Location Scout + Location Manager R. Richard Hobbs
“Editorial Photographers (EP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and profitability of editorial photography. Our mission is to educate photographers and photography buyers about business issues affecting our industry, and in the process raise the level of business practices in the profession.”
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Videomaker Magazine :: Downloadables :: Book of Forms - Location Surveys/Scouting Reports
I haven’t bought it, but for $1.99 how bad could you possibly get ripped off LOL? Maybe it’s incredibly useful …and worth 10x $1.99? Feelin’ lucky?
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If you are planning on shooting on location on New York City city property (i.e. streets / sidewalks / curb spaces or if you are shooting on private property and will be running cable across same …or need to clear parking…) in New York City (which includes the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island), you will need a City of New York Mayor’s Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting (MOFTB) film permit. You should probably hire a local location scout or location manager to complete this paperwork for you.
In many instances location scouting, including checking availability of parking and local parking regulations, existence of schools, hospitals, churches, fire dept. / police stations etc in the area, availability of holding areas as well as other details is an appropriate and necessary step in the preproduction process. Consult with your location scout or location manager for professional, knowledgeable advice regarding these matters.
Currently, there are a few documents that location scout or location manager will need for you to complete that will contain basic info he / she needs to get you going as well as info you need:
You should also call MOFTB at 1-212-489-6710 and request a Hotzone List, which is a frequently updated list of areas in New York City where filming is currently restricted or prohibited.
Permits are also currently required for pretty much any sort of photography on city property beyond general tourist photography (i.e. tripod / lights / additional crew / talent, etc.)
The MOFTB website contains complete information needed for obtaining film permits as well as Parks Film Permits, including Central Park
Download: Insurance Requirements, Keys to the City, General Parks Guidelines and Central Park Guidelines - pdf’s in a .zip file (496kb).
Hey, guess what?
gotta LOVE it! 
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Dependent Films | Tools & Utilities for filmmakers
“You’ve now entered the Dependent Films Download Center. It’s unbelievable 1) how much these files can help, and 2) how hard all of these tools are to find on the net.”
Location Release Form Location Scouting SheetIts true, especially when you are going about a hundred miles an hour trying to 20 other things and you need it NOW. That never happens to you, huh?
Yahoo! Search: tools utilities filmmakers
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Texas Film Commission | Location Scouting Letter of Intent (Word .doc)
“Production Company Letterhead
SAMPLE #1: MERCHANTS AND BUSINESS DISTRICT
June 14, 2006
Dear Neighbor:
My name is Joe Smith and I am a Location Scout for the upcoming movie, “THE MOVIE”. Shooting will be taking place in Providence beginning in August 2006 and continuing through November 2006.”
The Texas Film Office’s sample Location Scouting Letter of Intent is a good general example of a letter of intent (or resident / business letter as it is sometimes known) you could use as a guide for your own letter…
Here are links to the more-often used pages on the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre, Broadcast and Television website. On these pages is lots of info (as well as live forms and instructions) that you need when dealing with MOFTB and New York City film and photo permits
Still Photography
Schedule A
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NYPG (New York Production Guide) On-Line Resource
“With vital information in all areas of industry standardized AICP (Association of Independendent Commercial Producers) bid form, film and videotape production information is now more accessible allowing for thorough and professional research, estimating, pre-production, and post-production.”
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NYPG (New York Production Guide) is designed to match the AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) bid/estimate categories and general workflow.
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Attached are two (2) boilerplates of the location contracts we use so there is a written agreement between us, production and property owners when a deal has been negotiated to use a property as a filming location for a film, photo or video shoot.
(1) is a long form - the one that has been around here some time now, but often seems intimidating and “overkill” for “everyday” use…
(2) is a shorter form, less detailed but seems to-the-point for most everyday use.
Caveat: R. Richard Hobbs is NOT an attorney and makes no warranty of legal validity of either document presented here. These documents are presented for illustrative purposes only, do not neccesarily constitute legally binding agreement(s) and certainly do not represent agreements of any sort between R. Richard Hobbs and anyone who views or uses the aforementioned location documents. For legal advice seek the services of a registered, licensed law professional.
…at the same time, please feel free to use these documents for your own purposes as reference or for ideas to use to come up with your own forms.
MS Word Format:
PDF Format:
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I was interviewed last week by New York, NY CBS affiliate WCBS-TV, for a video news article entitled Hollywood Being Priced Out of 1 Upscale Rockland County Town that ran on the Thursday, April 12th 11pm Newscast and in extended form the following morning on the Morning News regarding a situation in Orangetown Township, NY whereby the town has initiated a $500 per hour fine for film crews present before 7a.m. or after sunset.
