The Best Locations for a Film Shoot
Are you affiliated with a production company or working independently on a TV commercial, documentary, movie, or social media video? Pre-production is the key to success; it starts with location scouting!
Most of our favorite films were shot in California, Colorado, Arizona, Ontario, and beyond! Thanks to an endless list of movies and TV shows filmed in these cities, the world instantly recognizes the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in Chicago, The Shard in London, and an endless list of other attractions.
Production companies and film industry professionals are always looking for cinematic gems, and location scouts will tell you that consulting a location database is your best starting point. Say your script needs a market, hotel, or office space; finding a setting that matches your creative vision and has room for your cast, crew, and film equipment would be a tall order.
The great news is that we can help. Browse Giggster's 10000 filming locations suited for your project to start your pre-production process.
Filming Locations Curated By Giggster `
Every production needs varied filming backdrops, whether a documentary, commercial, or music video. Searching for a production setting is much easier with Giggster's featured locations; browse our listings to secure a top spot like our Abandoned Vintage Apartment (1970s).
- The opening sequence is what hooks and keeps audiences interested. Begin by establishing scenes; record extreme long shots of city landmarks or well-known attractions. Rooftop venues, top-floor lofts, or ground-floor storefronts are the best sites to capture shots for opening sequences.
- Giggster has a sprawling property, apartment, or loft ideal for a TV drama with a family scene or a cooking show. Rent one with a fully equipped kitchen and enough room to create different sets for various scenes.
- Filmmakers usually prefer recording interior scenes in film studios. They give content creators endless possibilities to create magic with the latest film equipment, green screens, and pre-built sets. A production company can also run administrative tasks within the building.
- Location scouts will tell you that a warehouse is the perfect location to produce different types of screen productions. In your search, you'll find an option bare to the bones, allowing you to convert it into a custom filming location.
Plan an Amazing Film Shoot Starting at Just $18/hour
Exceptional Variety & Quality: Find film studios, residential properties, restaurants, and other production spaces listed on our site. Your search will produce filming locations with the best rates, starting at $18/hour, helping you find your perfect fit.
Hassle-Free Booking: Every listing has all the details you should know about a filming space, complete with property photos. You can contact property owners on our website to visit different locations and discuss any issues.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: We won't charge you to cancel your booking as long as it's at least 24 hours beforehand; Giggster understands if you need to change your booking date or time.
Platform Protections: You can reserve properties like a Abandoned Vintage Apartment (1970s) using Giggster's optional damage protection package. Knowing you have the required security and coverage in case of permit delays or other issues gives you peace of mind.
The Best Type of Venue for Your Film Shoot
Film industry professionals and production companies know you must widen your search to find filming locations that check all the boxes. Giggster is your location database, listing vast movie locations in different cities and countries.
Film Studio Soundstages – Movies. Filmmakers choose a soundstage when they need a controlled environment to record a theatrical feature or television series. It's one of the top movie locations, found at the backlot of most film studios. The room or building usually has on-site security services, which is an added benefit, especially considering the expensive production equipment.
Hotels – Film Scenes. If you need ideas for using a hotel as a film location, add Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" and Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" to your watchlist. It's the perfect location for establishing shots or montage sequences, or you can base your production around the venue.
Mansions – Family Genres. Almost every movie features a house, and it's the most comfortable setting to help build a character's family life. It has room for different setups for various scenes; lease a luxury home with a pool and panoramic views.
Fitness Studios – Workout Videos. A fitness center is the best location for producing exercise videos or photos. Typically, these are brightly lit spaces with high ceilings and substantial floor space to accommodate filming equipment, the cast, and crew members.
Cars – Chase Sequences. Like property owners who are always willing to lease their stately estates to filmmakers, luxury car owners rent their sweet set of wheels for screen projects. The Giggster app has everything from sports cars and sedans to recreational vehicles available as filming locations!
Essentials for a Filming Location
Pre-production includes a laundry list of tasks: you must find filming locations, get permits, and prepare the properties for your project. But first, looking for film shoot settings with the aesthetics and necessary facilities to produce your project is essential.
