What a location agreement adds
A location release gives permission. A location agreement adds the money and the rules for a working rental. Clauses you'll see, summarized in plain terms (this isn't legal advice):
| Clause | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Schedule of days | Prep, shoot, strike, and holding days, each with its own rate |
| Hours and overtime | A base day (for example 12 hours, including load in and out) and an hourly rate after that |
| Deposit | Refundable damage or security deposit and when it's returned |
| Areas included | Which rooms, lots, and entrances the production can use, and which are off limits |
| Alterations | What the art department may change (paint, wallpaper, removing fixtures) and who restores it |
| Utilities | Whether the production can tie into house power or must use generators, and who pays for electricity |
| Parking and base camp | Where trucks, the honeywagon, and crew cars go |
| Business losses | For stores and restaurants, compensation for closing during filming |
| Cancellation and weather | Notice required to move or cancel dates, and what fees are still owed |
| Insurance | Required liability limits and naming the owner as additional insured |
A worked fee schedule
A three-day shoot at a restaurant that closes for filming:
| Day type | Days | Rate | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prep | 1 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Shoot | 2 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Strike | 1 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Overtime (day 2 ran 14 hours on a 12-hour base) | 2 hrs | $200 | $400 |
| Total fees | $7,400 |
A $2,000 deposit sits on top of that and comes back after a clean walkthrough. The budget should also carry the film permit, a fire safety officer if required, and any site representative the owner insists on.
Where agreements go wrong
Most disputes come from things nobody wrote down. The owner assumed the crew would stay out of the upstairs apartment. The production assumed house power was free. The strike ran into the restaurant's Saturday lunch. Walk the property with the owner before signing, list the spaces by name, and take date-stamped photos of every room before prep and after strike.
The tech scout often turns up needs the agreement didn't cover, such as a second holding area or a generator position on the neighbor's lot. Amend the agreement in writing when that happens.
Related paperwork
The owner usually wants a certificate of insurance before prep day. The location manager files the signed agreement with the production office and adds on-site contacts to the call sheet. See filming location rental cost for typical fee structures, and Storiara's locations feature for keeping the address, photos, and availability dates with each location.