As I said on camera, Orangetown’s fees are exorbitant. I could never recommend sending a film crew to Orangetown under these circumstances. Film makers are not fools and contrary what many casual observers seem to think from what they may have seen on Entertainment Tonight, the production side of film and tv are not about burning thru money as fast as you can throw it on a fire, which is about what Orangetown’s fees amount to.
Directors Guild of America (DGA) publication on the subject of runaway film production
Evidently, at some time or another, someone was inconvenienced by production vehicle traffic (I am told it is one individual in particular and a review of town meeting minutes on the town website reflects a couple of instances where the same few specific residents made complaints about filming activities). The Town Supervisor, Thom Kleiner was quoted as saying they were inconvenienced by truck traffic.
The majority of film productions are very willing to work to with local residents as well as local government and law enforcement to facilitate conditions with every one’s best interests in mind. It seems like something cumulatively seriously fell thru the cracks in Orangetown.
It just doesn’t seem to all add up.
Time lost by residents due to occasional temporary neighborhood film-production traffic delays: 15 minutes?
Time spent preparing for and attending town meetings to complain: hours?
What’s sad is the town has cow-towed to these several misguided and selfish individuals. The many positive effects that film production has on a local community seems to be lost on this bunch.
Film production brings business to town. If there is a crew shooting they are likely putting people in hotels, eating in local resturants and using local caterers, shopping at local retailers and spending money with any number of other local businesses, not to mention owners of property used for locations who could be banking several mortgage payments in fees when their properties get utilised by production even just short-term.
Film production is a decent-size industry which accounts for around $5 billion a year New York City alone. In fact, contrary to popular belief, the local film offices exist not primarily as arts and cultural entities but rather as offices of economic development and the New York State Film Office and New York City Mayors Office of Film, Theater and Broadcast (MOFTB) are very active at their respective government levels to create tax incentives to attract film makers. A study of effects of New York City’s recent Made in New York Incentive reflects dramatic annual shoot day increases over the past several years which translates to a more than $3 billion increase in city revenue from film production. Tax incentives have shown to generate 30%+ returns, or, every tax dollar waived, have resulted in $1.34 in increased overall revenue.
The New York State Film Office and NYC MOFTB have both worked long and hard to attract filming to the state and greater NYC metro area, so, a town like Orangetown is, for all intents and purposes, shooting the film offices (as well as their own local economic development) in the foot.
Film Production is clean. You dont have to worry about cleaning up the ground water after a film company leaves town.
There is no doubt that for most people, being able to say that you have had a movie made in your town brings a sense of pride and most find experiencing the process to be fun and exciting.
An active local film/arts community does a lot to raise the cultural level of any town or city.
C’mon Orangetown, wake up and smell the coffee!
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Tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007) will be the third and final session of the Location Scouting and Location Management Workshop that Mark McKennon and I have been teaching at Learning Annex in New York City.
Details and registration form are available on the Learning Annex Website. Just navigate to “Local Classes” (New York) and to the date (April 3, 2007)
Better hurry if this workshop is something you would like to attend!
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Actually, this is Bananr running locally and embedded using an iframe.
Here is my Bananr running on bananr.com. You can only display ALL your Flickr photos this way (hey, whatta you want? it’s free) and admittedly your Flickr photos page can do the same thing. (Here’s mine).bananr.com is very simple: Just surf to bananr.com, follow the instructions to retrieve your Flickr i.d. using idgettr and plug it in to the bananr.com form and away you go!There are more options available if you download and install Bananr to your own website.
Bananalbum itself is a skin that needs to be dropped into a local installation of JAlbum (Windows), a free photo album creation program. Bananalbum creates the neccesary files for the web photo album, which you then upload to your website. All these tasks can be completed inside a ruuning copy of JAlbum. If you are using a Mac, look on the Bananalbum website, there is Album Creator for Mac.
There is also a Picasa template available on the Bananalbum website.
With tweaks bananr.com or Bananalbum could be useful to a location scout. Your mileage may vary with your experience as a webmaster.
