Film Locations Glossary
Lockup
What is a lockup?
Also called lock-up, or lock off.
A lockup is a position held by a crew member to stop people, traffic, or noise entering the shot during a take.
Urban exteriors are shot on a ring of lockups, and the count is a real line in the day's labor: a busy intersection can need a dozen. Under-staffing lockups produces ruined takes, which is more expensive than the staff would have been.
Example
A busy intersection needs eleven lockups to hold pedestrians and traffic out of frame from every approach. Staffing eight of them means ruined takes, which costs more in crew time than the three extra people would have.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Counted at tech scout and staffed from the daily labor budget by the locations department.
Common mistake
Under-staffing lockups to save on daily labor. Ruined takes cost more in crew time than the extra people would have, and the count is knowable at tech scout.
Related questions
- What is a lockup on a film set?
- A position held by a crew member to keep people, traffic, or noise out of a take, usually forming a ring around an exterior location.
- How many lockups does a location need?
- As many as it has approaches. A busy intersection can need a dozen, and the number is counted at the technical scout rather than estimated.