Does the film location have a look that matches your film genre?
Every film has a theme genre; consider this when looking for shooting locations. Abandoned buildings have an eerie look and suit horror genres. On the other hand, coffee shops and restaurants are bright and airy, making them perfect settings for comedies and dramas.
How does the property look on screen?
Before D-day, it's essential to make several site visits to determine if it ticks all the boxes as a film location. Take photos or schedule test shoots to see if it translates how you want it to look on the screen.
What authorizations do you need to use for the film location?
You'll need film permits and authorizations to produce a movie or film in different settings; this usually applies to filming in public spaces. During the negotiation stage, ask property owners if you, as the filmmaker, should apply for a license or get any other permission to use their space for your project.
Organizing a Film Shoot
Once you've identified a perfect film location, hire crew members, assemble your equipment, and get the space camera-ready before your shoot date.
Location Scout – Months before your first shooting date, look for shoot venues. Browse listings on the Giggster app, contact property owners via our site, and arrange viewings. Check if each location has challenges and determine ways to fix them.
Get Community Support – Engaging the community will significantly help your film shoot. Employ local actors and crew; they can offer insider knowledge and help you access discounts or tax incentives when making permit applications.
Minimize Delays – Many things can cause filming delays, from finding parking to film set construction and adjusting equipment placements. Prepare for every aspect and assign duties to department leaders to reduce wait times.
Motivate your Team – Filming days are long, and the repetitiveness wears thin after a while. Keeping snacks and drinks on set and serving all other meals reduces the time spent shuffling in and out of the location.
Filming Hidden Costs
Producing a film is always expensive. Booking the best film locations can help you save significant money immediately, but you'll need more strategies to save more money.
- Book film locations in outlying neighborhoods.
The downtown area of any city has the most conveniently accessible studios and shoot locations. However, you're better off looking beyond the busy central hubs for a film location because they are among the priciest. You'll find listings in different city neighborhoods on the Giggster app to help widen your search.
- Can you hire emerging talent?
Many aspiring performers and crew are searching for their big break. Additionally, they usually have the most fresh perspectives and creativity, which can assist a movie willing to give them a chance. You'll save a lot more money overall than hiring A-listers.
Although hiring experts will come at a higher initial cost, they'll save you money in the long run. The three crucial departments are lighting, sound, and video: if you perfect these departments from the start, you won't have to pay extra for reshoots or post-production concerns.
Plan Your Film Shoot with Giggster
Explore film locations in various cities now that you know the available options and which settings suit different screen projects. Any of Giggster's 10000 movie locations can be a background for your shoot.
Written by: Leesa Davis
How COVID-19 changed the way movies are budgeted and made
The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruptions to numerous industries, among them the movie business. In the pandemic's early days, studios and movie theaters were hit with temporary closures, filming delays, and plummeting ticket sales. The pandemic also changed how movies are distributed, as studios looked to diversify their distribution strategies and streamers pushed to expand their content libraries.
Using research from news and industry sites as well as data reports, Giggster broke down some of the crucial ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way movies are budgeted and made.
The chaos brought by COVID-19 served as something of a reset button for Hollywood. Studio executives faced unprecedented circumstances in which popular streaming services such as Netflix became the primary means for consuming content while film production of every scale was interrupted by COVID-19-related shutdowns or faced release schedules that could not be accommodated due to theater closures.
2021 box office earnings in the U.S. totaled $4.49 billion, representing a more than $2 billion recovery from the previous year that was still leagues away from 2019's $11.3 billion haul. Many of 2021's top films, including "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Black Widow," faced limited earnings potential by being simultaneously released on streaming and in theaters.
Success looks different for theatrical vs. streaming releases
For many Hollywood studios, 2021 provided the rare opportunity to figure out movie distribution patterns that had piqued the curiosity of film industry folks long before the pandemic. For years, the only way to watch a new film was at a movie theater. After COVID, there are no set rules on how a new movie can be released.
