Filming: be sure its what you want!

I've written before about using your house as a location for filming - its not to be entered lightly. Do think about it properly before you register your property with a film location agency. Nowadays, not all filming is as disruptive as it used to be. Small scale productions for TV or the internet often use hand-held cameras and involve no more disruption than a stills photo-shoot. But the average commercial, TV drama or feature film still involves lots of people and lots of disruption.

If you do not feel that you, your family or your neighbours are up for this, then let your location agency know not to put your location forward for these types of briefs. It is extremely frustrating and expensive for the production team if you change your mind about a project once your location has been selected. Often its not just about you, lots of other decisions could have been taken around the choice of your location not least which other locations to use.

So hold your discussions with your partner and your neighbours before you sign-up to a location agency so that there are no nasty surprises!

What makes a great film location? You do!

In the fifth of our series on what makes a great film location we look at the importance of the property owner and the role that you play in getting work for your location. It would be certainly true to say that a flexible and accommodating location owner will get more repeat work than a difficult obstructive owner. At Lavish Locations we have learned that there are three great attributes that our most "film friendly" location owners share:

1. Being available. Location managers and film production companies work to tight deadlines. You might think that they spend years preparing for each production but we frequently get requests for locations for the following week or two - especially if a previously agreed location has fallen through. If we show a location professional your location and it fits the brief they will often want to view it on the same day. If we can't get hold of you then the opportunity may be lost. So please make sure we have all your contact details and your mobile phone is turned on!

2. Being reasonable. If all locations could be chosen from web pictures alone then all our lives would be easier. But the truth is that if your location is chosen for any type of film work there will be a whole series of visits from the director, the designers and the crew to make sure they get the shots they want.  If you want to be considered for film work you must realise that this is all part of the package - make the crew feel welcome and they will want to work with you again and again.

3. Being flexible. However well planned the film day is, inevitably some things will change on the day. While we're not recommending that you agree to unreasonable demands, it is much easier if small changes to proceedings can be worked out on the day.  Whether it be moving your car, allowing the crew in earlier to set up or even making more rooms in the house available at the last minute, the less of a headache you make it, the more you will be remembered for next time. 

Competition for film work is getting more intense as increasing numbers of property owners register their locations hoping to make some extra money to beat the credit crunch. With lots of great locations to choose from, a location with a film friendly reputation will always win out over a more difficult location. The key to success is you!

Popular location styles: shabby chic

At Lavish Locations we have a number of locations on our books which are used almost daily for stills photographic shoots. Often owned by photographers themselves, or the stylists who work for lifestyle magazines and photographic agencies, they are beautiful homes with lots of shootable rooms and spaces. The look which is ever-popular is shabby chic, by which we mean lots of white walls and painted floorboards, painted furniture and beautiful soft furnishings. Colour is kept to a minimum to allow the stylist to insert their own touches and make the space their own.

Feminine in style, this type of photo shoot location is constantly in demand from women's magazines, advertisers, catalogues and homes and gardens journals as they represent an aspirational yet comfortable style of living.

Click here to see another great example of a shabby chic location.

What makes a great film location? Your neighbours!

In the fourth of our series on what makes a great film location we look at an often overlooked but nonetheless essential ingredient that successful film locations share: great neighbours.  For filming often the best sort of neighbours are no neighbours at all  - or at least neighbours who are out of sight and earshot. But of course most locations don't have the luxury of total privacy so in most cases you will have to consider whether those around you will help or hinder your plans to use your property as a film location.

At Lavish Locations barely a week goes by when we don't have to contend with the issue of neighbours. So why do they matter so much? Firstly, because filming in your location will often have a significant impact on those around you and while you will be well rewarded for the inconvenience and disruption, your neighbours will often suffer the downside without any of the financial gain. This is especially true of filming in apartments with shared access. In fact many residents (through a residents' association) will restrict filming in their block to once a month or less to minimize the disruption to neighbours. Even if you don't have shared access, there are lots of neighbours who don't welcome catering trucks and all the paraphernalia that comes with filming parked in their road, or even in your drive. 

Even if your neighbours are relaxed about filming taking place at your location there are also times when you will want to call on their goodwill even more. For example, it may be that to get the right shot in your back garden the lights need to be rigged in theirs,  they may be asked to have vehicles parked in their drive and also to put up with the noise of filming that goes on late into the night. 

