# Location Scout

Source: https://storiara.com/roles/location-scout-role
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> A location scout searches for real places that match the script and the director's vision, then documents them with photo sets, measurements, and practical notes about parking, power, noise, and access. Scouts hand those options to the location manager and creative team. On commercials covered by the AICP and Teamsters Local 399 agreement, location scout managers have a minimum daily rate.

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](https://storiara.com/glossary/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](https://storiara.com/roles/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](https://storiara.com/glossary/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](https://storiara.com/glossary/tech-scout), where department heads visit together. On smaller productions the scout stays on as an [assistant location manager](https://storiara.com/roles/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:

1. Clean, consistent photo packages with panoramas
2. Knowledge of permit rules for the cities you work in (our [Los Angeles permit guide](https://storiara.com/blog/film-permit-los-angeles) is a start)
3. Comfort approaching strangers and taking a no politely
4. Notes that answer the grip and electric departments' questions before they ask

## Tools and paperwork

Scouts work from the [script breakdown](https://storiara.com/glossary/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](https://storiara.com/glossary/location-agreement) and permits. Our [location scouting checklist](https://storiara.com/blog/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](https://storiara.com/feature/locations), which starts from the settings pulled out of the script's scene headings.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does a location scout do all day?

Drives, knocks on doors, and shoots photos. A scout works from a list of sets, looks for candidates, asks owners for permission to photograph, and builds a photo package for each place with wide shots, panoramas, and notes on parking, power, sun direction, and noise.

### How much do location scouts get paid?

On commercials under the 2026 to 2029 AICP agreement with Teamsters Local 399, the minimum daily rate for location scout managers is $957.58 effective June 28, 2026. Feature and non-union rates depend on the production and market.

### Is a location scout the same as a tech scout?

No. A location scout is a person who finds places. A tech scout is an event later in prep when department heads visit already-chosen locations together to plan equipment, lighting, and logistics. The location manager or scout usually leads it.

### Do I need a special camera to be a location scout?

You need a camera that shoots clean, well-exposed wide images and panoramas. Many scouts use a DSLR or mirrorless body with a wide lens and a phone for quick maps and GPS pins. Consistent, labeled photo sets matter more than the gear.

## Sources

- [AICP and Teamsters Local 399 2026 Agreement, Appendix A Wage Chart (Drivers and Locations)](https://www.ht399.org/app/uploads/2026/06/APPENDIX-A-Wage-Chart-Drivers-and-Locations-final-6.24.26.pdf)
- [Teamsters Local 399 Location Manager Agreement, Basic Feature Rates 2024-2027](https://www.ht399.org/app/uploads/2024/12/Locations-Basic-Feature-Rates-2.pdf)