How Much is this Free Location Costing Me?

I mentioned in a previous article that Stan Bickman, my mentor, often asked, “How much is this free location costing me?” If you’ve every produced or production managed an indie movie, it is inevitable that you have been told by aspiring filmmakers that they have certain locations for free. While the opportunity to get a location for no location fee is enviable, never – and I mean never – take it for granted that there will be no cost, or no problems with the location.

I have already recounted the tale of the director who shot at his uncle’s house, only to have us thrown out when the uncle saw how much equipment was coming. That brings me to one of my location rules – don’t lie about the scene.

Now, I know there are legendary stories of filmmakers telling the people at a location one thing, and then shooting something else. The stories that don’t get told are the one’s where it bites the filmmaker.

We were shooting a scene in a hospital where there characters would get very loud. My location manager kept taking me to functioning hospital floors. I kept rejecting them, saying that no working hospital would allow that on a patient floor. Why do we have to tell them, he would ask?

The answer is obvious. Besides the rude inconvenience to sick people on the floor, you can be sure a hospital administrator will be with you. What happens when you block the rehearsal and they realize what the scene is really about? You guessed it. You find yourself in a discussion about what will and won’t be shot while the cast and crew sits around – on the clock. If you don’t subsequently make the day, the cost of that location just went up.

The same goes for offensive material. I once had a problem with shooting a Veteran’s Administration hospital because of content. It turns out they were very sensitive to how VA’s were portrayed, after films like “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Article 99.” After a lot of negotiations we had to walk away, and shot at a non-VA facility. It wasn’t easy, but it was the right decision.

The number one rule I can tell anyone about working with a location is also the simplest – be respectful. How would you like people to act in your house, or at your office? That is exactly how you should act in their house. This is most important on the scout. Some filmmakers have the attitude that the world owes them a film, and they should be allowed to do anything they want on a location. I have dreaded scouts where the director or art director goes around saying, in a loud tone, “this has to go,” or “we need to tear this down.” Yikes! Imagine how you would feel if you were the owner. Sometimes things need to be done which the owner won’t like. Talk to them. Talk about compensation. Most of all, talk about restoration. Assure the owner that whatever happens during the shoot, when the filming is done, the location will look just as it did. Then, stick to your promise.

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