When you bring in a film crew on location to shoot a film, you’ve asked them to stay on for an extended length of time — for weeks or even months while production goes on. Finding comfortable film crew housing is one of the biggest challenges facing location productions, especially for low-to mid-budget projects. How do you keep your film crew comfortable without breaking your budget? Here are 5 important tips to consider when choosing film crew housing.
1. Avoid expensive hotels if possible.
Booking hotel rooms for your gaffers, grips, PAs, production designers and other crew members might be the “easiest” choice, but expensive hotels can eat up your budget quicker than you realize — plus, extended hotel stays often cause traveler fatigue over time because it can be difficult to relax. (You may also need to allocate luxury lodgings to your actors if they’ve contracted for it.) Look for less expensive and more comfortable solutions, rather than just doing the thing that seems most convenient.
2. Look for the “home away from home.”
The more of a home-like situation you can provide for your film crew, the better off they will be. They will rest better at night because at the end of a long shoot, they have all the conveniences of home. Having a stocked kitchen can help your crew do their own cooking so they can hold to their dietary requirements and stay within their budgets, and you can even house multiple people in a roommate format more easily.
3. Take amenities into account.
A little pampering never hurt anyone. Hotels often offer amenities your crew members won’t even use, but an on-site fitness center, pool or picnic areas can also help your crew blow off steam and stay healthy. One option is to find furnished apartments in luxury communities that are available for the short term. These complexes often include amenities your crew will actually appreciate.
4. Look for convenient commutes.
When it’s easy for your film crew to get to and from the set, that’s one less headache to worry about. It may or may not be possible to house them especially close to the set, but if they are housed near main arteries of the city in which you’re shooting, that’s the next best thing. Always take location into account when securing film crew housing.
5. Consider working with a corporate housing partner.
Corporate lodging companies specialize in providing comfortable, furnished luxury apartments for extended stays — all at reasonable rates. Working with this kind of partner also helps take the legwork out of finding enough quality housing for your entire crew, shaving potentially thousands off your budget and saving you many hours of time.
Here in Atlanta, which has become one of the world’s most popular hotspots for film, TP Corporate Lodging can arrange quality housing for you and your crew. To learn more, call us at 800.428.9997.