Anywhere you choose to shoot belongs to somebody, even if it is only the local council, and you do need to get prior permission – preferably in writing. If you are filming in a street you should notify the police as you might be the unwitting cause of traffic or people congestion.
Apart from getting permission for your shooting, you might also have to arrange a suitable fee and organise indemnity against heavy-handed crews damaging the surroundings.
The director might find the locations himself or herself, or the job might fall to the location manager or the production manager. Alternatively, you might have to find the locations yourself. So how do you go about it?
1. The script. The script is obviously the first pointer. If the story is set in one of the hotter, dustier regions of Spain, it is no good trying to shoot it just outside London. You might well find a dusty region, but what about the weather?
2. Accessibility. It is possible to take a unit anywhere – almost. What must be considered is whether the cost and difficulties of travel to remote regions are worthwhile for guaranteed quiet, good weather and no one officiously demanding a permit.
A large production, complete with artists, make-up, wardrobe, props, lighting, camera crew, etc., is a very cumbersome body to move around. There is usually heavy equipment, large vehicles and a great number of people.
3. Communications. This leads on from the last point. It is necessary to have fairly fast, reliable communications with civilisation, and there must either be a means of transport available or special transport provided, often at great expense.
4. Facilities. You might get all the peace and quiet you need in Outer Mongolia, but what about the hotels, the lack of electricity, telephones, fax machines, or even the availability of public conveniences? This is to say nothing of evening entertainment, although a good unit will always provide its own in one way or another.
Hunting for Locations
Many things must be taken into consideration when looking for locations – not just peace and quiet. Reasonable accessibility to civilisation is one factor as a unit is usually quite a cumbersome body to move around.