HELP and Advice on how to get a location.

[kenazure24]

It's this placed called the "Michigan Central Depot" in Detroit. Its been there since 1913 and its abandon. Some of the first Transformers scenes were shot there. Its a big creepy building I want to shoot this short in there that I would like to enter in a festival on this forum. A lot of people sneak in and do there thing but its trespassing... and since making a short film takes time I have no time to be sneaking around.

So my question is... How exactly do I get permission to go inside to use that location? I don't know the first thing about this aspect of things. I'm willing to do anything and everything to use this location. Any ideas?

[Chris Adler]

Find the owner, contact them, and work out a deal. Most likely they'll require you have liability insurance. You can purchase a basic policy with a years worth of coverage for about $500. That policy will cover multiple productions.

Someone owns it. It may be the city, or someone else.

[kenazure24]

Find the owner, contact them, and work out a deal. Most likely they'll require you have liability insurance. You can purchase a basic policy with a years worth of coverage for about $500. That policy will cover multiple productions.

Someone owns it. It may be the city, or someone else.

Gonna be hell figuring out who owns this building. 500 dollars is really not in the budget for this short ahhhhhh. I will see...

[keylight]

How exactly do I get permission to go inside to use that location? I don't know the first thing about this aspect of things. I'm willing to do anything and everything to use this location. Any ideas?

First, a little sugar: It's great that you're going to ask permission. Snazzy's right that you'll probably need insurance IF they let you.

Now for a BIG dose of vinegar (people who know me know I'm not a fan of easy to answer questions).

Gonna be hell figuring out who owns this building. 500 dollars is really not in the budget for this short ahhhhhh. I will see...

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!!!

For a guy who is "willing to do anything and everything" you sure haven't done very much. Probably nothing at all. A quick search on teh Google turns up a Wikipedia page (first result) that mentions new development. The third result takes you to Joe Braun's site (a great local Michigan photographer). Joe writes (up near the top of the page):

IMPORTANT NOTE: The photos in this set were taken between 2006 and 2009 when the station was in its greatest state of despair—wide open with scrappers, vandals, and everybody else coming and going as they pleased. My goal was to document the entire building before talk of its demolition became reality. Since 2010, the building has been sealed and a perplexing and slow restoration operation has begun. Exploration is not recommended.

Wow. That was easy. So the depot is undergoing some development (they've done at least some asbestos remediation). Wiki and Joe tell me that. So... back to teh Google, this time to search for "Michigan Central Depot development".

The second result on that search is: http://www.savemichigancentral.com/

The Michigan Central Station Preservation Society (MCSPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of the Michigan Central Station and investment into the surrounding Corktown community for the purpose of promoting development and economic prosperity in and around the proximity of the Michigan Central Station.

Keep reading down the same page:

Starting in the summer of 2011, work began to restore the Michigan Central Station. Over 1 Million dollars has already been invested by the owners!

Now, they don't mention specifcally who the owner is, but they do have an email address, and I'll bet if you're super nice, they'll reply.... MichiganCentral@gmail.com

Oh, and on the Projects page they write:

MCS Tours
The current state of the Michigan Central Station is not conducive for tours by the general public. Although tours are a major goal of the Michigan Central Station Preservation Society, safety takes precedence and thus some modifications to the building must be made first. I know that many of you would love the opportunity to tour the building so make sure to sign up on the mailing list and to check back periodically for updates.

They also give a mailing address on that page of:

MCS Preservation Society
2649 Cove Lane
West Bloomfield, MI 48323

I suppose I could have just given you a link, but that would mean you'd actually have to take a minute to to BASIC research on TEH internet......

