How much to pay for a location?

Graeme

Graeme

A local airsoft field (they are not playing on it the weekend I want to use it).

It will be featured in 20 minutes of a 40 short film and the cast & crew will be there for 1 day.

Its not absolutely necessary (think more of a bonus) as initially I was going to do the exterior shooting in a woods and by word of mouth this location came up and it is far more suited for the film.

I'm just wondering what would be reasonable if the owner came back and asked for some $$? Budget-wise we don't have a lot of cash and this location cost will come out of the costume/prop budget for 5 actors.
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
I'm sure it's just semantics, but what the owner thinks is
reasonable isn't really your question. The real question is
what can YOU afford. What is reasonable to you.

Any number the owner comes up with is reasonable. To the
owner. The owner could want all the costs of opening up on
the weekend you want to use it; paying one or two employees
to be there to watch the place and monitor its usage, cover
power and insurance costs and perhaps even see a bit of profit.
That would be reasonable. To the owner.

My advice is to come up with a number you can afford, approach
the owner with that number, the exact hours you will be in
the location, the exact number of people who will be in there
and a copy of the script. Having a third party insurance certificate
would go a long way. Many times local businesses are willing to
work with local movie makers.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I agree. Approach him with what you can afford (actually a little less so you can make a counter offer if he says it isn't enough). I used a space for 2 days on my last film for $300 a day. The guy REGULARLY rents the same space to country artists to make videos for more like $1500 a day. I came in with the "pooor indy filmmaker" line, and offered what I could afford, and he took it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
We tend/try to never pay more than $200 for a location for a shoot (most of our locational shooting is free, which obviously is the goal). Sadly, if you have big budget films coming through your town and renting space, business owners seem to not understand (or care) that indie films are broke-ass, and you can't charge $5000 for a two-day shoot in a bar, restaurant, or whatever because The Brotherhood could afford that...err...

I don't know what to tell you to pay...I don't know your budget. But I wouldn't spend more than a couple hundred for a single location (unless you are shooting there a bunch of days, then you may spend a little more).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I too would think no more than 200 dollars if it's going to be used a short time. Fortunately all I shooting I've done so far has been free(just make sure to get paper that says the owner what you are doing-seeing as it would be considered private property, you want to make sure you don't get in trouble with local authorities :)

Again, it's what you can afford. And I've found a lot of local places will lend it out without problem, especially giving credit in film gives them free publicity ;)).

Now, me trying to get permission to film on a VIA train-ugh, that's been fun.....but that's a whole other story lol.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Gonzo_Entertainment said:
Approach him with what you can afford (actually a little less so you can make a counter offer if he says it isn't enough).
Click to expand...
I don't know what an airsoft field is, but I would try first to ask them to "donate" the location to your project, and promise them credit as "sponsor" -- which will be in your marketing materials and get them some exposure.

If they're resistant after that, then offer money and yes, lowball them and haggle.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Definitely go with your price in mind but don't offer it up right away! Negotiating is a skill just like anything else. citychik has it right. If you have a price in mind but the guy is willing to let you use it free that money can go toward something else. If it is free, you can offer a nice tip in the end if it worked out well.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
grinner said:
In more than a quarter of a century of shooting, never have I paid for a location. They either say ok with a phone call or I go elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Depends on how much you're willing to compromise. Maybe the location that is exactly what you want wants a fee, and one that's close, but not quite as good is free, you make a choice. Maybe the location for a fee has plenty of power and ready bathroom access and the free ones all will require ginnys or a porta potty/ride to a nearby bathroom. There is also the time=money equation. If the owner wants $500 to use his location, and I could find a free one, but it will take another 15 hours of looking, which is worth more to me, $500 or 15 hours of my time.. in most cases, the 15 hours will win.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
True. I'm just not much of a haggler. The shows I produce are done on minimum budgets. I've never required a specific location. If it's a retail place, there are others, should a manager have a problem with it being at his. This has been the case in everything I've ever done. If I ever have to shoot at a place I can't gain access to, I'll key it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If he asks for $$ then you need to explain that how much you can pay is completely tied to the production budget. While Paramount Pictures might pay $10,000 for a location, an indie micro-budget filmmaker might only be able to pay $500. It doesn't seem fair but it's REALITY and it's how things work in this strange business. Also let him know that you aren't gonna have a huge crew, with 8 trucks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Blade_Jones said:
If he asks for $$ then you need to explain that how much you can pay is completely tied to the production budget. While Paramount Pictures might pay $10,000 for a location, an indie micro-budget filmmaker might only be able to pay $500. It doesn't seem fair but it's REALITY and it's how things work in this strange business. Also let him know that you aren't gonna have a huge crew, with 8 trucks.
Click to expand...


I've found getting this cleared up early helps immensely. When I say "I'm making a film, and want to shoot here", people imagine cords, lights, boom mikes all over the place. I just let them know its me, a camera and tripod-and I'll come in early and make as little notice as possible. They seem to relax at that point. (Now I don't know how much you have for the film, but it probably isn't a whole whack of stuff.) :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah I mentioned that everyone was volunteering on this project and that there would only be 6 people, and its literally a no-buget short film. So at this point I think if he does come back with a number it will be low/acceptable, I can't see him asking hundreds of dollars or more, our presense is as close as zero-impact / cost for him as one can get.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top