August 30, 2010

Toronto Film Fest enacts rules for paparazzi

Reservations will be required for red carpet access


That's the new red carpet rule for paparazzi at the Toronto International Film Festival, where media outlets this September will be required to RSVP before being assigned nightly vantage points to snap the stars.

Jettisoning the old lottery system and red carpet jostling, Toronto will see celebrity camera crews and photographers each morning reserve by email the films they want to cover that afternoon and evening.

Paparazzi will then receive an email confirming whether or not they were granted a spot at their desired red carpet.

TIFF organizers are determined to make their new rules for snappers stick.

"Red carpet assignments will be made for each and every carpet -- media outlets will not retain the same spot on every carpet, on every night or at every venue," the festival said in its new red carpet protocol released on the weekend.

Organizers will not take reservations by phone, only email, and insist they will assign spots on the red carpet according to a film's audience, reach and geography, among other criteria.

Establishing etiquette among paparazzo in Toronto comes as fest organizers have extended red carpets outside a host of festival venues, and charged cinema-goers extra for the privilege of seeing their favorite stars strut into theaters.

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