In order to shoot in any location, permission to use the location must be obtained. Contracts, in the form of either shooting permits and/or location agreements, must be signed between the media producer and the location owner to secure a location
Shooting permits need to be obtained for public spaces, such as streets and parks, from the local city or county officials. Shooting permits are obtained in New York City from The Mayor’s Office for Film, Theatre, & Broadcasting at http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/permits/step1.shtmlDepending on the city or locality, these permits can be free or not. The price of a permit depends on the specifics of the production, such as budget, whether street closures and/or police are needed, how much and what type of equipment will be involved, etc.
Location Agreements are contracts that specify the details of the agreement between the production and the location owner. Location agreements are needed for privately owned locations. These agreements often outline the location’s address, the time and date of the shoot, length of the shoot, the agreed upon cost of the location and permission to photograph the location, especially exterior signage.
Examples of Location Agreements can be found in the MES 152 Handout book (under PreProduction, pp. 83 – 84)
– Carol Basuru
