Film Tax Incentives As A Thing To Consider With Regard To Film Locations

By Hilda Rothfuss


Location is probably the most important aspects of the perfect film location apart from film tax incentives. The venue should be easily accessible and not too remote. Film crews and equipment will need to be transported to and from the location easily and efficiently. Parking is also essential to provide parking space for the cornucopia of equipment, cars and trailers required in shooting.

When deciding on locations, make sure that they are suitable for sound too. You don't want a location that's too close to the freeway or a construction site. Here's a list of things to consider when scouting locations: Is parking available for cast, crew, and equipment vehicles? Is it near bathroom facilities? Is there available electricity to plug in your lights? Is it in a quiet location? Is there air-traffic noise if the site is on route to the airport? If you're shooting out of town, are there overnight accommodations nearby? Do you have space to set up a picnic area to feed your cast and crew? Can you get permission to shoot there? Do you need a permit? Can you afford to film there? Does using the site require the hiring of a police officer to stop foot or street traffic? Is there a photocopy store nearby? Do cell phones work in the area? If not, are there public phones nearby?

Space is another consideration; one of the last things you want is to find yourself limited by lack of space. An excellent film location will offer a range of areas for which to set up your equipment as well as scenes. The film location also needs to provide indoor and outdoor areas to allow for various shots. Bear in mind whether you will need additional space if a stage is required. In most cases, our producer will do a location scout prior to the day of filming in order to establish the best filming location(s).

So what does a location scout actually do? Well, here's one of the things that make the job a constant challenge: you never know. Each time a scout is asked to find something, it's invariably something new and quite different to the previous assignment. Commonplace locations, let's say kitchens or public parks, are very well covered by Location Libraries (such as, ahem, Location Works!), so if the needs are simple, why not keep the solution simple? However the world of filming (and photography) is the world of imagination, so for each new script, each new concept, there's a new question needing an answer. For example, the kitchen might need a view through the window to a swimming pool, or the script might demand that the public park has a south-facing slope overlooking a lake. No matter how good library photographs may be, there will always be occasions when a location needs to be re-photographed to demonstrate its suitability.

Now for those of you that are making your individual independent films, you'll have to use your wits to acquire your locations considering film tax incentives. If you are utilizing your own house or apartment it will probably be no problem however in case you are making use of a location that does not have common public entry you'll need to safe releases from the house owners of the amenities you need to utilize.




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