Renting Out Your Home as a Film Location?
I was contacted today by Law & Order: SVU — the show on NBC. They’d like to use my house as a set for an upcoming episode. I’m looking for input re:people’s experiences in renting out their home for filming in general and if possible, to Law & Order specifically (I heard that they film…
I was contacted today by Law & Order: SVU — the show on NBC. They’d like to use my house as a set for an upcoming episode.
I’m looking for input re:people’s experiences in renting out their home for filming in general and if possible, to Law & Order specifically (I heard that they film so much that they’re a well-oiled machine.)
Opinions?
I am in process of negotiating with Law and Order SVU to rent my parlor floor for 3 days (preparation / shooting / wrap-up). Does anyone have any idea what fair compensation is for this rental? I have seen estimates from $500 per day up to $2,000 per day so that’s a wide variation. I want to be fair but don’t want to be ripped off either. Appreciate any feedback. Thank you.
hi folks,
i am a location scout for a film now and am looking for an apartment to shoot in on 10/27-10/28. We are looking for a bachelor pad kind of feel, not too fancy, too modern, but something large enough for a crew of 20-25 to work in.
We can offer insurance and a location fee for our use. If you have any interest, please email me at dobscout@gmail.com
thanks in advance! looking forward to hearing from you!
-derek
We’ve had Law & Order (original series) here TWICE, and both times they were absolutely delightful to work with–considerate, generous, and respectful to a fault of our stuff. They do a shoot in 3 days (1 to set up, 1 to shoot, 1 to strike the set) and take pride in putting even the tchotchkes back perfectly. And the first time, they set a guy on fire in our garage and let us watch, which was amazingly cool, and I got to hug Jesse Martin. (We have, however, turned down two other offers: a rock video shoot on Thanksgiving day and a D-list reality show called “I Hate Your House.”)
For the wonderful L&O stories:
http://crazystable.squarespace.com/journal/2008/4/22/law-order-special-bacon-unit.html
http://crazystable.squarespace.com/journal/2005/9/6/as-ready-for-our-close-up-as-well-ever-be.html
I work in the business and own a property which Law & Order wanted to rent for their shoots just couple of weeks ago. My answer was very immediate: NO. Didn’t even bother finding out how much they would pay.
One has to be crazy to let production assistants to move their furniture and paintings around. On top of it, L&O crew will be union, and union guys are certainly are not very gentile. Of course that is if you have lot’s of valuable items in your house.
If you do not invest in furniture and fine-art, it could be a great source of income for you. But if you have expensive items, watch out…
Of course you will be covered by their insurance, yet must be willing to get a little scratch here and there as it will not be easy to deal with insurance companies for small damages. And you will need to prove the damage wasn’t there already. Which is impossible…
It is strange “Ringo” says they pay $200-500. They will pay you MUCH more than that. I do rent locations often for my shoots. I wish it was that cheap. You are getting ripped off if getting less than a few thousand for a house.
I have used the companies below to rent location for my shoots. Go into their websites and pick a house kinda like yours. If the rental price is not listed, call them for it. You can say you are an independent producer…
I am not sure about L&O’s budget, but a nice 4 story house in Brooklyn should get a minimum of $4K. And that’s a bargain!
http://www.scoutsource.com
http://akalocations.com/
http://jennylandeyproductions.com/
our building has turned down L&O a lot of time for the reasons DIBS said. it’s too hard on the neighbors. and they don’t pay enough to make it worthwhile ($200-500).
I think we’d reconsider if it was for a major motion picture. I know someone who got 25k for his place for a big film and they were in there less than a week. And neighbors don’t mind as much if Brad or Leo is in the neighborhood.
Stonergut-
I’d love to hear some compensation details. You can email me at info AT flashlightworthy DOT com
Unless you’re desperate for the cash DON’T DO IT!
Even the most well intentioned and professional of film crews make a terrible mess. 50-100 people tromping through your home moving your possessions out and then moving in their stuff. Things get broken, scratched and misplaced. They will pay for damages and try to set things right, but it’s just not worth it.
The Law and Order shows are about the best you can expect from a TV shoot. They shot many, many times in the downtown coop building I used to live in. I almost had a shoot in my apartment but they could not get the right angle into the bathroom where the corpse was supposed to be!
Also, if the OP (flashlightWorthy) wants to provide some better contact info, I’d be happy to share compensation details.