Rudin blog
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From the New Jersey State Film Commission:
New Jersey currently offers these financial incentives to filmmakers, and the US Government has an incentive program as well:
20% TAX CREDIT PROGRAM
New Jersey offers a tax credit in an amount equal to 20% of qualified production expenses, available to production companies meeting certain criteria, chiefly:
(1) At least 60% of the total expenses of a project, exclusive of post-production costs, will be incurred for services performed and goods used or consumed in New Jersey
(2) Principal photography of a project commences within 150 days after the approval of the application for the credit
NEW JERSEY FILM TAX PROCESS GUIDELINES PRINTABLE APPLICATION FOR NEW JERSEY FILM TAX CREDIT (IN ADOBE PDF FORMAT) EXEMPTION FROM NEW JERSEY’S 6% SALES TAX
Certain tangible property used directly and primarily in the production of films and television programs is exempt from New Jersey’s 6% sales tax. This tangible property includes the purchase of replacement parts for machinery, tools and other supplies, the purchase of lumber and hardware to build sets, the rental of picture cars, the purchase or rental of other types of props, and costs related to the repair of camera and lighting equipment. To view the entire law, click here:
LAW GRANTING FILMMAKERS SPECIAL EXEMPTION FROM 6% STATE SALES TAX EXEMPT USE CERTIFICATE (FORM ST-4) AND INSTRUCTIONS THE NEW JERSEY FILM PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
The Film Production Assistance Program allows film projects to be eligible for loan guarantees through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Guaranteeing a portion of loans made by other lenders encourages these lenders to finance projects they might not ordinarily finance on their own.
Loan guarantees cannot exceed 30% of the bank financing cost of the project, or $1.5 million, whichever is less.Until now, most film industry projects did not meet EDA eligibility requirements because the jobs they created were temporary. The new law expands the criteria for the EDA’s loan guarantee program so qualifying film production companies can participate.
The legislation sets important criteria for eligibility:
- At least one-half of material and production costs must be spent in New Jersey.
- At least 70% of shooting days must take place in the state.- Prevailing wage must be paid to workers employed in the project to be financed.
- The project must possess performance bonds.
Application forms are now available. For additional information, follow the links below:
LAW CREATING THE NEW JERSEY FILM PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM PRINTABLE APPLICATION FOR NEW JERSEY FILM PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (IN ADOBE PDF FORMAT) WEBSITE FOR NEW JERSEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY NATIONAL TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM
The American Jobs Creation Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 22nd, 2004, offers tax breaks to film and television producers.
DETAILS ON AMERICAN JOBS CREATION ACT
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Shoot Online | Meet The Commish | Filming Incentive Program Takes Hold In Connecticut | By Robert Goldrich
“July 21, 2006 — Heidi Hamilton became Connecticut’s Film Division Director last December, after having worked under the previous director. She brings to her position a broad-based background in law and filmmaking.”
CT Film | Connecticut Digital Media & Motion Picture Tax Credit
“What happens when you combine majestic shorelines, quiet meadows, old world architecture, bucolic town greens, mill town grunge, skilled crew base and 30% tax credits?”
CT Film | Welcome Message from Film Division Director Heidi Hamilton
“…In the closing days of the 2006 session, the General Assembly established tax credits for the production of digital media and motion pictures in Connecticut and renamed the division the Digital Media and Motion Picture Division (effective October 1, 2006). In an effort to encourage increased economic activity in the state and job growth, the legislation calls for a tax credit equal to 30% for qualified digital media and motion picture production, preproduction, postproduction and distribution expenses incurred in the state that exceed $50,000. The production tax credit is among the most aggressive programs in the country and will be administered by the Film Division. On our website you will find detailed information including a pre-application and instructions. Check frequently for updated program information.”
Connecticut In-State Production Tax Incentive info links:
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It used to be when you wanted to film in New York City Parks (i.e. Central Park, Prospect Park (Brooklyn), etc, you had to do a little detective work to find the number for the manager of the park in question (short of having an (as far as I know) unpublished list of the different districts and the managers of the parks in those districts) and call that manager for verbal permission to film in the park which he/she managed.
Assuming you could track him/her down and get an answer to your request (this could traditionally sometimes take several days from my experience- woe if they were on vacation or otherwise out of the office) and get permission, you would then go to the NYC Mayors Office of Film, Theater and Broadcast (MOFTB) and add the location to your film permit.
Today, I called one of the park managers about filming in one the NYC Parks and got the ol’ voicemail, which instructed me to go to this webpage:
http://nyc.gov/html/dpr/html/film_shoot_form.html
So, I filled the form and submitted it over the internet. The form sent me an auto-email confirming my request and even assigned it a request number. The form goes to either a central party in charge of routing the requests, or possibly a database that automates this chore.
I’m keeping an eye on my email at this point waiting to get a response. *Follow-up Note*: The park manager that I needed an answer from called me for more details and approved my request within 24 hours.
Presumably, this form covers all the parks in the system. It seems a much more organized way to go about the Parks permitting procedure; it gives the park manager(s) a little breathing room to get their head in a space to deal with their request(s) instead of being bugged on the phone at inopportune times and/or having to scroll thru and listen to who knows how many voicemail messages to field filming requests in addition to what must be a myriad of other responsibilities that a New York City Parks Manager must have.
