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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