So what are the best ways to make sure that your neighbours are on-side and won't scupper your plans to use your property as a film location?  We have three pieces of advice for potential location owners: communication, consideration and compensation.  We would always advise you to talk to the location manager who is working for the film production to help you manage your neighbours. They have significant experience in managing all aspect of filming on location and can help you through leaflet dropping, explaining what will be involved and how it will affect them, and even finding a few hundred pounds extra in the budget to smooth the path to successful filming at your location. 

Most of the pitfalls of filming including awkward neighbours can be avoided if you are for-warned.  Keep reading our blog and learn more about how to make your property into a successful location for filming. 

What makes a great film location? Period Perfect.

In the 3rd part of our series of what makes a great film location, we look at a fast diminishing attribute - an untouched interior. Most of us when we buy a house to live in want to modernise it; whether by knocking down walls, putting in central heating, replacing old floors or investing in the latest Italian kitchen. This is natural - unless you are using your property as a means of making a living through being a filming and photo-shoot location then your first priority is going to be making a modern and comfortable home. 

However, the trend to modernise means that there is a big shortage of really authentic period interiors. This is a shame as there is always demand for locations which are "period perfect".  Just think about the number of period dramas and films which you see on TV or in the cinema - all of them will have been filmed on location in houses where original interiors have been preserved. 

The interest for period perfect properties is also extending from Georgian and Victorian (and earlier) to more recent decades like the 30's 60's 70's and 80's.  In fact at Lavish Locations barely a week goes by when we are not scouring our database for a house with a retro feel (complete with avacado bathroom suite) or a typical 1980's apartment.

So before you get rid of all your period features why not consider turning them to your advantage by creating a location which is true to the period the house was built? Add in some classic furniture and you could be on to a real money spinner as far as location work is concerned. 

Click here to see some great examples of sought after "period perfect" locations. 

What makes a great film location? Size matters!

Lavish Locations is constantly on the look-out for great new locations for film, TV and photo-shoots, but when location owners send us in their pictures, what are the attributes we look for which tell us whether it will be a successful location for filming? 

In last week's blog we looked at the first aspect of a successful film location - its location. In this week's blog we look at a second and vital aspect that which will spell the difference between lots of work or virtually none: the size of the location - in particular its key rooms.

You've probably seen footage of filming on TV or even witnessed a film being made on location. If you have you will have noticed how the action is often just taking place in a small corner of the room, but that the rest of the room is made up of cameras, lighting, crew members (who can number well over 30 for a typical film) and equipment, all of which can dwarf the actual scene being filmed. 

Now try to imagine all that in a typical 12 ft x 15 ft living room and you can see where the problems begin. Filming needs space, space to get the right perspective, the right shot, and the right movement, all of which is impossible if everybody is crammed into a small room. 

So the next rule of a great film location is really good sized rooms, whether they are kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms bedrooms or bathrooms, as far as filming is concerned the bigger the better. 

If you are considering registering your house with a location agency then take a realistic look at the size of your key rooms. If they are spacious and can accommodate a film crew then it will certainly be an advantage when it comes to being proposed for film and TV jobs. 

Look out for the next in our series of what makes a great film location and maximise your location's  chances of being selected for filming and TV.

What makes a great film location? Its location!

Every day Lavish Locations is called by hopeful property owners wanting to register their property with our location agency. Although we can never entirely predict which properties will be successful, there are some attributes that we look for which will almost certainly mean that your location will be considered for TV or a feature film, rather than immediately ruled out. In the first of our series: "What makes for a great film location?" we look at the first and one of the most important factors: its location!

It is a sad fact that many beautiful buildings are overlooked time and time again just because they are too far from London - or to be more precise, too far from the film studios west of London. The reason isn't anything other than money. If a location is too far from the production's base then the crew needs travel expenses and hotel rooms  - and for 50 people or more, that can prove too expensive for anything other than the highest budget movie. So where is the ideal location for film work? Just imagine that central London is the centre of a clock face and that the numbers are around the home counties just outside the M25. If the hands of the clock are saying 20 to 10 and you live between those hands then you are in perfect film location territory.  If you are in London, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire then you have a much better chance than most of getting picked as a film or TV location. 

You will see from the Lavish Locations website that although we specialise in locations in the South East of the UK, we do have plenty of locations across the country. We will always consider exceptional properties and if your location is offering something that cannot be had close to London then there is a good chance that we will accept it.

Over the next few weeks we will be telling you about the other all so important attributes we look for which tell us whether your location has star potential. Next time: "Size matters!"