Location fees vary according to the production. Some take only a few hours; others last for days or weeks. Rates vary enormously, from a few hundred pounds, to many thousands.

The film company / photographer will have a budget: you are not obliged to accept what they offer. Your decision will be based on the level of disruption and the type of project. A simple stills shoot may consist of a handful of people, a full blown feature film may be a hundred personnel or more.

Because we are the largest and busiest location library in the UK, we organise location contracts and negotiate facility fees every day. Registering with the Location Works Library is free, however we charge a 25% commission on the fee payable to you: it is therefore in our interests to get you the best price. (There may be other charges, please see our "Terms & Conditions for Location Owners" for more details.)

what happens if I get used?

It may be six days, six months or six years before you get a call! - it simply depends on what is fashionable, or on the demands of the industry.

The smallest shoot may be just three people, for example photographer, assistant and model. A feature film unit is like a mobile factory, with potentially a hundred crew, lighting trucks, camera vans, mobile homes for the stars, catering facilities, a dining bus, maybe even their own toilets! If you have a modest home, expect a modest sized crew. Film and photographic personnel are professionals, and you may reasonably expect that your property will be treated with the utmost respect.

The first call will be from Location Works, establishing the availability of your location on a particular date, or set of dates. Assuming you are happy with the proposed project, and the fee that is on offer, the first visit to be arranged is the "recce", when the location manager comes and assesses your property for suitability.

It is part of the experience of being a location owner that you may have several recces before you actually get used: your property is usually in a short list. There are many reasons why your property may not be right, and sometimes it can be arbitrary reasons why somewhere else is chosen, perhaps to do with scheduling and the proximity of another important location.

Once your location is chosen, Location Works will draw up a Location Agreement between yourself and the Hirer. The agreement covers the times of preparation days (known as "prep days"), filming, and re-instatement days ("strike days"), also the areas to be used, extra facilities, payment terms etc. and, importantly, insurance matters. We have many years of experience in doing this, and you may rest assured that your interests will be best served, and that we will get the best price for the job.

In the case of a large shoot, there may be one or more further "technical recces" when for example the director and cinematographer will visit to plan the shoot day in more detail.

Location Works insists on payment being made prior to commencement of any photography / filming. We have found it to be most efficient and secure if we take payment from the production company and pass payment on to you after the shoot (usually immediately).

On the day, the photographer / production company will reasonably expect to find the location as it was when they did their recce: they would understandably be annoyed to arrive and find that, for example, builders are working on the roof! Your property should be as you would expect it to be for the visit of an important guest: neat and tidy.

If there is a star involved, you stand a good chance of meeting them, but be prepared to mostly hover around discreetly in the background. It is your home that is the real star, let the crew get on with their work. The two people you should get to know are the Location Manager and the Producer - they are the ones who will sort out any problems that may arise.

It may be a long day, and a most unusual experience, but always fun!