» Local Residents

Step 1. Getting Your House in the Movies

The Douglas County Film Commission is compiling a photo library of locations in Douglas County that are available for the filming of motion pictures, music videos and television commercials.

If you are interested in submitting a photograph of your property, please do the following:

  1. Photograph your home or property without people in the shot at the widest angle.
  2. Photograph the property from several angles and close-up shots of interesting detail.
  3. On the back of the photographs write:
    • Your name
    • Your address
    • Your phone number
    • The time of day and the date the photos were taken
    • The compass direction that your home faces (north, south, east, west).
  4. Mail your photos to:
    The Douglas County Film Commission
    8512 Bowden Street
    Douglasville, GA 30134
  5. You can also e-mail your photos to Jerry Frost. Please include your name, street address, phone number, time of day photos were taken, and compass direction that your home faces.

Note: Photographs will not be returned. Alternatively a member of the Film Commission can be arranged for a visit to take photographs.

Step 2. Renting Your Property to a Film Production Company

  1. You will first be contacted by a Location Scout - a person who finds and secures the locations needed for the shoot.
  2. Never pay money to anyone as part of any agreement
  3. The Location Scout will offer you a Location Fee for the use of your property. This figure is given to the Location Manager by the Producer, who received the figure from the Budget. The people that put together the Budget in order to bid the job used industry guidelines to come up with the figure.

    If the figure sounds too low for the amount of inconvenience, then simply tell the Location Scout. If your requests are reasonable and the Director really likes your property, then you will probably receive a figure you are asking for; however if you try to get rich off of one rental, you will probably be passed over and never approached again. Bad news travels fast.

  4. Any additional expenses should be paid for by the production company. Examples of what might happen during a shoot include the following, but are not the responsibility of the property owner:
    • The boarding of your dogs so that they don’t bark during the sound takes
    • The pressure washing of a driveway
    • The re-painting of a fence
    • The addition of flowers and pine straw to a walkway
    • A hotel room for you because its a two day shoot and its much easier to leave all the equipment inside the house overnite with overnight security.
  5. The Location Scout may become the Location Manager during the shoot or turn the daily management duties over to a Location Manager and continue to scout for other locations.
  6. Remember to get the name and phone number of any Location Scout that contacts you.
  7. You should sign a “Location Rental Agreement” - this is an industry standard practice. The agreement protects both parties during the shoot and states how much you are going to be paid for the rental. Beware of anyone that does not want to sign a Location Agreement or is not familiar with one.
  8. Next will be a Technical Scout with all the Department Heads. Usually a group of 10-12 people will arrive on the property several days before the shoot occurs so that proper planning and scheduling can be conducted. The group will spend a couple hours walking around doing various tasks like measuring things, photographing and finally deciding exactly where the shoot will take place.
  9. The Location Manager will place letters or fliers in the mailboxes of all your immediate neighbors letting them know about the filming. Information included will be the date(s), times and apologizing in advance for any inconvenience.
  10. The Location Manager will coordinate with the city and county governments, police department and other agencies if necessary to let them know of any abnormal parking or traffic.
  11. By this time you should have the signed Location Agreement and a “Certificate of Insurance” from the Production’s Company insurance company. This certificate should list your property as covered for the shoot dates against any and all damages that occur. A claim is rarely filed. If there is any damage, it is usually minor and the production company usually pays for the repair on the spot.

Step 3: The Day of the Shoot

No one is ever prepared for their first film shoot no matter what they have been told. It is quite overwhelming.

The equipment trucks roll up and are strategically parked as if they are part of a large ballet. Then the crew arrives, lots of them, and there will be cars parked down the street for what seems like a mile. While this is going on the caterer or craft service person will be preparing breakfast. The Art Department will start photographing before and after shots of furniture that has been moved or if a wall has been repainted.

For a brief while it will look like the circus has come to town, but things will settle down during the filming. After the last shot is taken all the equipment is packed up and loaded in the trucks, the grounds are cleaned, the house is put back together and you will not be able to tell that there was ever a film crew at your home.

When the filming crew is gone, the Art Department begins to restore everything in your home to its original condition. No one leaves until the property owner is happy.

Remember if you are approached by someone that doesn’t seem professional, call and check them out with the Georgia Film Office.

Good luck and enjoy your filming experience!