Film Locations Glossary
Permit rider
What is a permit rider?
Also called permit amendment.
A permit rider is an addition or amendment to an issued film permit, covering a change of date, an added location, extended hours, or newly added activity such as effects or a road closure.
Riders have their own processing time and often their own fee, so a schedule change late in the week can fail on administration rather than on logistics. Shooting outside the permit's terms without a rider voids it.
Example
Weather pushes a Thursday exterior to Saturday. The permit needs a rider for the new date, which takes two business days to process, so the schedule change fails on administration rather than on logistics.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Applied for through the same authority as the original permit, with its own processing time and fee.
Common mistake
Moving a day and telling the authority afterwards. A rider has its own processing time, so a late schedule change can fail on paperwork rather than logistics.
Related questions
- How long does a permit rider take to process?
- Days rather than hours in most jurisdictions, which is why a schedule change late in the week can fail on administration even when the logistics are straightforward.
- What happens if you shoot outside the permit terms?
- The permit is effectively void, which exposes the production to a shutdown and puts the remaining days at that location at risk.