Film Locations Glossary
Location release
What is a location release?
A location release is the signed permission from a property owner allowing the production to film and to exploit the resulting footage, sometimes used as a lighter alternative to a full location agreement.
It is the document a distributor's delivery schedule and errors and omissions insurer will look for. A missing release on a recognizable property can hold up delivery long after the shoot has wrapped.
Example
Delivery is held six weeks because a recognizable storefront visible in three scenes has no signed release on file. The shop has changed hands, and tracking down the previous owner is now a legal exercise rather than a location one.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Collected during production and checked against the distributor's delivery schedule at wrap.
Common mistake
Collecting releases for the obvious hero locations and missing the recognizable storefront in the background of three scenes. Delivery is where that gap surfaces.
Related questions
- Why does a distributor want location releases?
- Because errors and omissions insurance and the delivery schedule require proof that every recognizable property was cleared for filming and exploitation.
- What if a location release is missing after wrap?
- It has to be chased retrospectively, sometimes from a new owner, or the shot is reframed or cut. Both are far more expensive than getting the signature on the day.