Producing : Location, Location, Location! by Shane Stanley

Whilst in the middle of pre-production, I find there is never enough time in the day. As we've covered in several webinars here on Stage 32 and I've pontificated in my book, "What You Don't Learn in Film School" locations can make or break your production and so much valuable prep time is spent hunting them down, scouting them, and negotiating the details. It's not just about how elaborate or fresh they can be in adding to the look to a scene or a film's production value, it's about the relationship you have with the property owners that can make or break your entire filmmaking experience.

Case in point, as we all know making movies is a stressful thing for a lot of people and when all the bases aren't covered, the wheels can quickly come off the wagon. Besides making sure your craft service table is full of goodies, think about all the things you have to make sure fall into place on any given day. You need your transportation (production trucks, honey wagons, hair & makeup trailers) to be in the right spot and never in the way of the camera, you need to make sure all of the right actors get there on the day you need them, the right props and wardrobe are ready to go, people are well fed and hydrated and let's pray to God you didn't schedule that magical location on the one day a week that the gardeners show up or even worse, it's trash pickup day. (did I strike a nerve with that last one)? Yes, we've all been at the right place at the wrong time. Well, you'd be surprised how many producers forget to inquire about scheduling around the disruptive lawn and leaf blowers or the collection of trash, recycling, and said lawn & leaf which can completely ruin a shoot. But the one thing I see more often than not when visiting sets that aren't on a sound stage or owned by the filmmaker's uncle is pissed-off property owners. Below is an excerpt from my book I thought I'd share as things are opening back up and we're all (hopefully) getting back to work and pounding the pavement in search of our next great locations.

Always make it a point to treat a location as if it were your investors’ place and leave it better than you found it. There’s nothing worse than a location that’s been abused or left in shambles, it only hurts the next wave of filmmakers who need it, but because of your negligence, may never get it. I swear we spend more time undoing what other people in our industry have ruined when we reach out to locations. Be part of giving our industry a better reputation as a whole. Don’t tell property owners you’ll only need to be there for six hours when you know you’ll need eight or ten. There is nothing - and I mean nothing - worse than the owner of a location who starts steaming at the ears when you’re trying to finish up your day. You’ll be forced to rush your work and the tension will spill out to everyone on the set, particularly your actors. I promise the property owner will be angry enough once they see all the equipment on their hardwood floors or nice carpeting, the paint on their beautiful walls getting scuffed and food left someplace it shouldn’t have been. Pay attention to the little things…cigarette butts? Don’t extinguish them in planters or snuff ‘em out on the driveway or walkways on the sides of the house. That is beyond uncool. Vape if you must and leave the cigarettes in your car or at your own home.

You get my point. Many locations will go sour fast and it's usually due to poor communication or abuse of the property by a careless film crew. Most of us aren’t buying out locations for $50k a day, so be respectful and tread lightly, always sending a crew of people when you wrap to do an idiot check - not only to make sure you didn’t leave behind any equipment but to make sure the property you've used looks tidy. Trust me, they’ll be finding things you messed up for weeks after you left, at least make an effort to take care of whatever you see that is out of order before you leave. Again, I stress, you owe it to the person who is allowing you to film, as well as the filmmakers who will come along after you. One thing we have which we cannot slip on is our reputation and our integrity. When you meet property owners for the first time, make sure whoever is doing the negotiating is a clear and thorough communicator. Be certain the owner understands how many vehicles will be at their residence or place of business (and what it can do to the flow), the size of the cast and crew, and where meals will be served. I strongly suggest making the scenes available for them to review so there are no uncertainties as to what will be done on their property and be upfront if there are any intimate or racy scenes as well as any violence. You don't want them to learn of this when you're staging your shots. In this case, gaining forgiveness over permission shouldn't be your M.O.

That's it for now... I wish you all much success on your projects and remember;' you don't have the locations you want because you haven't asked. Don't be afraid to try. We've found that some of the most wonderful and production-boosting locations are just a request away - it's really going to come down to how you present yourself and your project and will the decision-makers feel comfortable working with you. Now get out there and go get some great locations. Don't worry, you've got this...