The Location is the “address” of the shoot – the building, apartment or place. A Setting is the specific area of that building or place where the shoot takes place (more info on the difference). One shoot typically occurs in several Settings. In this FAQ answer we’re referring only to Locations.
There are three main considerations when selecting a Location for a shoot;
- Health and safety
- Administrivia
- Being on-paradigm
Health and safety
When considering shooting locations, the safety of people is paramount. Some issues to look out for include;
- Stairs with steps that are missing or otherwise unsafe
- Power outlets that smoke or spark
- Poor lighting so it’s difficult to see where people are walking or working
- No fresh air ventilation
- No heating or cooling
- Inside shoot spaces should never be cooler than 19°C (66F), and never warmer than 24°C (75F), unless requested and agreed to by the model(s) and Shoot Producer
- Outside locations must be at least 21°C (70F); the max temp outside depends on the comfort of the model and Shoot Producer
- Floor surfaces that have sharp objects (eg, nails in a workshop; broken glass on a beach; sharp seed pods in a park)
- Location address being in a “dangerous part of town”
- Drug dealers, gang hangouts
- Consider the entrance – is it down a dark alley or unclearly signed?
- Free from harassment by others
- Via unlocked (or, unlockable) doors, open windows
- If outside, are many people likely to be “around” – what if they are annoying?
- Mould in bathrooms
- Free from dangerous animals (bugs, spiders, dogs, snakes, crocodiles, etc)
- Access to help
- Mobile phone service to call emergency services
This is not an exhaustive list, and describes some absolute minimum requirements. Exceeding these is always recommended.
Administrivia
Consider the cost of the location, and if any of it will be reimbursed to the Shoot Producer by the company (per the Location Allowance specification, shared with Shoot Producers via Google Docs).
Consider the distance of the location from where models are coming from. Locations further from models origin (their home, their accommodation, or the airport or train station they are arriving into the Shoot City) can be selected if they add some additional value (for example, enabling outside shoots in the countryside). But requiring a model to travel 90 minutes for a shoot location that could just as easily be found closer to the model is needlessly annoying.
If models are expected to travel for more than 60 minutes, both the affected models and the Model Liaison must be informed of this at least three days before the shoots occur.
Being on-Paradigm
Locations must have on-paradigm Settings available to shoot in.
Locations must have Settings that could be places young women live (more feminine is strongly preferred). Settings that are masculine are not suitable for making shoots.
“Gender neutral” locations are fine to use for shoots, for example, a book store (or similar commercial setting), garage, workshop, sewing room. These are not expected to be feminine, but ideally will be relevant to a model’s skillset or interests.
Outside locations should be lush and green, with dead plants in formal gardens removed or framed out. More info on shooting outside.
Shooting at the model’s own home is always preferred, but may not always be possible or practical – more info on shooting at the model’s home.