Film Locations Glossary
Load-in and load-out
What are load-in and load-out?
Also called load in, or load out.
Load-in and load-out are the movements of equipment into and out of a location before and after shooting.
They are their own operations with their own hours, access needs, crew, and often their own permit conditions, and on a stage or venue they can be the largest part of the booking. Neighbor complaints cluster here, because load-out happens late and involves ramps, tail lifts, and reversing alarms.
Example
A theater location allows load-in from 6am and load-out only after 11pm. The load-out involves ramps, tail lifts, and reversing alarms in a residential square, which is where the week's complaints come from.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Scheduled with its own hours, crew, and permit conditions, often outside the shooting day.
Common mistake
Scheduling load-out without checking quiet hours. Ramps, tail lifts, and reversing alarms at 11:30pm are where a week's worth of neighbor goodwill is spent.
Related questions
- Are load-in and load-out part of the shooting day?
- No. They have their own hours, crew, and often their own permit conditions, and at venues they can be the largest part of the booking.
- Why do complaints cluster around load-out?
- It happens late, it is noisy by nature, and the crew is tired and moving quickly. It is the part worth briefing and staffing deliberately.