What’s true in real estate is sometimes just as true in video: location matters. Many corporate videos take place in offices, and for these videos, one office building is usually just as good as another. But occasionally, a video calls for a unique location, and in those cases, finding the right space is critical.
One of our recent productions in Manhattan called for a high-end restaurant. To find the right place, we hired a location manager. These professionals, who work on feature films more often than on corporate videos, are remarkable for their encyclopedic knowledge of every residence, restaurant, school, and hospital in the cities where they work.
Location managers are experienced at negotiating with home and business owners for permission to shoot in their spaces. In particular, a good location manager can help determine a fair location fee – the amount you’ll pay the owner for the right to shoot in their space.
For our production, the location manager found a perfect restaurant, ideal for our upscale, professional characters. This film-friendly location had actually been used the week earlier for an Episode of “30 Rock.” The fee to shoot for a day: $1,250
Other recent projects have taken us to equally distinct locations, such as a hospital maternity ward ($2,500 for a half-day); the New York Public Library (a $3,000 charitable donation); New York’s Time Square (free as long as you have liability insurance for a permit); and the Dragon Roller Coaster at Rye Playland ($1,300).
Be prepared for the unexpected: On the day of our shoot at Playland (featured in the movie “Big”), the historic wooden roller-coaster cars needed emergency repairs. So we did what any good location manager would do: We got out and pushed.
