Guide to Filming
Film London aims to make filming in the capital as straight-forward a process
as possible.
We hold a library of over 6,000 London film locations, a comprehensive database of crew and facilities in the region, and can also provide information and advice about the process
of filming in the capital. You can also refer to our online Directory. Please note: we do not provide permits for filming.
Please email locations@filmlondon.org.uk or call 020 7613 7683 with any general location enquiries.
This 'Guide to Filming' should help explain the basic rules and regulations for filming in the capital. It also highlights the resources available to you to make your shoot possible.
We also recommend you refer to the Filming in London Code of Practice.
We also have an Indian Productions' Guide to London designed to help crews from South Asia.
Select the menu items below for more information:
- Do I need permission to film in London?
- How do I get filming permission?
- Privately owned locations
- Street filming and public properties
- NEW! What if I want to close a road?
- Small crews
- Crews of 5 or more, or complex shoots
- How do I find a location?
- Will I have to pay for locations?
- Do I need to hire a location manager?
- What are location agencies?
- What is a Borough Film Service (BFS)?
- Parking, restrictions and charges
- Do I need to contact the police?
- What if I want to film a scene with weapons of any kind?
- What is Public Liability Insurance and do I need it?
- UK Tax Relief
- NEW! Working With Incoming Productions
Do I need permission to film in London?
It is important that wherever you plan to film in London you get the appropriate
permission. Locations may either be privately owned, or public property (including street filming) - please see below for a definition of each category.
If you are a small crew under 5 people with hand held equipment you may need to notify the Borough Film Service (BFS) at least 3 days before you plan to film.
For larger, more complex shoots the amount of notice required depends on the complexity of your shoot and whether
you require parking suspensions. Up to 10 working days notice may be required.
Please note: to film in any of these locations you will need Public Liability Insurance.
How do I get filming permission?
Prior to entering into any contract, it is important to contact the Borough Film Service to inform them of your filming. They will be able to inform you of potential
filming hotspots and assist with any parking requirements.
Please refer to the following flow chart to show the basic process for gaining
permissions to shoot:
Privately owned locations
To film in private locations such as residential properties, you will need to
apply directly to the property owner. Please remember that if you are filming
in a flat or on a housing estate it may be owned by a Housing Association or Council
so you will need to contact ALL relevant parties.
We have approximately 3,000 locations in our online Directory and approximately 6,000 in our locations library. You are welcome to visit the
library during office hours (Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm). This is a free service.
Street filming and public properties
To film on almost all streets in London you will need to get permission from
the relevant Borough Film Service (BFS). London is divided into 33 separate boroughs and each has its own BFS
that deals with filming requests for all Local Authority managed locations (e.g.
streets, estates, commons, town halls, some schools, shopping and leisure centres
etc.)
There are no laws to prevent anyone filming on public streets, however it is
an offence to cause an obstruction or to place materials on the highway without
an appropriate licence.
In theory a small crew (5 people or fewer) using a handheld or tripod camera should be able to film
on the street without obtaining permission, however legislation in this area is
open to interpretation and if the Local Authority is not aware that you will be
filming in the area there is a chance that you may be asked to stop.
Film London recommends that any production planning to film on the street contact
the relevant BFS. The BFS will be able to advise you on any areas where you will
need filming permission, inform you of potential filming hotspots - or of anything
going on in the area that may disrupt your filming, assist with any parking requirements
and will be able to advise you on contacting the local police.
In addition, there are a number of other public agencies which look after some
of London's public areas, such as The Royal Parks, Trafalgar Square, Parliament
Square and London Underground. You will need permission to film in any of these
locations. Please refer to our Popular Locations and London Landmarks sections for more general information.
You might find our Organisations and Agencies list a useful point of reference:
 [Microsoft Excel] | Organisations & Agencies List (MS Excel) |
 [Acrobat PDF] | Organisations & Agencies List (PDF) |
What if I want to close a road?
On 22 September 2008 the London Local Authorities (LLA) and Transport for London
(TfL) Act 2008 became law.
This Act provides new legislation which means that road closures can be granted
by the Traffic Authority specifically for the purpose of filming on London's streets
and highways. Find out more in the documents below, including a breakdown by borough:
Small crews
If you are a crew of under 5 people, using hand-held or tripod cameras only and
have no parking requirements then you can use the Small Crew Notification Form
(see below).
You can include all of your street filming locations on one form and we will
send the form on to all of the relevant Borough Film Services: so using Film London's
notification form will save time if you are planning to film in multiple boroughs.
You will need to return the form at least 3 days before you plan to film, with
a copy of your Public Liability Insurance document.
 [Microsoft Word] | Small Crew Notification Form (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Small Crew Notification Form (PDF) |
Crews of 5 or more, or complex shoots
All of the Borough Film Services (with the exception of Westminster) accept the Film London Application Form
(see below). The amount of notice required depends on the complexity of your shoot
and whether you require parking suspensions.