I’ll still have to take my permission (assuming they give me a green light for my request) to the permit office and add it to my Schedule “A”. It would be nice to be able to cut out this second step, but the two departments (the parks department and the permit office) need a way to talk to each other, so for now this a chore we’ll all have to live with.
NYC Parks Special Events
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Note: The following is a draft of “Securing A Great Location”, published in Moviemaker Magazine’s 2005 Beginner’s Guide To Making Movies
MovieMaker Magazine | Securing a Great Location | By © R. Richard Hobbs 2004
Chances are, before too much time goes by, you, as a film maker, will be forced to reckon with venturing out of the cozy, controllable confines of a studio/soundstage and into that great wild beyond known as a location.
If you are a director, your job, (among a plethora of other tasks, of course!), is to think of creative ways to bring a story to life visually.
If, like me, you are a part of the locations department (location scout and/or location manager), your job is to help the creative team toward this end, and while hopefully thinking equally as creatively and presenting actual real-world location possibilities, at the same time you are obligated to pay quite a bit more attention to the practicality, logistics and nuts and bolts of actually pulling the shot off at the location(s) you might suggest and following up on same.
Depending on your budget and/or method of working, even though your title may be Director, Assistant Director, Production Manager or even Executive Producer, you may be required to deal with some of the issues yourself that by rights are normally the Locations Department’s; in any case a little “cross-training ” and insight into what some of the other crew does cant be any less than a good thing!
All this said, my story will attempt to offer some useful information toward securing the perfect location from the locations department’s point of view.
As mentioned before, (the aesthetics aspects notwithstanding), there are a number of practical aspects to consider when choosing a location. What follows is by no means complete, but here are a few items in no special order:
Does the location you are considering work from all technical & logistical points of view? Some questions to ask yourself:
Where will I put all those trucks and people?
Is there room for (if not normally legal, then permitted) parking? It is imperative that you or someone from your crew scout the area adjacent to the set beforehand to make sure there is room and to be sure that room is not in front of a hydrant, fire department or bus stop, etc.
If parking is “tight “ (in high demand) you need to be sure that parking will in fact exist when your crew arrives! Having a permit to park there is one thing, actually “owning” the parking space(s) is another! (As we all know possession is 99% of the law;-)
In New York City (where I work) there are specialists called Parking Coordinators or Coneheads (for the orange cones they put out). Hire them.
You need to be sure you can meet the electrical requirements of your shoot. Be sure there is sufficient house power or you can get your genny truck close enough, and be sure you have sufficient electrical cable in any case!
Is there holding? (a comfortable place to “hold” people while they are not on set) If you are using SAG actors, a requirement is that they have a separate, private area for changing clothes. Be sure there is air conditioning or heat if the weather requires it!
Does the location work logistically?
Be careful with scheduling! If you are shooting a scene on one side of town in the morning and it takes an hour to drive to the second set, another hour to set up and then an hour of shooting, you are probably already into meal penalties. Try to find locations close to each other when scheduling scenes to be shot/ talent on call on the same day.
Is there room to work?
The most gorgeous room in the world is useless is there is not enough room to get the camera/dolly/lights/actors in there for the angles needed to make the shot.
What if it rains?
Do you have a “Plan B” in your pocket? Be careful with weather and cancellations of locations, talent and equipment. It can get expensive.
Is there light there?
Is there the correct lighting for the mood you are trying to achieve (or can you make it?) A location can look significantly different on a cloudy day from the day you scouted it and there was daylight streaming thru the branches casting patterns on the ground!
Are you absolutely sure you have permission to be there?
Does the owner understand that it won’t just be someone with a camcorder stopping by for a few moments? We become so used to our own world that it sometimes ceases to occur to us that people outside the film industry most often have (or have any reason to have an) inkling about what is actually involved in making a film. You need to be straightforward and accurate about all those trucks, equipment and people that will be showing up for 12-14 hours.
You should have also prepared in advance a synopsis of the story and the specific scene(s) you are shooting and explain this in detail to the owner. Sure, we love our story, but everybody has their own views and what seems perfectly normal to us may seem controversial or blatantly offensive to someone else (for no apparent reason to us) yet it is they that will have to live with being associated with the film. This is a very large, diverse, very politically correct world we live in today!
You should always use a property release form and get it signed by the location owner. A property release, in a nutshell, is written permission for you to depict a property to the public on film. Without it, you may leave yourself open to claims of invasion of privacy or other damages. Just do a Google for “property release”, there are standard forms around you can use.
