Owners may require more than a pinky swear you won't burn their place down. |
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Last time we looked at looking at locations. A lot of the ins and outs for interiors and exteriors. I should feel clever for that gag, but instead I feel cheap. Anyway, we went over what you need to do to select your locations. Now it's time to start getting them! Also, how to behave while you're there.
This is going to involve talking to the people who are responsible for these locations. Some of you may have concerns confronting people or conferring with strangers. If this is a concern, perhaps you should not direct the project you're putting together. Auditions and retakes could possibly suffer as a result of these fears.
If it's a place of business, just check with an employee you know about what the chances are. See if they think the owner would go for it. While owners may vary, most employees will think it's an interesting idea. Ask who you can talk to, and when a good time to call or stop in would be. If it's a private residence, call the owner. Make sure to find a good time to reach them when they have a moment to talk. If you call during the middle of dinner, for example, you'll come off as a tele marketer and probably get shut down. When you get them on the line, ask right upfront if it's a good time to talk or if there's a better time.
In all cases, make sure you introduce yourself thoroughly and efficiently if you don't know them, and get to the point. Then address any and all questions. Don't play politics, don't bullshit them. Don't exaggerate, saying you expect to sell this when it's done for twenty million and the keys to the Batmobile. Don't make claims that before shooting a frame you already have three distributors interested. Even if any of this is true, the main concern is that you want to shoot at their place. For your needs they are the important one.
Let them know you want to make an independent movie, they have a location that is perfect, and then tell them why. Present them with all of the research I suggested in the last column. Talk up features of their location. Don't talk it up as pure flattery, but explain why it fits elements and themes in your script. This will let them know you're not just going door to door looking for a free place to shoot. Knowing that the people coming in for hours to days to possibly weeks and taking over their place are actually professional-minded goes a long way. You need their confidence.
If you get shot down, chances are either they have a good reason based on past experiences, or may have some other factor like a pending sale that would make them uncomfortable. Feel free to ask why they say no, and either they tell you or they don't. If they tell 
Shooting on the street is common. Moreso than filming. Be careful. |
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you, it's your call on how to negotiate and smooth over their concerns, or thank them for their time and move on.
If you are not shot down, thank them, ask them if there's anything they need, any concerns, and what sort of schedule is good. Are some days better than others? Are there noise concerns? Do they want certain things safely moved from the set before shooting? Would they like an exterior shot or prefer to keep it anonymous? Who would they like listed in the "special thanks" section of the credits? Let them know that before you shoot you'll get a release together and bring it by. We'll get more involved in releases later, but before you set up a shoot date, call times, etc. for a location, make sure you have a signed release from somebody authorized.
On the day of shooting, make sure to arrive early. Even if your actors or crew run late, you need to be there when you say you will. The best way to be there at that time is to be there before that time. If you get there before the location liaison, that's fine. Take that time to call around and make sure anyone who has chronic lateness issues is on the way. Go over notes. If you have nothing to do while you wait, you're not looking hard enough. When they arrive, they may apologize for making you wait. It's better that you wait then they do, since they are doing you a favor. Understand this, and feel free to let them know. If they are late enough to affect the filming for the day, that's a different story. At that point you may want to consider a different liaison for the location if possible, or unfortunately another more reliable place.
Thank the liaison at the beginning and end of the shoot, and as I mentioned last time when budgeting time for a location, check in with them periodically throughout the shoot to put out any smoldering embers before they become fires. Constant communication is how things run smoothly, and this is something I'll probably repeat enough in this column that you'll be sick of the concept and decide J.D. Salinger had the right idea.
If it's someplace that serves food, make sure to get some for your cast and crew. This gives business to the location, plus it keeps the cast and crew satisfied. They won't gripe about being hungry, start asking about breaks and lunches ad nauseum, and will be hopefully at least a little grateful at decent snacks they don't have to pay for. Let you, the production company, pay for it, get a receipt, and get reimbursed or write it off on your taxes. Everybody wins.
If the place doesn't serve food, but offers some other service, it's still a good idea to see if there's any way to treat even some of your 
If at all possible, find and use a waterfall. They always help. |
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cast or crew to what they offer. It's not necessary, but it certainly helps build good relations. If you need to come back for reshoots, it makes for an easy yes, and when you get close to a screening or release, they might help spread some good word of mouth.
If the place is not a privately owned location, but in fact a public place, there are a lot of things to consider. Does your state allow for a certain number of days of filming before you need to secure a permit? What do state parks require for any shooting? Public streets? The best advice I can give, since every area is different, is to search on google for "Film Commission" and your state name. It also might not hurt to try that for your city, county, plus any surrounding areas and states, just to weigh options. Read everything they have publicly available. Figure out what questions you still have, and contact them. Let them know of your intentions to film in the area, and that you want to make sure you're doing everything right. They're there to help you, so don't be afraid to go to them. If they are unhelpful, at least you've tried. Also, if you find that who you're dealing with is unhelpful, e-mail them instead. That way you have a record that you asked, what you've asked, and where you're not intentionally in the wrong should it come up. If you don't at least investigate your local film commissions, you are a fool.
No matter where you shoot, make sure to take pictures of everything before you start shooting. This covers three things. It gives you reference for where to put everything back when you are finished shooting. You should always put everything back in place, clean up, get any trash taken care of, wipe down, sweep, mop, whatever you can to make it as if you were never there. Treat it like a Burning Man festival, only without as many drugs.
The second benefit is that it gets you in the habit of taking reference pictures for continuity. More on that another time, but it's a good thing. The third benefit is simply protection. Make sure the photos are date / time stamped if you can. Much like when you move into a dorm or apartment, it's good to go over everything, look for any stains, breakage, or other issues, document them up front, and make sure the owner is aware so that you aren't blamed for it late. Photos help if it gets litigious, though as always that's a worst case scenario.
Already running long here, so it's time to break and let you know that part three will be along in two weeks. We'll cover making your own location. Some of the basics on set construction.
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| Make Me Proud |
Every other Monday
Exploring everything you should consider as you make your
indie masterpiece.
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| Patrick Storck |
Patrick hails from Baltimore, MD, where playing by the rules is frowned upon. Only average things come from playing it safe.
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