Film Locations Glossary
Community liaison
What is a community liaison?
Also called community relations officer.
A community liaison is the person responsible for a production's relationship with the residents and businesses around a location.
The work is notification, negotiation, and complaint handling: knocking doors before the shoot, agreeing quiet hours, and fielding the call about a blocked driveway at 6am. On a long stay in a residential neighborhood, this role decides whether the production is invited back.
Example
Six nights on one residential block. The liaison door-knocks 40 addresses a week ahead, agrees generators go at the far end, hands out a mobile number, and settles a blocked-driveway complaint at 6am before it reaches the film office.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
A locations department role on any extended residential stay, and the named contact on the notification.
Common mistake
Appointing the liaison after the first complaint. The role earns its money before the shoot, when an objection can still be designed around rather than argued about.
Related questions
- What does a community liaison do on a film shoot?
- Notifies and negotiates with residents and businesses before filming, then handles complaints on the day as the single named contact.
- When does a production need one?
- On extended residential stays, night work, repeat filming on the same street, and anywhere the permit depends on resident consent.