How to Find Filming Locations
You've got your list and briefs. Now the hunt begins. Great locations come from a mix of official libraries, online search, local knowledge, and plain legwork — and the best scouts fish in all of those waters at once.
This is the question everyone actually wants answered: where do filming locations come from? The honest answer is "everywhere" — but there's a real method to it. Good scouts work several sources in parallel, from official film-commission libraries to a walk down the right street. Here's the full toolkit for finding filming locations, from the formal to the scrappy.
Start with the film office
Your first stop for almost any shoot is the local film commission or film office — a government or regional body whose entire job is to help productions shoot in their area. They often maintain a searchable location library of vetted, film-friendly places, and they know permit rules, incentives, and local contacts. They want you to shoot there. It's the highest-value, most-overlooked resource for a new scout — start there before anything else.
The main sources, side by side
Film commissions
Regional film offices with location libraries, permit info, and local know-how. Free and film-friendly.
Location libraries & agencies
Companies and databases that list bookable film locations (homes, studios, venues) with photos and rates.
Online & maps
Google Maps, Street View, and image search let you scout a whole city from your desk before you ever drive out.
Real-estate & rentals
Property listings, Airbnb, and event-venue sites are goldmines — many owners will happily rent for filming.
Social media & local groups
Post your brief in local film and community groups; locals surface places no database has.
Your own legwork
Driving and walking the area with your list in hand — still how the best, most original locations get found.
Scout from the desk, then the street
Modern scouting is two phases. First, desk scouting: use maps, Street View, image search, and databases to build a longlist of candidates without leaving your chair — this is fast and free, and it narrows the field enormously. Then field scouting: go see the real contenders in person (Chapter 5), because photos lie and the camera only tells you so much. Desk work saves your legs; field work saves your shoot. You need both.
The power of local knowledge
The single best locations often come from people, not platforms. A scout who asks around — the café owner, the local historian, the guy who runs the hardware store — turns up the abandoned mill, the perfect diner, the house with the incredible staircase that no listing site knows exists. Talk to people. Tell them what you're looking for. Locals love helping a film, and they hold the map that isn't online.
Search smart with the brief
- Search the function, not just the label. Need a "police station"? A disused office or council building can play one — search broader than the script's word.
- Cast a wide net first, narrow later. Collect many options per location; you want choices to bring the director, not a single fragile bet.
- Keep the combining goal alive. As you search, watch for one place that could satisfy several briefs at once (Chapter 3).
- Log everything as you go. Every candidate with its address, photos, contact, and which brief it answers — a messy search becomes a real shortlist only if it's recorded.
- Mind the practicalities early. A stunning place two hours away with no parking may already be dead — start weighing logistics even now (Chapter 7).
My best-ever location came from a gas-station attendant, not a database. I was scouting a rural drama, stopped for fuel, mentioned what I was after, and he said "you should see my uncle's old barn." That barn ended up in three scenes and became the emotional heart of the film — and no listing site on earth had it. Ever since, I run every search on two tracks: the screen and the street. The databases give me a safety net of solid options; the conversations give me the magic. If you only scout from your laptop, you'll make a film that looks like everyone else's. Get out, talk to people, and let the place find you too.
You've built a shortlist of candidates. Now comes the moment that separates real scouts from browsers: going there and assessing it properly. Next — the scouting checklist of everything to look for on site.
Keep your location lists, scout reports, permit deadlines, and shoot-day logistics organized in one place. The Toolbox turns a messy scouting process into a repeatable, professional workflow.