This page covers the person who does the scouting. For the term itself and how "scout" gets used as a verb and a noun on call sheets, see the glossary entry for location scout.
What the director asks for, and what the scout brings back
The request usually arrives as a line from the breakdown and a few reference images. "EXT. ROADSIDE MOTEL - NIGHT. Two-story, exterior walkways, neon sign, desert feel, within 30 minutes of Burbank." The scout's job is to turn that into five or six real options with enough information that the director can pick from photos, and the location manager can tell whether each one is workable.
A good photo package for a single candidate includes:
- A wide establishing shot from the likely camera position
- A 360-degree panorama from the center of each usable room or area
- Close shots of anything that would need art department changes (signs, logos, paint)
- The breaker panel, bathrooms, and the path from the street to the set
- Street parking and a spot big enough for base camp
- A note on sun direction, overhead flight paths, freeway noise, and nearby schools or churches
- Owner contact info and whether they've hosted filming before
The scout labels every folder with the set name and scene numbers ("Sc. 14, 15, 52: EXT. ROADSIDE MOTEL"), so nobody has to guess later.
A scouting day
Scouting runs on daylight and the owners' schedules. A day looking for that motel might go:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | Review the day's route; research candidates from past files, film commission listings, and map searches |
| 9:30 AM | First drive-by in Palmdale; knock, ask the manager for permission to photograph |
| 10:15 AM | Shoot exteriors, walkways, two rooms, the office |
| 11:30 AM | Two more candidates on the same road; one is a no from the owner |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch, upload photos from the car, send first selects to the location manager |
| 2:30 PM | Fourth candidate; sun is now behind the building, so shoot and note the orientation |
| 5:00 PM | Drive back, organize folders, write notes |
| 7:30 PM | Return to the best candidate to photograph the neon at night |
The last stop matters because a night exterior looks different at night: the neon, the parking lot lights, and how dark the road is past the sign.
Commercial scouting and the AICP rate
Commercials use a lot of scouts because every job needs new places fast. The 2026 AICP wage chart with Teamsters Local 399 lists a minimum daily rate for location scout managers of $957.58 starting June 28, 2026, rising to $991.10 on July 4, 2027 and $1,020.83 on July 2, 2028.
Budgeting a four-day scout for a car spot at the 2026 minimum: 4 x $957.58 = $3,830.32 in wages, before fringes, mileage, and any image licensing or permit research the job requires.
On AMPTP features and series in Los Angeles, the Local 399 location managers rate sheet lists location manager, key assistant location manager, and assistant location manager. It has no separate scout line, so on studio shows the scouting is typically done by people hired in one of those classifications.
Scouting from the script outward
The scout's work shapes the schedule more than people expect. If the motel, the diner, and the gas station can all be found on one stretch of highway, the 1st AD saves a company move and maybe a day. Scouts who read the whole script catch those chances.
After the director picks, the scout may help set up the tech scout, where department heads visit together. On smaller productions the scout stays on as an assistant location manager for the shoot.
Getting started
The usual route in is working as a location PA, then scouting on commercials and music videos, where turnaround is fast and producers need someone reliable with a car and a camera. Building a personal library helps: scouts keep organized photo files of places they've found and cleared before, and a well-kept library is often why a location manager calls one scout over another.
Things that make a new scout employable:
- Clean, consistent photo packages with panoramas
- Knowledge of permit rules for the cities you work in (our Los Angeles permit guide is a start)
- Comfort approaching strangers and taking a no politely
- Notes that answer the grip and electric departments' questions before they ask
Tools and paperwork
Scouts work from the script breakdown and a set list, and deliver photo packages, maps, and owner contact sheets. Once a place is chosen, the location manager takes over the location agreement and permits. Our location scouting checklist has a field-by-field list of what to record at each site.
In Storiara, scouting photos and contact details attach to each location card in the Locations module, which starts from the settings pulled out of the script's scene headings.