Major Movie/TV studio wants to film in my building
November 8, 2020 7:05 AM Subscribe
My husband and i own a building in Chicago where we run our respective businesses on the first floor. What is a reasonable anticipated reimbursement from a major studio wanting to rent out the first floor for filming (I assume it will be for several days, but not sure yet of the proposed duration).
We would like to do this and are both able to work from home but want to make sure we negotiate a great reimbursement to make it worth our while. Also, for anyone who has done this, was it worth the hassle and would you do it again?
We would like to do this and are both able to work from home but want to make sure we negotiate a great reimbursement to make it worth our while. Also, for anyone who has done this, was it worth the hassle and would you do it again?
Law & Order paid us $300 in 2000 or thereabouts to allow an actor to stand in my apartment and then exit my apartment into the scene being filmed in the hallway outside.
Around the same time, ABC paid us I think $6000 to film several episodes of the TV series "Wonderland," mostly while we were away on vacation.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:50 AM on November 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Around the same time, ABC paid us I think $6000 to film several episodes of the TV series "Wonderland," mostly while we were away on vacation.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:50 AM on November 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
My building in NYC was paid $1800 to have our exterior decorated and lit for a night shoot approximately 3 years back.
(Also, you might contact a local independent location scout and ask them for advice - or to consult with you on an hourly basis, if the job’s big enough. This is their business and they’ll be very knowledgeable about what the pros and cons are.)
posted by minervous at 8:06 AM on November 8, 2020
(Also, you might contact a local independent location scout and ask them for advice - or to consult with you on an hourly basis, if the job’s big enough. This is their business and they’ll be very knowledgeable about what the pros and cons are.)
posted by minervous at 8:06 AM on November 8, 2020
Sorry, missed the second question. Yes, I'd do it again. The money was good. The crews were experts in not leaving any trace that they had been there. That said, I'd recommend that one of you or a friend or employee hang around and loosely supervise. In the Wonderland TV show shooting, the child actor made some mess that the adult crew shouldn't have permitted and didn't really know how to rectify when they left.
It's not really clear from your question why you need the first floor to run your businesses if you can also run your businesses in your home. So figure that out and ask for a premium for business interruption if that's a plausible claim.
The bottom line is that the production company should pay you for any inconvenience at all.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:09 AM on November 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
It's not really clear from your question why you need the first floor to run your businesses if you can also run your businesses in your home. So figure that out and ask for a premium for business interruption if that's a plausible claim.
The bottom line is that the production company should pay you for any inconvenience at all.
posted by JimN2TAW at 8:09 AM on November 8, 2020 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I used to work in TV (documentary-making) and I will just say, figure out the price you want and then double it. TV and film people are mostly nice and will aim to not make your life overly difficult, but once the shooting starts, it is the priority. They will stay longer than they’ve promised, they will make more noise and interrupt you more than they say they will, they will need you to be quiet for long periods of time and you may not have access to your kitchen or other parts of the house during shooting, and they will likely damage your stuff.
(In terms of damage it’s mostly like mover-level damage: like, they may chip a table, or scar a floor with something heavy, or knock something down and break it. They will also put tape everywhere and some of it will likely damage your paint or leave residue.)
When you’re negotiating price, price in your time, hassle, and expected damage: don’t aim to pursue them afterwards. Once the shooting is done they will be unresponsive to you.
In saying this I’m not trying to say don’t do it. I think for most people it’s pretty painless and kind of fun. And your stuff may not get damaged at all. I’m just saying you should assume there will be a certain level of inconvenience, which may include a little cleanup after they go.
In general I think I would charge a day rate, and I wouldn’t do it for less than a few thousand dollars a day. But that’s just me, YMMV.
posted by Susan PG at 8:11 AM on November 8, 2020 [15 favorites]
(In terms of damage it’s mostly like mover-level damage: like, they may chip a table, or scar a floor with something heavy, or knock something down and break it. They will also put tape everywhere and some of it will likely damage your paint or leave residue.)
When you’re negotiating price, price in your time, hassle, and expected damage: don’t aim to pursue them afterwards. Once the shooting is done they will be unresponsive to you.
In saying this I’m not trying to say don’t do it. I think for most people it’s pretty painless and kind of fun. And your stuff may not get damaged at all. I’m just saying you should assume there will be a certain level of inconvenience, which may include a little cleanup after they go.
