To apply for a FilmLA permit follow these steps on the FilmLA website. For SFTV permit support, contact the SPO Graduate Assistant or Production Administration.
FilmLA has undergone a change in permit acquisition, meaning that students will have a new process of applying for FilmLA permits. Below are important key pieces of information for the application process, as well as a slideshow showing the step-by-step instructions on how to apply online.
Fees
The basic film permit application fee is $863; however, if you apply and show that you are enrolled in LMU and that your project is specifically for course credit the student discounted permit application fee is $50, or $124 for a larger scale project. This includes up to 5 locations on a permit and 2 consecutive weeks of filming. If you are required to have a FilmLA monitor on set, their rate begins at $41/hour.
Permit Schedules
Schedule for Permit Applications:
To best serve you and our partners, all filming requests are due by 10 a.m. at least three business days prior to your first production date. Certain activities/areas require additional time. Visit FilmLA.com for details. LA City deadlines:
• To film on SATURDAY, SUNDAY or MONDAY, submit application by 10AM Wednesday of week prior
• To film on TUESDAY, submit by 10AM Thursday of week prior
• To film on WEDNESDAY, submit by 10AM Friday of week prior
• To film on THURSDAY, submit application by 10AM Monday of same week
• To film on FRIDAY, submit application by 10AM Tuesday of same week
HOLIDAY WEEKENDS MAY AFFECT DEADLINES – Check FilmLA.com for details.
Timing
For basic permits, FilmLA needs 3-7 business days to process a permit, with locations in other jurisdictions needing 5 to 7 business days.
Insurance
LMU projects are covered under LMU’s film insurance policy.
Grid Locations
If your set has 10 people or less and all handheld equipment, you may qualify for a walking or driving grid location, meaning you can pick 4 streets that intersect to form a square and then you can film anywhere inside of that square as long as your impact is minimal.
Drone Use
Drones are not covered by LMU insurance. Students have to pay for drone insurance if using drones.
Filming Surveys
Community Filming Surveys are sometimes requested by FilmLA if you are filming outside of standard business hours (before 9:00 a.m. – after 10:00 p.m.) or have high impact activities like gunfire, street closures, or filming in a sensitive neighborhood (neighborhoods that see a lot of filming).
As posted on the FilmLA website:
The Filming Survey is not a request for permission to film. These surveys are purely an information gathering tool, which FilmLA uses to gauge neighborhood concerns. Not all filming activity requires a filming survey; and for those shoots that do, community participation is strictly voluntary.
When you apply for a FilmLA permit, you will be assigned a Coordinator. The coordinator will contact you about parking (see parking note), film surveys or other location specific questions they might have.
If a Filming Survey is required, it is the production’s responsibility to create a radius map of usually 300-ft around the desired location AND create a list of the addresses within the 300-ft radius for FilmLA.
The production will leave behind a survey form for residents and business owners to complete. The survey will provide a deadline for the survey and how they can respond (leave survey for pick-up by production or email their responses directly to FilmLA).
Other Helpful Information
- Be sure to look up the Area Requirements for your location before applying for your permit.
- Here’s a link to the survey packet on the FilmLA website.
- Within the packet, you’ll find Guidelines for Conducting Filming Surveys that includes a sample survey, a Notification of Intended Filming letter to download, and a sample survey map.
- Apartment Managers can sign on behalf of their tenants.
- Here’s a tutorial on how to create a radius map. Here’s a sample of a 300-ft radius map from Playa del Oro.
- Under the For Filmmakers tab, under Tools & Resources, you’ll find NavigateLA, a web-based mapping application. This is a bit tricky but can be helpful.
Key Terms
- Location Authorization (LA): A location authorization is a formal request to use a specific location, for a specific timeframe, for specific activity. An LA can authorize one location.
- 14 consecutive days: Permits in MyFilmLA are valid for 14 consecutive days. The 14-day window starts after the first LA is entered.
- Payment: The FilmLA permit application fee is collected once a production submits their first LA.
Proof of FilmLA Submission
A Draft Permit, Proof of Payment and the Final FilmLA Permit must be uploaded to either a student’s Box Folder or to SFTV-On-Tap. For instructions on how to download a draft permit from FilmLA, please click here.
To download your permit, follow these steps:
- Log into your FilmLA account.
- On your dashboard, you will see a section called “My Location authorizations”.
- Right click on your submission, which should be titled something like “Production, Basecamp, Crew Parking”.
- Click on Summary.
- Click on Download
Below is the application process on the FilmLA site:
