Well, this is a strange one, but given how things have been going the last few years, maybe not so much. The D.C. Circuit Court has ruled that First Amendment rights no longer apply to filmmaking, sort of. At least, not in National Parks and not if you intend to make even a single penny out of the resulting footage – even if just posting to your own social media.
In 2018, independent filmmaker Gordon Price filmed some scenes in Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia, for his film, Crawford Road. After premiering the film at nearby restaurants, the National Park Service issued him with citations for “commercial filming” in a national park without permits. Several trips to various courts later and the D.C. Circuit Court has ruled 2-1 that any intent to make any money at all from content made on NPS land – even from a single YouTube ad – means you need to pay commercial fees before filming.
FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!