My Travelogues \| My Blog \| Ladakh Travel Guide

May 14th, 2008, 13:18	#3
zoltan Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 656	Yogesh, the OP stated it won't be used for professional purposes. You'd have to explain the situation to the park rangers (or the drivers of the vehicle you travel in). I found that if you explain clearly enough, you may get away with it. I was in Sasan Gir and had a video camera that was used to take still photos - I had to prove it was for stills only to be charged the basic rate (photo charges) - otherwise I was going to be hit with something like US$100 for taking video, which was ludicrous. Cheers Zoltan __________________ India (and other) photos click here

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May 17th, 2008, 12:30	#4
touring_manali Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: India Posts: 26	thanks zoltan and yogesh for your piece of information. that means i will have to convince the park personals that the footage i shoot will not be used for professional purpose. isn't there any other way where i can obtain the permission from the officials regarding the use of the professional camera? what zoltan said involves convincing the officials, which if they are adamant, may not allow me to shoot using my professional camera. i dont mind giving in writing that the footage shot will not be used for professional purpose. Kindly help with ur suggestions. regards,

May 20th, 2008, 14:05	#6
mikewill Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Exeter, England Posts: 276	Hi. When I have been in Ranthambore (Dec 2007) or Bandhavgarh (Feb 2006) I never had to show the equipment to anyone, although we were only using an SLR. Typically your driver or guide will ask "Do you have a video camera?" and then go off and get the permits for you while you stay in the jeep. So, I'm fairly sure that unless you behave like a professional film maker you shouldn't have a problem. Note that fees vary massively from park to park (more accurately from state to state) so even home video camera fees can be relatively expensive. Good luck - hope the film turns out well!

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