Official prohibition of filming, editing, or distribution — due to content, location restrictions, or regulatory violations. Must be clarified in pre-production.
Before you shoot a single foot of film, you need to know if your project is even allowed to be made. A ban—whether from authorities, property owners, or legal institutions—stops production faster than any technical glitch. This is constantly underestimated because producers and line producers do their research too late.
Bans arise in several scenarios: The most common case is a content ban by youth protection or supervisory authorities. If you have scenes with violence, sexual content, or politically sensitive topics, the responsible FSK or international equivalents will check if age rating is possible—or if cuts/post-production are mandatory. This is not a list of prohibitions, but a negotiation process, but without prior clarification, you'll hit a dead end in post-production. The second major area: location bans. If you shoot in airplanes, train stations, schools, or on private property, you need written permits. If these are missing, you have a de facto ban—not legally formulated, but practically unworkable. Airports are notoriously strict here; some flatly refuse to be available for feature films.
There are also bans due to safety regulations and operating procedures. If you want to use explosives, real weapons, or extreme stunts, permits from the trade supervisory office, explosives authority, or accident insurance fund are required. Here, "ban" is often a temporary state—with the right safety concept and insurance, it then becomes permitted. A typical problem: communication between production and local authorities lapses, and shortly before shooting begins, you learn that your scene is impossible.
The practical rule is simple: Clarification before shooting schedule. Employ a specialized line producer or production coordinator who approaches the authorities, obtains written permits, and registers quotas (stunts, pyrotechnics, animal training) in a timely manner. Bans are not artistic hurdles—they are administrative realities. Those who ignore them risk not only shooting stops but also fines and reputational damage. In editing, there are hardly any subsequent bans, except by international distribution partners who want to block certain scenes for their markets—but this should already be considered in the finishing plan.