College campus access for filming?

[Randall_Oelerich]

I have a feature screenplay that would take place to a large extent on a college campus, plus a low-rent apartment, and a house, etc. But what have others here discovered or know about using a college campus for filming? Are colleges open to this, if done perhaps when the college is normally devoid of students such as during college breaks?

 

[Huy Vu]

It depends. On my campus (UC Berkeley) the deal was that if the location is accessible to the public, it's fine for filming (I actually went to the office and asked). But when you're in one of the buildings such as lecture hall or dorm, then you need a permit from the university with insurance coverage etc. And even then there are inconsistency since each building is likely to have its own administrator. I've been turn down from some places while allowed to shoot sans permit in other buildings.

In my experience most college campuses is known for its outside scenery, so as long as you're not attracting too much attention it should be fine to just film.

 

[grinner]

I have never had a problem shooting at any college.
In some cases, I paved the way first through the Dean. Other times, I just crashed, shot and split with no probs. With a big production with multiple takes, go ahead and iron it out before hand.