HOW TO CREATE AN INTERNAL FILMING APPROVAL PROCESS

When a film or photography production wants to use your property, the biggest delay isn't always permits, insurance or contracts.

Sometimes it's figuring out who inside your organization can actually approve the shoot.

This is especially common for universities, institutions, churches, museums, hospitality groups, commercial properties and organizations with multiple departments.

A clear internal filming approval process allows your organization to evaluate production requests quickly without skipping the people who genuinely need to be involved.

START WITH ONE POINT OF ENTRY

Production inquiries should have one clear place to go.

That might be:

  • Facilities

  • Communications

  • Marketing

  • Events

  • Property management

  • Campus operations

  • A designated location coordinator

Avoid having producers independently contact individual employees, department heads or building managers looking for someone who can approve filming.

Create a central email address, inquiry form or designated contact.

From there, your organization can route the request internally.

DESIGNATE A FILMING COORDINATOR

Someone should own the request from beginning to end.

This doesn't necessarily need to be a full-time position.

The filming coordinator may be responsible for:

  • Receiving inquiries

  • Collecting production information

  • Identifying appropriate properties

  • Coordinating internal review

  • Scheduling scouts

  • Communicating rates

  • Collecting insurance

  • Coordinating agreements

  • Confirming final approval

  • Serving as the primary production contact

The important thing is accountability.

If everyone is responsible for the request, there's a good chance nobody actually is.

DEFINE WHO HAS FINAL APPROVAL AUTHORITY

This is the most important question in your process:

Who can officially say yes?

A department may control a room without having authority to approve commercial filming.

A property manager may approve access but not contractual terms.

Marketing may approve branding but not insurance.

Determine exactly who has final authority to commit the organization to a production.

Write it down.

IDENTIFY WHICH DEPARTMENTS NEED TO REVIEW A REQUEST

Not every department needs to review every production.

Depending on your organization and the proposed shoot, approval may involve:

  • Facilities

  • Legal

  • Risk management

  • Communications

  • Marketing

  • Security

  • Parking

  • Events

  • Property management

  • Finance

  • Senior administration

  • Individual department heads

Create rules for when each group needs to become involved.

A five-person photo shoot in an empty conference room shouldn't necessarily require the same internal review as a 100-person commercial taking over an entire campus.

CREATE DIFFERENT APPROVAL LEVELS

One of the easiest ways to speed up the process is to establish different levels of production.

For example:

LEVEL 1 — LOW IMPACT

Small crew, limited equipment, short duration, minimal property impact.

This may require only basic operational approval.

LEVEL 2 — STANDARD PRODUCTION

Moderate crew, professional equipment, parking requirements and normal commercial filming activity.

This may require facilities, insurance and contractual review.

LEVEL 3 — HIGH IMPACT

Large crew, multiple areas, significant parking, property alterations, after-hours access, large equipment or operational disruption.

This may require broader review from legal, security, facilities, communications and senior leadership.

Your categories don't need to use these exact names.

The point is to avoid treating every production as equally complicated.

CREATE A STANDARD INTAKE FORM

You can't properly approve a shoot if you don't know what production intends to do.

Require enough information to understand the scope.

Collect:

  • Production company

  • Producer or primary contact

  • Client

  • Type of project

  • Description of filming

  • Requested spaces

  • Proposed dates

  • Prep dates

  • Shoot dates

  • Wrap dates

  • Access hours

  • Crew and talent count

  • Vehicle count

  • Parking requirements

  • Equipment

  • Production support needs

  • Alterations

  • Special activities

  • Insurance information

See What Information Should You Collect From a Production? for a complete intake checklist.

DO AN INITIAL FEASIBILITY REVIEW

Before sending the request through multiple departments, determine whether the production is even feasible.

Ask:

  • Is the requested property available?

  • Is filming permitted there?

  • Does the production fit the space?

  • Can the property accommodate the crew?

  • Is parking possible?

  • Will normal operations be disrupted?

  • Are the requested hours realistic?

  • Are there obvious security or privacy concerns?

