Film Locations Glossary
Studio zone
What is the studio zone?
Also called thirty-mile zone, TMZ, or 30-mile zone.
The studio zone is a defined radius around a production center inside which work counts as local and no distant-location entitlements apply.
In Los Angeles it is the long-standing thirty-mile zone measured from a fixed reference point, and other centers have their own equivalents. Because crossing the boundary triggers accommodation, per diem, and travel days, the zone shapes which locations a budget can actually reach.
Example
A location 28 miles from the reference point is local. The same look at 34 miles puts 90 people in hotels on per diem with paid travel days at both ends, so the six miles is a five-figure difference per day.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Defined by the applicable union agreement, and a hard constraint on which locations a budget can reach.
Common mistake
Measuring the zone from the office rather than the defined reference point. The boundary is fixed and specific, and being outside it changes the cost for the entire unit.
Related questions
- What happens just outside the studio zone?
- Distant-location entitlements begin: accommodation, per diem, and paid travel days for the whole unit, which can make a few extra miles a five-figure daily difference.
- What is the thirty-mile zone?
- The long-standing Los Angeles studio zone, measured as a radius from a fixed reference point. Other production centers maintain their own equivalents.