Oh.... The station has been used in the following movies:

• Transformers (Michael Bay, 2006)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Michael Bay, 2011) The Island (Michael Bay, 2005).
• Naqoyqatsi (Godfrey Reggio, 2002)
• Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005)

Okay.... I'm saving this for the end, hoping that you make it this far and spent a little time reading up on this location you so desperately want to shoot int. This page contains the information you're after. It'll tell you who owns the station and a bit more about the status as of two summers ago. I pulled the name from the wiki page (the first page I read) and then did a search adding the name to the search. That gave me some amount of comfort knowing that the name is probably right. Please, at least pretend to do a little basic research first next time. It's quick and relatively painless.....

I hope you get to shoot there!

[David W. Jones]

Gonna be hell figuring out who owns this building. 500 dollars is really not in the budget for this short ahhhhhh. I will see...

Sorry, but in my opinion you have no business shooting a movie if you can't afford the insurance to protect the property, cast, crew, your ass!

All the Best!

Dave

[keylight]

Sorry, but in my opinion you have no business shooting a movie if you can't afford the insurance to protect the property, cast, crew, your ass!

All the Best!

Dave

Or basic pre-production research?

[David W. Richardson]

First, a little sugar: It's great that you're going to ask permission. Snazzy's right that you'll probably need insurance IF they let you.

Now for a BIG dose of vinegar (people who know me know I'm not a fan of easy to answer questions).

This was very helpful. Wish it hadn't been so insulting, though. I get where you're coming from. Just think it could have been handled much more diplomatically.

[David W. Richardson]

Sorry, but in my opinion you have no business shooting a movie if you can't afford the insurance to protect the property, cast, crew, your ass!

All the Best!

Dave

Have to agree with Dave here. Protecting your people and equipment is one of the most important things you can do. Further, it doesn't just protect them -- it protects YOU. What if one of your cast or crew gets hurt, or (God forbid) KILLED, at one of your locations? Can you afford the damages from the almost-certain lawsuit? I couldn't.

I've actually heard filmmakers say -- right here on DVXUser -- "They can go ahead and sue me. I don't have anything." First off, this speaks volumes about how little concern that filmmaker has for his or her people. But more importantly, they miss the point. If they're sued, they will almost surely lose. And while they may not "have anything" right now, the court can take away from them most everything they ever WILL have in the future to pay off the judgement. Think about that. Everything you earn, maybe for the rest of your life, gets taken away from you by the court. (Remember O.J. Simpson?) Is it really worth the risk?

[keylight]

This was very helpful. Wish it hadn't been so insulting, though. I get where you're coming from. Just think it could have been handled much more diplomatically.

Well, I did end with:

I hope you get to shoot there!

I do take your point, however.

[kenazure24]

I have read all of you guys messages and I have to say a few things.

1. When you are making a short film with people you collaborate with you met at film school or just friends... we work for free for one common goal, to do something we love to do. There is no budget really. We all are using favors and each others equipment to get this done.

2. How can you guys say I am not serious because I don't have 500 dollars to spend? Money does not grow on trees and I sure in hell cant spawn it. Do not tell me I’m not serious about what I’m trying to do here considering this is my life. I am broke and in school...

3. I have done my research. Everybody in Detroit or in the Michigan area knows about the restoration of the Michigan Central Depot. Those articles are not accurate, so let me tell you what you don't know. The building is still a mess rather it says its being fixed and sealed. The building is not sealed... homeless people live in it and recently my classmates went inside and took pictures. People constantly go inside it until this day...somebody probably in it right now.

4. I understand the protection part, this is why I wanted to know how on earth do I get all of this done. Though you did help me with this part you spend a lot of time bashing me for what you thought I didn't know.

5. I do have business shooting a short without the proper insurance... its the price you pay for being broke. You think I’m just suppose to stop? If I followed that advice I might as well quit school and get a job at McDonalds.

6. Im well informed on the pre, pro, and post production aspect of video...

7. Lastly, I thought these forums were for me to come get help when I needed it? not to be treated like some noob. Either way, we are all men here.... I think? I will film in this building insurance or not. I just need to know if I can do it the proper way before I do something crazy.


The funniest line I heard was I shouldn't be do ing it at all without this and that...