What steps do I need to take in order to shoot a short film in an NYC subway station?

Question

I'm a film student in NYC who wants to shoot a short in an NYC subway station. I'm working VERY small scale - 2 actors and 3 crew members - with no equipment besides a professional digital camcorder. I'm working on a shoestring budget (approx. 10K), and would only need a few hours to obtain 5 or 6 minutes of footage. I have no other needs - I would just like the right to carry a professional camera in the station for a few hours without getting myself arrested. What steps do I need to take to earn the proper permit?

Answer 1

Very simple to answer.  Permission from whoever has authority to give it.  Call the city and ask.

Answer 2

Legally speaking for NYC, I'm not sure.  But you can probably get that info from the city's website, or city hall's website.  You can probably go to city hall and ask the first infomation desk you see who you have to confer with to make sure you're square for filming.  There might be security issues, or "creating a disturbance" issues you may not have considered.  Or you can probably go to the area you want to film in and ask a security gaurd/officer on duty.

When I shot here in Ventura at the pier, I had to confer with the boardwalk's security gaurds so they knew we weren't, like terrorist scouting, you know?  But I didn't need a permit.