Property Release?

[Mark B.]

If I'm shooting a movie in an apartment that I'm renting, do I need to get a property release from the owner of the apartment building, or is my own signature satisfactory for the property release since I am the paying tenant of the property?

How about if I'm renting a hotel room? Or a house?

[Derth Adams]

If you want to do it properly, you'll need the property owner's permission. Generally for filming (unless they're doing you a favor) they'll want a location fee, and an insurance certificate that covers damage to the property, as well as general liability insurance.

[NateWeaver]

A 100% legit location manager/line producer would get a location release from the building owner. This is especially an issue with recognizable buildings.

That said, only a handful of shoestring productions would do that in a similar situation. Depends how anal your producer is.

If you made an amazing independent feature, and later it was being considered for distribution, the buyer/distributor would insist you had all your personal and location releases in order before they'd complete a deal. Or at the very least they'd ask for what you had.

This is the stuff I've learned along the way as a director/D.P. (not as a producer). I'm sure someone here knows more and can either correct me or confirm.