Filming on Location: Agreements
A permit gets you onto public property. A location agreement gets you onto private property — the café, the apartment, the warehouse. It's a contract with the owner, and it's one of the most important pieces of paper a location-heavy film will ever sign.
Permits and location agreements solve two different problems, and it's worth being crisp about the difference. A permit is the government's permission to film on public property. A location agreement is the property owner's permission to film on private property — and to show that property in your finished film. If you're shooting in a friend's apartment, a local diner, a church, a shop, or an office, you don't need a city permit — you need a signed agreement from whoever controls that space. Skip it and, exactly like the un-signed actor, that location can become a problem you can't fix later.
What a location agreement does
The agreement grants you two things: the right to be there filming, and the right to use the footage of that place in your film forever. That second part is the one people forget. A verbal "sure, film here" gets you in the door — but if the owner later objects to how their business appears on screen, a handshake gives you nothing. The signed agreement is what lets you distribute your film without that person being able to pull their location out of it. It protects both sides: the owner knows what they agreed to, and you know your footage is safe.
What the agreement should cover
A solid, simple location agreement typically addresses these points:
A one- or two-page agreement covers all of this. The Contract Assistant and standard indie templates handle it — the key is getting it signed by someone who actually has authority over the space.
Sign with the right person
Here's a trap that catches new filmmakers: getting the agreement signed by someone who doesn't have the authority to grant it. A barista is thrilled to let you film in the café — but the barista can't bind the owner. A tenant can let you shoot in their apartment, but the landlord may control certain rights. Always get the signature from whoever genuinely controls the property: the owner, the manager with authority, the person on the lease. If you're unsure, ask directly, "Are you authorized to give permission to film here and use it in a movie?" A signature from the wrong person is worth about as much as no signature at all.
Get it signed before you shoot
As with every piece of paper in this course, timing is everything. Get the location agreement signed before the shoot day, not after — ideally when you scout or lock the location. The owner's goodwill is highest before you've descended on their space with a crew, and lowest if something went slightly wrong on the day. Bring the form to the location scout, explain it plainly ("this just says we can film here and use the footage; we'll leave it exactly as we found it"), and get the signature while everyone's happy. A folder of signed location agreements is one of the quiet markers of a production that will actually be able to release its film.
Not legal advice. Location agreements are contracts, and the right terms depend on your project, jurisdiction, and the property. Use a proper template or the Contract Assistant as a starting point, and have an entertainment attorney review agreements for significant shoots.
I shot a pivotal scene in a bar on the strength of a text message from the bartender who worked nights — "yeah come film, owner won't care." The owner cared. When the film started getting attention, he saw his bar in it, called it unauthorized, and demanded a fee I couldn't pay, threatening to make trouble with the festival. I had no signed agreement and no leg to stand on. It would have taken one page and one signature from the actual owner — who, it turned out, would happily have signed for free if I'd just asked him instead of the bartender. Get the right person's name on the paper, before the day. — WR
That completes the Foundations module: you can tell permit from location agreement, get either one, and film anywhere with the paperwork to back it up. Module 2 turns to the family of releases — the consent forms for the people and property you put on screen — starting with the most fundamental one of all: the talent release.
Generate the releases, location agreements, and clearance paperwork your shoot needs — talent, appearance, location, and property forms ready to sign, right when you need them.