In the last year and a half, some movies were released exclusively in theaters before crossing over to digital platforms; other films were made available on streaming platforms the same day as their theatrical releases. Throughout 2021, nearly every new Warner Bros. movie release appeared on HBO Max—a measure being discontinued now as theaters have reopened and Warner and Discovery are expected to merge by the summer of 2023.
Several new streaming services owned by media heavyweights with their own movie studios drew tremendous viewership during the pandemic, among them Peacock, Paramount+, and Disney+—which took many of its live-action and animated features streaming-first, including "Turning Red," "Black Widow," and "Raya and the Last Dragon." Such initiatives have changed how success is measured. For example, "The Many Saints of Newark," released in fall 2021 by Warner Bros., was a flop at the box office but a major hit for HBO Max.
After a slump in revenue, box offices are ready for a comeback
Throughout the pandemic, movie theaters across the country suffered the blow of plummeting ticket sales. Cineworld Group PLC, the second-largest cinema chain in the world, which owns Regal Cinemas, confirmed in August 2022 that it is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection as a result of poor box office sales in large part due to the pandemic. Cineworld still expects to continue its operations even after filing, but investors in the company could face significant losses.
Nonetheless, there have been sure signs that going to the movies remains a staple activity for Americans. The top movie of 2021, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," took in more than $572 million in the U.S. that year alone and has grossed more than $800 million overall, making it the third most financially successful movie in history. And thus far 2022 has outearned 2021 by nearly $700 million, with four months yet to go before the year's end.
Perhaps the biggest reason? Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media's "Top Gun: Maverick" has been call sign "smash," surpassing $1.4 billion worldwide in its 13th weekend of release.
Studio execs cut back on production costs amid supply chain issues
As with all other corners of American commerce, the entertainment industry is feeling the weight of inflation compounded by ongoing supply chain issues. Particularly hampering film productions has been a strain on the availability of steel and lumber, which, according to one studio executive, has driven the costs of these materials up by as much as 30%; in one instance, the spike caused a film set to double in price compared to what it would have cost to construct four years ago.
Since early 2021, film studios have faced widespread delays in acquiring nearly all materials necessary for set construction. Compounding this ongoing supply chain problem are rising fuel costs. Many U.S. film studios are located in California, a state where gas currently averages more than $6 a gallon, making fuel expenditures another line item producers are grappling to control.
Perhaps no recent story coming out of Hollywood exemplifies studios' about-face in terms of controlling costs than the announcement by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. In August 2022, Zaslav announced several of its in-production film properties, including the highly anticipated DC Comics' film "Batgirl," were being shut down and pulled from release altogether for the studio to mitigate what it feared were potential losses at the box office; in the case of "Batgirl," specifically, the studio is expected to declare the already-finished film as a $90 million tax write-down.
Film shortages
With theaters being nearly empty for a couple of years as a result of the pandemic, film industry staffers may be excited that more people are getting up from their sofas these days to go to the movies—but there's now another looming issue, unfortunately. Something that may be missing from the cinemas this fall is the actual movies.
In 2021, 403 films were released in the U.S. and Canada, a 20% increase over 2020 but nowhere near the 792 films released in pre-pandemic 2019. The shortage of new films being made and released is likely to have an adverse effect on ticket sales for movie theaters that were already struggling to stay afloat during the heaviest days of the pandemic. Supply chain and production setbacks continue to plague film productions, large and small. Moreover, the major studios' codification of resources toward large-scale and big-budget productions means they can afford to produce fewer projects but also that the onus on those projects they do release is significantly greater than in years past.
Lack of COVID-19 insurance funding
While larger film studios have more wiggle room with their budgets, indie filmmakers are still grappling with financing independent productions—an increasingly complicated feat since the pandemic.
When the pandemic first arose, insurance companies excluded COVID-19 from their policies. This resulted in a domino effect with banks not wanting to accept completion bonds that independent filmmakers count on to get funding. Completion bonds guarantee that productions will be within budget and will wrap on time. The lack of insurance coverage coupled with surging production costs has made it challenging for indie filmmakers who are struggling to get their projects underway.
