Honolulu Film Brief — Permits, Events, and Practical Steps for Shoots
Honolulu video production crews have a tight fortnight ahead as festival premieres, spooky park screenings and updated permit rules converge. The guide below keeps every Honolulu camera crew compliant, booked and sunrise-ready.
Permit & Policy Snapshot
The Hawai‘i Film Office’s standard application now requires producers to combine the film form, insurance, site plan and any drone documents into a single PDF before upload. State shoots on DLNR or DOT land still need a seven-business-day lead time and a $100-plus processing fee. For UAV work, crews must attach a flight plan, Part 107 license and drone-specific COI under the office’s new “Drone Activity” checklist. Hobby flyers are reminded that TRUST is mandatory and anything over 250 g must be FAA-registered.
HIFF45 Highlights
- Dates: Oct 16 – 30 across Honolulu venues, with industry talks streaming nationwide
- Programming: 150+ titles plus the inaugural ‘Ōpio youth sidebar announced Oct 14
Outdoor Screen Scene
- Oct 18 – “Horror Under the Stars,” Kapi‘olani Park: R-rated slasher double, 7 p.m. load-in; skyline drone plates possible before FAA 9 p.m. curfew
- Oct 11 – Keiki Movie Night, Waikīkī: PG feature, sunset start, high cosplay quotient for family-brand B-roll
Casting & Commercial Buzz
Backstage lists an Aloha Junk Man promo casting local families for an Oct-20 shoot at a Kaka‘ako warehouse, day-rate $900 plus craft-service meals featuring local vendors. Untold Fable continues to seek a fixer for an Oct-late branded travel shoot, signalling more inbound gear rentals and hotel blocks.
Studio & Prep News
While Diamond Head Studios eyes long-term expansion, current productions remain “in prep” for Q1 2026 according to the Hawaii Film Office’s dashboard. Beverly Boy’s latest Honolulu brief stresses permit hygiene and event-calendar checks over chasing distant stage rumors
Two-Week Action Checklist
- File permits by Oct 14 for any shoot the week of Oct 21–28; missing drone docs reset the clock.
- Scout Kapi‘olani Park at golden hour Oct 16-17 before horror screens claim the turf.
- Hold wet-weather interiors; October averages 5 rain days and HIFF crowds will fill multiplex lobbies.
- Track lane closures near Ala Moana; city boards post weekly updates tied to HIFF gala events
Closing Thoughts
From consolidated permit packets to festival frenzy, Honolulu’s late-October rhythm rewards teams that over-prepare: lock your drone paperwork, pre-book studio fallbacks, and mine HIFF45’s networking mixers for winter shoots. Hit those marks and you’ll wrap with footage as vivid as a sunset over Diamond Head.