You should always find out beforehand if there are any local or municipal permits or fees required where you are filming and comply fully with those requirements. A local film office, the city clerk or police department for a given municipality should be able to tell you what, if any filming permit requirements may exist.
Q: What could suck worse than finding out you don’t have time or money for a permit? A: Getting your production shut down in mid-shoot because you don’t have a permit.
There a few other general suggestions I might offer that may help you in your quest for the perfect location:
Never underestimate the power of a film office!
Local film offices are some of the most underutilized FREE resources available to film makers. A film commission can get you “in” places you could never touch on your own. They have the credibility of being associated with government plus can be an advocate for your project! They can be a godsend if you are filming outside your home turf- They most often have listings of local crew and location ideas for you. They know the local customs and any permit requirements that may exist! Be nice to film offices!
If you want to find out if there is a film office in your area try here first: www.afci.org
Leave time for permitting/getting permissions
I can’t begin to tell how many great locations have been aborted (or lost!) because there was insufficient time allowed to get permission or secure permits. This malady seems to especially afflict film makers just starting out for some reason (?).
Q: Hey, can you get me and my crane on a rooftop in NYC to shoot tonite?
A: Sorry, ain’t gonna happen, bubba.
If time is tight one option may be to use a location agency. These are people/companies (often scouts or location managers) that have an archive of existing pictures of locations that have often been previously used (or scouted and not used for one reason or another) Sometimes time can be saved this way, but don’t expect miracles- permissions must still be obtained and fees negotiated on your behalf.
Do you have insurance?
I personally won’t go on a shoot or book locations for a production without insurance. You should have a minimum $1,000,000 (standard now actually seems to be $2,000,000) commercial liability policy that allows for additional insurance of third parties. If you are using payroll and have employees then you should have workmen’s comp. Some locations require proof of this.
Use the right tool for the job!
You wouldn’t use a screwdriver to drive in a nail (or maybe you would ! Anyway, hire a location scout/manager! We are there for u!
Adios, good luck and p.s. please invite me to the Oscar Party!
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Please note: The most currently updated info is available here: http://rrhobbs.us/locproc.owners.html
Excerpt:
PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IS A LINK TO A FORM YOU MAY USE TO LIST YOUR LOCATION WITH US.
(INFORMATION FOR ALL HOME/ PROPERTY OWNERS)
LOCATION PORTFOLIOS:
a. We create a digital photo portfolio of your location. Initially we might request that you send us some photographs of your location (dont have to be professional) to give us an idea of what it looks like. We may also request to come out to scout ourselves.
b. We promote your location by emailing an internet link of pictures of your property we have on file to clients when an enquiry is made for locations of the type for which your property may be suited.
c. Once a client shows interest in your location we will call you to:
1. give you what details we have and find out if your property might be available.
2. discuss fees, restrictions, rooms to use, etc.
3. set up a time for the client to come and do an initial “go see.”
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About Filming Permits | Information for Production and Property Owners:
Additional Info:
Towns and municipalities in “The Zone” are more likely to have formal permit requirements and there may be fees involved. Towns and municipalities outside “The zone” may have permit requirements as well, however requirements tend to relax as distance from New York City increases and population density decreases.
There are exclusive communities that do not allow filming at all, however this is the exception.
The point being made is that property owners and production alike should check with local government as to whether a property (whether it be municipally-owned or privately owned) under consideration as a filming location is subject to film permit requirements.
Property owners and production alike should understand and should be prepared to comply with any local filming or photography permit requirements as they may exist. Not only is it the right thing to do, but when you think about it it be could darn expensive to reshoot after being shut down for not having a permit!
The city clerk’s office or police department are good starting points for getting information regarding local film permit requirements.
Often a film permit will include require production to provide a certificate of insurance showing the municipality third-party additionally insured.
Sometimes “leafleting” or advising neighbors in writing of an intended shoot is a permit requirement.
Many permit requirements revolve around issues of impact on the community with regard to traffic congestion and safety, noise, and “general commotion”. Even a small photo crew, under certain circumstances, let alone a large production with a large crew, many vehicles and a lot of equipment can be potentially be very disruptive to neighbors or the area at-large.
Permit requirements very widely from town to town and can require as little effort as notifying the local police department or sending the town a letter of intent to multiple forms to multiple local government offices / agencies and fees of over $1000 per day.
Even if there is no formal permit required is usually advisable to contact the local government and police department, especially if a shoot is to take place on public property or has any potential whatsoever of being disruptive in any way.
Helpful links:
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New York Production Guide (NYPG) hosts a downloadable pdf of The Association of Commercial Producer’s (AICP) Estimate Form
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