If the request clearly can't work, there's little reason to send it through a lengthy approval process.

CHECK THE CALENDAR EARLY

For active properties, timing can eliminate an otherwise viable location.

Check for:

  • Classes

  • Exams

  • Conferences

  • Weddings

  • Performances

  • Religious services

  • Sporting events

  • Peak business periods

  • Construction

  • Maintenance

  • Holidays

  • Major deliveries

For universities and institutions, maintaining a list of predictable blackout dates can save considerable time.

REVIEW THE CREATIVE

Understanding what production wants to film is just as important as understanding where.

Ask for an appropriate description of the project and proposed scene or photography.

Your organization may need to consider:

  • Reputation

  • Branding

  • Sensitive subject matter

  • Use of the organization's identity

  • Trademarks

  • Signage

  • Privacy

  • Security

This doesn't necessarily mean requesting an entire confidential script for every shoot.

Ask for enough information to make an informed decision.

DECIDE WHETHER YOUR NAME CAN APPEAR

A production may want your property without actually portraying your organization.

Determine whether production may show:

  • Organization name

  • Logos

  • Signage

  • Uniforms

  • Branded materials

  • Recognizable artwork

  • Trademarks

If those elements aren't approved, establish whether they need to be covered or temporarily replaced.

For institutions and recognizable Nashville properties, this can be an important part of the approval process.

REVIEW OPERATIONAL IMPACT

Next, determine what hosting the production actually means for your organization.

Will you need to:

  • Close an area?

  • Relocate employees?

  • Restrict customers?

  • Change deliveries?

  • Provide security?

  • Staff the building after hours?

  • Reserve parking?

  • Turn off equipment?

  • Provide elevators?

  • Adjust HVAC?

  • Restrict normal operations?

Approval should account for the real operational cost of hosting production, not simply whether the room is available.

REVIEW PARKING + ACCESS

Parking can quickly determine whether a Nashville property is practical for production.

Confirm:

  • Total vehicle count

  • Crew parking

  • Working trucks

  • Loading areas

  • Motorhomes

  • Talent vehicles

  • Shared parking

  • Customer or employee parking

  • Truck access

  • Possible unit base

If production needs to use public streets, sidewalks or right-of-way, additional Metro Nashville requirements may apply.

See How to Handle Production Parking for more guidance.

IDENTIFY REQUIRED STAFF

Determine whether your organization needs employees present during production.

That might include:

  • Site representative

  • Security

  • Facilities

  • Engineer

  • Custodian

  • Parking attendant

  • Building manager

Establish who schedules those employees and whether the production will be charged for their time.

See Should You Require a Site Representative?.

ESTABLISH THE LOCATION FEE

Once you understand the production's scope, determine the appropriate rate.

Consider:

  • Shoot days

  • Prep

  • Wrap

  • Access hours

  • Crew size

  • Areas used

  • Exclusivity

  • Parking

  • Staffing

  • Cleaning

  • Operational disruption

  • Special requirements

An internal rate structure makes this considerably easier.

See How to Establish Commercial Filming Rates.

COMPLETE LEGAL + INSURANCE REVIEW

Before final approval, confirm that the required agreements and insurance documentation are in place.

Depending on your organization, this may involve:

  • Location agreement

  • Certificate of Insurance

  • Additional insured requirements

  • Indemnification

  • Payment terms

  • Cancellation terms

  • Damage provisions

  • Restoration requirements

Your legal and risk-management teams should establish standard requirements whenever possible.

This prevents every production from becoming a completely new negotiation.

See What Is a Location Release? and What Is a Certificate of Insurance (COI)?.

CONFIRM PERMIT RESPONSIBILITY

Permission from your organization doesn't necessarily eliminate government permitting requirements.

Depending on what production is doing, approvals may be needed for activity involving public property, streets, sidewalks, parking, parks, drones or other regulated activity.

Productions working in Nashville can review current requirements through the Metro Nashville Film Office.

Your internal process should clearly establish who is responsible for obtaining and verifying required permits.

CREATE A FINAL APPROVAL CHECKLIST

Before officially confirming the location, make sure the necessary pieces are complete.

