Getting Permission to Film

J

Joe Calabrese

Well-known member
What's the best way to approach a manager at a store or place to allow you to film?

I need to film in a bookstore or coffee-shop, and I wanted to use the (basically) abandoned starbucks by my house. Its almost always empty, but has a great interior design and nice windows I wanted to use.

What's the best way to ask the manager if we could film in an unobtrusive part of the store (like a back corner). Also, how much money should I offer if they don't let us do it for free. I was thinking $50 to let us film for an hour.

Its for a student film, by the way.

Thanks everybody,
Joe Calabrese
 
NYC can be tough if you don't have a friend at one of those places. Many many business owners are hip to the movies=$$$ mentality and $50 would only get you laughed at.

I would really work the student film angle and make sure you push the fact that your school has insurance, so that if someone gets hurt on their property, they are not liable.

I would also go for independent businesses. Not sure about Starbucks, but I think most corporations will have to pass your request up the chain, which can mean time lost and less likelihood of them letting you do it.

Just go in, be really nice and ask.
 
My backup plan was to use the free chairs and tables just outside that is not affiliated with starbucks (actually on city property, tables and chairs provided by the outdoor mall itself, not starbucks), so at least then they cant tell me to leave. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
As long as you have a permit to shoot on the sidewalk. Which is easy to get if you are a student and again, have insurance.

But even with a permit, if you are disrupting a business on that street, you will have to still get permission from that business.
 
Oh, also wanted to mention I did some work for a cafe shoot recently. Location cost for a day's use of a cafe or diner ranged from $2k-$15k the former being in queens and NJ and the latter being in Times Square.


Jason
 
Joe Calabrese said:
My backup plan was to use the free chairs and tables just outside that is not affiliated with starbucks (actually on city property, tables and chairs provided by the outdoor mall itself, not starbucks), so at least then they cant tell me to leave. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
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"Table and chairs provided by the outdoor mall...." sounds like you're on private property. Track down the property management company for your permissions.
 
I'm hoping that if I stress the student part, the empty starbucks should let us patronize their business by buying coffee and filming a quick scene. We wont be using any tripods or light or anything, just a DVX and a boom pole mic.
 
Joe Calabrese said:
I'm hoping that if I stress the student part, the empty starbucks should let us patronize their business by buying coffee and filming a quick scene. We wont be using any tripods or light or anything, just a DVX and a boom pole mic.
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I wouldn't count on it. The local manager of a corporate location like a Starbucks would probably not have the authority to grant permission and would need to kick your request upstairs. And then there's logos, trademarks, etc plastered all over such a space that would need to get cleared as well. Go ahead and ask, but make a plan "B" to have in your pocket just in case you're turned down.
 
I've tried shooting in a Starbucks before, as well as sit in a Starbucks just to shoot the street outside and was denied on both counts without permission from the Starbucks Corporate. The local managers don't have the authority to do it. Now if the manager wants to bend the rules, then that is another issue and possibility.

Michael
 
Got kicked out of Borders and Starbucks for just asking and holding the camera (they wouldn't even let me stay to think, but Coldstone Creamery didn't have a problem as long as we bought something. So we all ended up eating ice cream on a cold, rainy, New York day.
 
Just wanted to add that if icecream parlor worked for you instead of coffe parlor then most likely the exactness of the location was not that important to yo in the first place so you just generated a problem to yourself by not being more creative with your location choices in the first place. Now you know, sometimes the location is super important and sometimes it just generally stands in for something non-descriptive thus with a bit of creativity you can write around what you actually have access to.
 
We actually did have it planned and called the places in advance, all of which hung up (Starbucks and Borders). The ice cream place was just there and we just changed small details for the story to make sense in a ice cream parlor.
 
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