MI5 – The Correspondence

So, how do you get up close and personal with MI5?

Turns out, as long as you ask nicely, it’s not that hard ! Well, that may be a little bit of an exaggeration. Let me explain..

 If I wanted this assignment to document the British intelligence network, I had to include the Security Service. This created another possible problem. This was yet another high security building and could create more potential permission issues. Checking the London borough council’s map, Thames House, the headquarters of MI5, sits in the borough of Westminster so my first email was to the Special Events department of Westminster City Council. I detailed my requirements, mentioned there would be no zoom lenses etc. and also mentioned that I had already received permissions from GCHQ and already shot pictures at Bletchley Park (although technically, anyone can do this!) I clicked send with the thought that this request would be the one that gets denied. Things up until this point had been going too well.

I received a reply from the Special Events Administrator for Westminster City Council advising that permission was not required if I was on a public highway, was using a hand-held camera, my crew was less than five and my activity would not cause an obstruction.

WHAT?!

This was fantastic news! I really couldn’t believe what I was reading. And to add that finishing touch, they wished me every success with my project!

So no permit needed to shoot outside the building. I had a crew of two and wouldn’t be obstructing anyone. Happy days!