A final checklist might include:

  • Creative approved

  • Property approved

  • Dates approved

  • Access hours approved

  • Rate approved

  • Parking approved

  • Operations approved

  • Security approved

  • Required staff confirmed

  • Insurance received

  • Agreement signed

  • Payment or deposit received

  • Permits confirmed when applicable

  • Property rules distributed

  • Production contact confirmed

Only then does the location move from tentative to confirmed.

DISTINGUISH A HOLD FROM A CONFIRMED BOOKING

This can prevent significant confusion.

Production may ask you to "hold" a date while it waits for client approval.

Internally, define what that means.

You might use statuses such as:

INQUIRY
Production has expressed interest.

SCOUTING
Production is actively evaluating the property.

HOLD
Production has requested the date but has not completed all requirements.

CONFIRMED
Agreement, approvals and required documentation are complete.

RELEASED
Production is no longer considering the property.

A hold should not accidentally become a confirmed booking simply because everyone assumed someone else handled the paperwork.

SET INTERNAL RESPONSE DEADLINES

Productions often work on compressed schedules.

If a request sits with one department for a week, the location may be lost before the review is complete.

Establish reasonable internal expectations for:

  • Initial review

  • Department feedback

  • Legal review

  • Insurance review

  • Final approval

That doesn't mean every request must be rushed.

It means everyone understands that production inquiries are usually time-sensitive.

KEEP APPROVALS IN ONE PLACE

Avoid relying on scattered emails.

Keep the production record together.

That might include:

  • Original inquiry

  • Intake form

  • Scout photos

  • Internal approvals

  • Rate

  • Agreement

  • COI

  • Parking plan

  • Permits

  • Property rules

  • Production contacts

  • Final notes

For organizations with multiple properties, connect this information to your internal location system.

See How to Build an Internal Film Location Database.

CREATE A SIMPLE APPROVAL FLOW

Your process doesn't need to be complicated.

A practical workflow might look like:

1. INQUIRY RECEIVED
↓

2. PRODUCTION INFORMATION COLLECTED
↓

3. INITIAL FEASIBILITY REVIEW
↓

4. INTERNAL DEPARTMENT REVIEW
↓

5. SCOUT
↓

6. RATE + TERMS APPROVED
↓

7. LEGAL + INSURANCE COMPLETED
↓

8. PARKING + OPERATIONS FINALIZED
↓

9. FINAL APPROVAL
↓

10. SHOOT
↓

11. FINAL WALK-THROUGH + CLOSEOUT

Smaller productions may move through several of these steps very quickly.

Larger productions may require more detailed review.

DON'T REQUIRE TEN APPROVALS WHEN THREE WILL DO

A good approval process protects the organization without making legitimate filming unnecessarily difficult.

Ask each department:

What specifically are you approving?

If nobody can answer that question, that approval step may not be necessary.

Legal should review legal issues.

Facilities should review property impact.

Security should review security.

Communications should review branding or reputational concerns when relevant.

Avoid creating an approval chain based solely on organizational hierarchy.

REVIEW THE PROCESS AFTER EACH MAJOR SHOOT

After production wraps, ask:

  • What slowed approval down?

  • Was anyone brought in too late?

  • Did anyone review something unnecessarily?

  • Were parking and staffing accurately anticipated?

  • Did production receive clear information?

  • Were rates appropriate?

  • Were agreements completed on time?

  • Did any new restrictions become apparent?

Update the process based on what you learn.

The system should become easier to use with every production.

THE BOTTOM LINE

A strong internal filming approval process answers four basic questions:

Who receives the request?
Who needs to review it?
Who has authority to approve it?
What must be completed before production arrives?

Create one point of entry, collect the right information, involve only the departments that actually need to participate and establish a clear final approval checklist.

The goal isn't more bureaucracy.

It's to make sure your organization can confidently say yes or no to a production—and do it quickly enough for the answer to still matter.

Nashville Location Company provides film location consulting, filming policy development and internal production workflow consulting for businesses, universities, institutions and property groups throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee.