5th February 2020
What Makes a Great Photoshoot Location?
So you’re interested in renting out your property for filming and photoshoots and want to know what makes a great photoshoot location?
you’ve been inspired by a friend or neighbour doing a few shoots, or maybe you’d love to have Idris Elba swanning around your home. Either way, being a shoot location can be a fun and be a fantastic experience, along with a great way to make a little extra money.
Amazing Space been working in the shoot location business for over 25 years now, and we’ve spotted that there are some properties which tend to be more popular for shoots than others. We’ve got the hang of what makes a particularly great photoshoot location. Check out our list of the ideal qualities people are looking for in shoot spaces:
Space & Size
Not every shoot is looking for a humungous mansion to shoot the next James Bond (but we can dream!), although one thing that all shoots have in common is that they are all looking for plenty of space.
Shoots always come with crew and talent, with numbers ranging from between 10 to 100 people per shoot, along with all their equipment and vehicles. It can feel like quite a lot going on in your house, so it’s always a bonus to have a couple of rooms in the house which can be used for them to store equipment, set up hair and make-up tables, or preparing catering away from their filming areas. Directors are often looking for enough space to be able to pull back from the area they’re filming to get lovely wide shots – so open plan kitchens and interior areas are always popular, along with spacious extensions.
Fabulous Features
Period features in a lovely Victorian home are always popular - such as fireplaces, sash windows, parquet floors and high ceilings. In modern houses, rough concrete and polished concrete are both very popular currently, along with the super trendy crittall windows.
Textures are always popular too – especially when crews are shooting interviews, just to give a bit of interest in the background of their shots. If you have an exposed brick wall, some rough plaster, bold wallpaper or wood panelling, you’re usually in for a winner. Anything that sparks a little interest!
Even better, if your house has a mix of period and modern features, along with interesting textures, there’s a chance your property may be really popular for shoots due to the versatility you can offer. We go in to more detail on versatility below...
Light
We all love natural light – it’s a delight.
Shoots will either want to use the natural sunlight flooding through your property, or they will want to black out the house completely so they can control the light in their shots. It’s good to be open to both – but if you have a huge glass extension with skylights and direct sunlight, this could swing the decision either way for the client.
Versatility
Many shoots are trying to find a space which has multiple differently styled spaces within one location – this is a big bonus as it saves a job shooting in many different properties, as they can instead shoot all their scenes in one place.
If your house offers this kind of versatility, along with enough space for them to set up a few different scenes and production areas around the house, chances are you’re in for a winner.
Check out this house for versatility, they’ve got something different in every room:
RES-9070 - A Beautiful Victorian House with Different Colours & Styles Throughout
Location
As a lot of the film & photographic industry is currently based in London, most Clients are looking for locations also in the Capital. This means they don’t have to travel too far with crew, equipment and their models.
However, if you’re outside of London, don’t be disheartened! It’s often the case that for the ‘perfect location’ shoots may be persuaded to travel a little further afield, especially if you’re offering them something they may not be able to get within the M25. Crews will have a much better chance of finding their perfect fairy-tale cottage or historic country home by travelling out of London, you just have to be offering something worth them travelling a little further for.
There’s also a chance at some point that you may be dropped a letter by a Location Manager who is scouting locally. Often, they are shooting in one property and wish to find some others nearby, to use as a greenroom, production base, or just for additional space to park.
Another bonus feature of your geographical location is if you have amenities nearby – a big supermarket is always good for supplies, and Location Managers are often looking for sports halls or community centres nearby to their main shoot location to base excess crew and vehicles. Get clued up on the amenities of your local area, so you can recommend them on the recce or the shoot!
Flexibility
Hosting shoots in your property can be a good little earner, along with offering the chance to see your house on the big screen and possibly have a few A-Listers swanning around your living room. Over the years, we’ve also had a few shoots who have asked the Owner’s to be in their shots – from pizza commercials to TV dramas, adding another level of excitement.
However, shoots can also come with a lot of people, equipment and ever-changing requirements. An open-minded and flexible outlook is always important when hosting a shoot. Most shoots go very smoothly and can be great fun for everyone, but it’s good to keep in mind that occasionally everything may not go exactly to plan. Being flexible, understanding and fair, along with keeping good communication with the crew are very important qualities for any shoot property owners.
Check out some of Amazing Space's recent work here:
All shoots are different and have different requirements in a location, but if you’re ticking at least a few of the boxes above, you’re doing something right.
If you think your property will be great for filming and photographic shoots, and are interested in registering a property with Amazing Space you can do so here.
That’s a wrap,
The Amazing Space Team