Film Locations Glossary
Complaint log
What is a complaint log?
A complaint log is the running record of every objection a production receives at a location, with the time, the complainant, the issue, and what was done.
Permitting authorities ask for it, and on a repeat location it becomes evidence of good faith or of a pattern. Logging a complaint and resolving it on the day is what keeps a single blocked driveway from becoming a withdrawn permit.
Example
Night two draws three complaints: generator noise, a blocked driveway, and a crew member smoking in a garden. All three are logged with times and resolutions, and the log is what secures the permit for the second week.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Kept by the locations team on the day, produced on request by the permitting authority.
Common mistake
Logging complaints without recording the resolution. A log of grievances with no outcomes reads as evidence against the production rather than for it.
Related questions
- Why keep a complaint log at a location?
- Permitting authorities ask for it, and on a repeat location it is the evidence of good faith that gets the next permit approved.
- What should a complaint log record?
- Time, complainant, the issue, who dealt with it, and what changed as a result. The resolution column is the part that matters.