Abandoned Buildings

N

nametaken

Member
I am set to shoot a music video in January and the only thing I am really worried about is a location right now. All of the locations that have been fitting are old, rundown buildings or abandoned homes. Has anybody had any experience shooting in an abandoned property or would you even dare to consider?

I know some things are shot in abandoned buildings (such as Michigan Central Station in Transformers), a location I have personally been looking at, but it seems the cost of getting a permit would be more expensive (more risks.) Hmmm.
 
>getting a permit would be more expensive (more risks.)

How is getting a permit more risky?

What's it worth to you?

Are you renting equipment? Are you paying crew? Is it just you and a bunch of friends?

How much grief will it cause when the rent-a-cop or real cop shows up and kicks you out?

Getting a permit/permission gives you piece of mind and lets you concentrate on the task at hand: getting great footage.
 
Exactly. So called abandoned buildings , if you check with the county or city records, are always owned by someone... who really doesn't want the liability of filmmakers on the property risking injury. Call the owner, provide proof of insurance and offer a small rental fee and chances are they will accomodate.
 
j said:
>getting a permit would be more expensive (more risks.)

How is getting a permit more risky?
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Not more risky, I have a feeling that getting a permit to shoot in an abandoned building would be more expensive due to more risks to your crew (which is 3 people and a band in my case) in a decrepid, old building. The shoot is extremely important and we put location as something extremely important to the final product.
 
nametaken said:
Not more risky, I have a feeling that getting a permit to shoot in an abandoned building would be more expensive due to more risks to your crew (which is 3 people and a band in my case) in a decrepid, old building. The shoot is extremely important and we put location as something extremely important to the final product.
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I would definitely get permission first. Getting kicked out isn't the worst thing that can happen; getting arrested and your gears confiscated is.

Few years ago I was shooting at an abandoned factory. We just wrapped for the day and were driving out when we see three cop cars going past us and pulling in to the place we just left. We later found out that the owner of the "abandoned" factory called them because he thought we were trying to break in. If we had stayed five minutes longer all of us would have been arrested; cleared out of there just in time. It still gives me chill every time I think about it. If the shoot is that important to you, cover all your bases.
 
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Hmm. the advice I've heard in that regard is:

Use city hall to try find the owner of the property, if you can sign a statement saying they won't be held responsible for damages or injuries to your crew or equipment while shooting on their property they may let you.

If you can't find or contact anyone, get permission from the local police, or just let them know you'll be filming there so they expect it.

Some properties are still patrolled by rent-a-cops and they tend to have more of an attitude but if you do the above two things you should be ok.

As far as a permit I guess it depends on how large a city you're filming in, but with enough inncoently framed questions, a little charm, and refusal to accept no you should be ok..

If it was just a few shots or a quick est. shot you might be ok, but a music video may require noise permits, and certainly some time. But if you plan on selling the video to a label, or submitting it to non-local festivals they will probably insist on location releases... even for something no one inhabits.

This post is a bit late but let us know what you ended up doing and how it worked out.
 
I have shot in an abandoned building. The director/producer found the owner and got permission.

The Pros
+The building is not being used. This means we can store equipment overnight, Keep setups for long durations, and pretty much control everything.
+ The building is not being used. lol This also means we have very flexible or rather no restrictions on the hours of use.

The Negatives
- Much of the time, abandoned buildings have their power disconnected except for a locked contractors power box in the back
- The building is usually in poor condition, so liability is an issue and safety becomes a concern. (old floors, mold, fungus, rusty nails, other issues of non maintained property)


I'm sure there are other pros and cons, but I can't think of any right now that are universal.
 
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