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Student Production Handbook

Film and Mass Media Program at the UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media

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Scouting & Locking

Updated

Overview

If you do not already have access to the perfect location for your student production, you will need to priortize time to scout for the ideal spot. Make sure to start well before the start of principal photography as it can take significant time to complete this process.

Resources

The following location libraries are available to use to help find great locations to scout in the Central Florida area:

Vacation Rentals & Renting Private Homes

As Orlando is one of the premiere vacation destinations in the world, Central Florida is saturated with vacation rental properties that are available for rent. Many of these properties are willing to rent to productions. Use these popular listing services to help browse what is available and to contact the property owner.

Students are required to be up front and transparent with the locations they seek to use. You must disclose to the property owners that you intend to film on their property. Be prepared explain the nature of the script, the scope of the production, and dates you wish to film.

Please be mindful that some of these business may not wish to provide services to student productions.

Initial Scout

Once you identified a handful of potential locations, you will need to visit each of them in person to evaluate if they meet the basic needs of the production. Take photographs of the location to share with keys to get their feedback on the best options. Obviously, the look of the location is important but do also keep in mind the logistics of the production:

  • Is there enough space to stage equipment or have a seated meal period?
  • Is there suitable parking for the production vehicles for unloading equipment?
  • Is there enough parking for the crew’s personal vehicles?
  • Are there enough restrooms to support the size of the crew?
  • Is the location safe to occupy?
    • Older structures may have structural or electrical issues.
    • Industrial building may contain harmful materials.
    • Unoccupied buildings may be condemed.
    • Productions in high crime areas may draw unwanted attention.
  • How disruptive will the production be to neighboring homes or buisnesses?
  • Are there spaces for the talent to change or take a break away from set?
  • How resilient will the location be to a student crew?
    • Be careful regarding expensive flooring, fragile furniture or objects, and other difficult to replace items.
  • Is there sufficiant heating or cooling for the size of the crew?
  • Is the location sound friendly?
    • Listen to the enviroment. Mechanical noises, air and road traffic, playgrounds, and neighboring pets can lead to significant dealys on set waiting on quite moments.

Many businesses will ask for fees to cover the cost of closing their business and/or having a staff member present when shooting off-hours. Do not waste time on locations that are too busy or unlikely to be interested in supporting your project.

Tech Scout

Once you have narrowed down the list, a tech scout should be performed with key crew members:

  • Producer
  • Director
  • 1st AD
  • Director of Photography
  • Gaffer
  • Key Grip
  • Art Director
  • Sound Mixer

Include other crew members as deemed fit.

The 1st AD should help lead the scout, with the director blocking out where the action will take place. The director of photography will discuss potential camera placements and lighting considerations. Keys should inspect the location for viability and to determine what resources will be needed to accomlish what has been laid out by the principals.

  • Is there suitable electrical service to support lighting and production needs?
    • Inspect electrical panels to identify how many circuits are available. See the High Voltage Electricity section of this handbook for more details on how to evaluate electrical curcuits while on a Tech Scout.
  • How does natural lighting impact the space during the time periods you will be shooting?
    • Use mobile applications such as the Sun Seeker mobile application to help determine what time of day sunlight will enter through windows. Take screen shots of the augmented reality views so you can reference them later.
  • How large are the spaces? Is there enough space to shoot the scene(s)?
    • Be sure to bring a tape measure or laser measure to get accurate room deminisions including ceiling height, window and door sizes. This information will be useful when making overheads.
  • Take photos and videos of the entire space.
    • Take photos of potential sets, power locations, and other features and fixtures of interest.
    • Pay special attention to areas where scenes have been initially blocked out.
    • Use crew to stand in as talent to create photo or video boards of what is blocked out for each scene.
  • Document what areas each key has identified for staging for their department.

Crew members should point out any concerns that they have regarding the practicality of using the location during or immediately after the scout.

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