In general I think I would charge a day rate, and I wouldn’t do it for less than a few thousand dollars a day. But that’s just me, YMMV.
posted by Susan PG at 8:11 AM on November 8, 2020 [15 favorites]
The designer Emily Henderson wrote up a little blog entry about renting her second home out, primarily for film and advertising shoots (this was from last year and I'm not sure how much of this ended up happening since I think they ended up moving into the house full time) that kind of runs through the potential upside/downside. She had previous experience on the production side but not on the homeowner side. I thought it was pretty interesting! And from what I understand you should expect to be compensated thousands per day.
posted by mskyle at 8:17 AM on November 8, 2020
posted by mskyle at 8:17 AM on November 8, 2020
Oh one other thing. You should ask if they prefer you to be absent during shooting. It is super common for film and TV shoots to put homeowners up in a hotel during the shoot. It’s not unusual for them to pay for a hotel even if you don’t end up using it, just in case.
posted by Susan PG at 8:49 AM on November 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Susan PG at 8:49 AM on November 8, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: As a lifelong film technician, I have to say we have a set a saying "I would never allow a film crew in my house". Why? just because it seems like the wear and tear is not worth it. With that said, a good friend of mine rents his apartment out in Los Angeles to commercials and gets great bank for it. I believe he charges 6-8k for a commercial which would include a day to move out what they dont want and bring in set dressing, a day to shoot and a day to wrap.
I think the most important points which are all covered elsewhere are:
Prepare and negotiate a price that includes repairs and damage up front
Assume it will take longer than they say and budget for it
Assume the dates will change
Assume they will want to come back and pick up shots
Move all your valuables out of the building, not just stored in a room that is still accessible to the crew
I know that as of today TV production in Chicago is shutting down due to covid spiking, even though they just started shooting a few weeks ago. I am working on a project (in the midwest) that was prepped before the first shut down, they completely redecorated a house to fit the period and moved the family to a hotel for the duration, the family wound up staying at the hotel the entire shutdown, like six months! I dont mean to scare you off, but this is what happened and given how the numbers are going particularly in the mid west, you may want to consider the implications.
Good luck and I hope it works out.
posted by silsurf at 3:35 PM on November 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
I think the most important points which are all covered elsewhere are:
Prepare and negotiate a price that includes repairs and damage up front
Assume it will take longer than they say and budget for it
Assume the dates will change
Assume they will want to come back and pick up shots
Move all your valuables out of the building, not just stored in a room that is still accessible to the crew
I know that as of today TV production in Chicago is shutting down due to covid spiking, even though they just started shooting a few weeks ago. I am working on a project (in the midwest) that was prepped before the first shut down, they completely redecorated a house to fit the period and moved the family to a hotel for the duration, the family wound up staying at the hotel the entire shutdown, like six months! I dont mean to scare you off, but this is what happened and given how the numbers are going particularly in the mid west, you may want to consider the implications.
Good luck and I hope it works out.
posted by silsurf at 3:35 PM on November 8, 2020 [5 favorites]
Best answer: Whatever you do, ask for a nice big damage deposit up front. Ask me how I know. Most film crew technicians are respectful of property, but there's a sizeable minority of crews who really do-not-give-a-fack, and they will wreck shit & just assume someone else will pay for it.
posted by ovvl at 4:02 PM on November 8, 2020
posted by ovvl at 4:02 PM on November 8, 2020
Best answer: I work in the industry. Prices quoted so far seem in the ballpark, it's also highly dependent on the production (ie is it advertising, an indie film, a large major studio production, still photography only, etc.) & the location. Everything silsurf said is right on. My opinion is that it's awfully easy money if you are willing to put up with minor wear and tear that will inevitably happen and the inconvenience of being briefly kicked out of the space.
The crews i have worked on are all extremely professional and went to heroic lengths to protect the location property, but it is very akin to actually moving. Large amounts of heavy equipment getting moved around, loaded and unloaded all day, someone will scuff a wall or something at the very least. Never seen any property get majorly damaged or anyone act carelessly. No one wants to be the person to go tell the producers you were the reason they'll be filing insurance claims. But then again, they're there to get it done in in a short time frame so shit happens.
But I gotta say I think everyone's been on a shoot where you show up to location and you see the look of regret in the property owner's eyes when the grip trucks start unloading. If you decide to do it, don't be that person who stands around all day wincing every time someone moves a c-stand! Make them put you up in a hotel and buy you a fancy dinner so when some PA inevitably spills their coffee on something, you're cool with it :)
edit: Oh yeah they will totally go overtime and the dates will change at the last minute, happens every time
posted by bradbane at 5:51 PM on November 9, 2020
The crews i have worked on are all extremely professional and went to heroic lengths to protect the location property, but it is very akin to actually moving. Large amounts of heavy equipment getting moved around, loaded and unloaded all day, someone will scuff a wall or something at the very least. Never seen any property get majorly damaged or anyone act carelessly. No one wants to be the person to go tell the producers you were the reason they'll be filing insurance claims. But then again, they're there to get it done in in a short time frame so shit happens.
But I gotta say I think everyone's been on a shoot where you show up to location and you see the look of regret in the property owner's eyes when the grip trucks start unloading. If you decide to do it, don't be that person who stands around all day wincing every time someone moves a c-stand! Make them put you up in a hotel and buy you a fancy dinner so when some PA inevitably spills their coffee on something, you're cool with it :)
edit: Oh yeah they will totally go overtime and the dates will change at the last minute, happens every time
posted by bradbane at 5:51 PM on November 9, 2020
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posted by InkaLomax at 7:23 AM on November 8, 2020