Film Locations Glossary
Crowd control
What is crowd control?
Crowd control is the management of onlookers who gather around a location, using barricades, perimeter staff, sightline screening, and sometimes police support.
It protects the shot, the equipment, and the public, and it keeps a recognizable cast member's presence from turning a street into an event. Permit conditions frequently specify the measures required before the first shot.
Example
A recognizable lead on a shopping street draws 200 onlookers within twenty minutes. Barricades, a screened perimeter, four extra lockups, and two officers keep the shot and the equipment intact.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Set by permit conditions and delivered by locations with police support where required.
Common mistake
Sizing crowd control for the scene rather than for the cast. A recognizable lead on a public street draws a crowd that has nothing to do with how big the scene is.
Related questions
- How do productions manage onlookers at a location?
- Barricades, a screened perimeter, extra lockups, and police support where the permit requires it, planned before the first call rather than added at lunch.
- Who pays for police at a film location?
- The production, at the department's hourly rate with a minimum call, as a permit condition rather than a production choice.