Beyond the Fee: How Your Property Can Spark a Local Creative Economy

The money a production pays for services goes through a community in ways that do not always reveal themselves to the property owner.

The Economic Infrastructure Behind a Shoot

Every film or television shoot, regardless of size, requires a set of operational services to function efficiently. Once a property is selected as a filming location, a range of local vendors is typically contracted. These include, but are not limited to:

• Caterers: Productions generally feed cast and crew on-site daily, often hiring regional catering companies with the capacity to deliver multiple meals at scale.
• Cleaners: Professional cleaning services are brought in to prepare properties pre-shoot and return them to their original condition post-production.
• Security Teams: Security personnel are assigned to monitor equipment, manage access points, and secure the site overnight if necessary.
• Landscapers: Grounds and gardens are routinely manicured or adapted to meet the aesthetic requirements of a shoot.
• Waste Management Providers: Temporary dumpsters, recycling services, and restroom facilities are sourced locally for longer productions.
• Logistics and Transportation Companies: Moving gear and personnel between locations often requires coordination with local shuttle services and trucking companies.

These services are not marginal. They represent a significant portion of a production’s budget and are nearly always sourced locally for reasons of cost and practicality.

The Role of the Property in These Logistics

When a luxury home or estate is chosen as a location, it creates a fixed reference point for the services that will be needed to support the shoot. The economic impact on the local area begins as soon as the initial site visit is scheduled and continues throughout the entire production. Film shoots have extremely tight deadlines, and therefore, money moves through the community rapidly. For instance, a 7-day shoot can potentially lead to weeks’ worth of work for several different local businesses.

Property owners are compensated for giving permission to enter the property; however, they create a temporary source of value to other businesses in the region. A production may shoot for 14 hours a day for several days, and all of those hours create activity that requires support. Many of the crew members stay in local hotels and restaurants; therefore, they purchase meals and supplies from local businesses. The equipment rental company is often a local provider when there is a need for a specialised item to be rented on short notice. All of this starts with a location that can support the quantity and speed of the activity.

What Local Business Owners Say

For many independent business owners, providing services to a production is often one of the few options to obtain large short-term contracts. 

These types of opportunities are normally only available at short notice and for limited periods of time, which fits well with local businesses that are flexible and capable of performing project-based work.

In small communities with low population densities, one production company may engage an entire network of local businesses. Lodging facilities are full, hardware stores are visited repeatedly, and local contractors are hired for a variety of “odd” jobs related to preparation for or completion of the production.

Via Pexels

Local Creative Work

There are many non-logistical aspects of the production that require support from local sources. For example, set designers, costuming departments, and prop departments frequently seek support from local suppliers. Antique stores, carpentry shops, upholsterers, tailors, and painters may receive requests to acquire items that match a particular time period or design aesthetic. 

While the specifics of each connection will vary depending on the project, many of these connections are formed directly between the visiting production crew and local tradespeople. In addition, many of the artists and tradespeople develop portfolios of work related to film and television production, and many continue to participate in future film and television productions based on their reliability and geographical location.

Listing a Property as a Regional Resource

Film offices and location services maintain databases of properties available for filming. These include private residences, commercial buildings, vacant land, and large estates. Property owners who list their properties make them accessible to location scouts searching for locations to meet very specific criteria. For example, a production may require modern architecture with open floor plans. Alternatively, a production may require weathered barns or traditional kitchens. Flexibility is essential, and each location is evaluated on the basis of accessibility, available space, and the ease with which it can be restored to its original condition after the production.

High-end estates in the luxury real estate category are especially attractive for film and television projects that require upscale residential settings. These homes are often architecturally distinct and offer large grounds, which provide more flexibility for production layout and equipment access. To begin the process, list your property for filming through a regional portal. Photographs and descriptions are provided to assist the location scout in making rapid decisions, and once a suitable match is identified, production companies will typically move rapidly.

Deciding Whether or Not it Makes Sense for Your Property

Filming at a private residence comes with certain practical considerations. A property must allow access to the production equipment and crew parking. Depending on the nature of the shoot, large vehicles such as trailers and trucks may be parked on the grounds. Temporary structures may also be erected on the property. A property must also have an adequate power supply to meet the needs of the production. Production companies prefer properties where the electrical demands can be met without the need for excessive generator usage.

Some property owners only permit outdoor filming. Others may allow access to the interior of the property, but only under specified conditions (e.g., only certain rooms or furnishings). Another consideration is the duration and scheduling of the shoot. Production companies may request access to the property on consecutive days, during early morning hours, or on weekends. As stated previously, these considerations should be determined before entering into any agreement with a location manager.

Ultimately, each property owner must determine whether or not to allow filming on their property based on the type of property and their comfort level with the arrangements.

The Bigger Picture

Production companies travel through towns quickly, but the impact they leave behind tends to last longer. They pay for services, draw attention to local businesses, and provide employment to individuals who rarely work together outside of these projects. Properties that are used for filming become part of this system by providing a location for the production, but also by providing the framework for a series of transactions that flow through various industries. Property owners who allow their homes or estates to be used for filming are contributing to this system in a tangible and quantifiable manner. The work begins with a location, but it extends to people, tools, and services that are needed to support the production. The work that is done to support the production helps to fund jobs, generate revenue, and create new connections between creative work and local businesses.

More from NEWS

---