Please check with the BFS in the borough you wish to shoot. We encourage all
film-makers to seek guidance from the Borough Film Service (BFS) at the earliest
possible point in preparation of the location and invite the BFS to join the technical
recce.
Please note: Westminster has the longest application process (up to 10 working days). They
also require more information on their Filming Application Form - it is recommended
you download this directly from their website: www.westminster.gov.uk/filming.
The BFS will confirm receipt of your Filming Application Form within 48 hours
and will give you written permission for the filming to go ahead. This may be
a confirmation email or a contract, depending on the nature and location of your
shoot.
| [Microsoft Word] | Filming Application Form (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Filming Application Form (PDF) |
How do I find a location?
We have over 3,000 location images in our online Directory and over 6,000 in our office library. You are welcome to visit the library during
office hours (Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm). This is a free service.
Please also refer to our general information page about locations.
Will I have to pay for locations?
Privately owned locations:
There will almost always be a fee for filming in a privately owned location.
You will need to negotiate this fee directly with the location owner. Fees are
generally charged on a case by case basis depending on your specific requirements.
Street filming and public properties:
To film in public areas there will not be a filming fee, however the Borough Film Service may charge you an administration fee and you will be charged for any additional
services that the Council provides (such as waste disposal, parking suspensions
and dispensations and set visits from the Film Officer).
Do I need to hire a location manager?
If you have the budget to hire a location scout or manager with a good working
knowledge of London we strongly recommend you to do this. A location manager will
find locations, negotiate with owners and agree contracts. They have a thorough
understanding of the requirements of Local Authorities when seeking permission
to film in public spaces and on the application process (which can sometimes take
up to two weeks).
They will also be trained in UK Health & Safety regulations and have experience
of liaising with the police for traffic management. Film London runs an availability service for location managers and scouts.
What are location agencies?
There are numerous commercial location libraries covering London. They act as agents publicising locations to film-makers. All
services offer an online photo library of locations.
What is a Borough Film Service (BFS)?
A BFS exists as a council representative - the first point of call for any filming
on the streets, public land or in council owned properties in that borough (such
as town halls and leisure centres). They will liaise on your behalf with council
departments, including parking and refuse collection. It is best to make your
initial enquiry by phone and then apply formally using either the Filming Application
Form or Small Crew Application Form (see below).
Please refer to the boroughs map for a basic graphic breakdown of the 33 areas of London or the full list below:
| [Microsoft Excel] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Contacts (MS Excel) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Contacts (PDF) |
| [Microsoft Excel] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Charges (MS Excel) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Charges (PDF) |
| [Microsoft Excel] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Lead Times (MS Excel) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Borough Film Services / BFS List: Lead Times (PDF) |
| [Microsoft Word] | Filming Application Form (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Filming Application Form (PDF) |
| [Microsoft Word] | Small Crew Notification Form (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Small Crew Notification Form (PDF) |
Parking, restrictions and charges
Charges, restrictions and parking arrangements vary between the 33 London boroughs,
so please refer to the BFS list for further details, or call the relevant officer directly for a breakdown.
Borough boundaries are shown in many A-Zs.
The BFS is normally also able to suggest good places for parking, especially
unit bases, so it is worthwhile calling them for general information. Please refer
to the boroughs map or BFS list for further information (see above).
Do I need to contact the police?
It is recommended that you inform local police for ALL exterior location filming.
Once you have applied to a Borough Film Service to film, they will normally request that you inform local police.
It is essential that you contact the Met Police Service Film Unit (MPSFU) on 020 7161 1099 or refer to their website (www.met.police.uk/filmunit) if you are featuring:
- Use of firearms (to include prop/replica firearms in interior or exterior locations)
- Re-creation of crimes
- Nudity or perceived nudity
- Fake vehicles
- Fake uniforms
If there are stunts taking place or management of traffic flow is needed then
police supervision may also be required, but permission from the local authority
will be required in the first instance. For more information please refer to the
Code of Practice.
Please refer to the Police list below for basic contact information and charges:
| [Microsoft Excel] | Police List (MS Excel) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Police List (PDF) |
What if I want to film a scene with weapons of any kind?
Please refer to the attached flowchart for information on the procedures to follow
when filming scenes involving firearms (including prop / replica / deactivated
firearms) and weapons:
| [Acrobat PDF] | Use of Firearms in Production (PDF) |
What is Public Liability Insurance and do I need it?
Public Liability Insurance covers the legal responsibilities of your production
should your activities cause injury to a third party or damage to property. You
will need to have this cover to film in any location in London.
The amount of cover that will be required will vary depending on they size of
your production, where you are filming and what the filming will entail. You can
check with the location owners or the relevant Borough Film Service to find out exactly how much cover is required.
As a general rule you will be required to have a minimum of £2 million cover
for street filming. If you are a student film-maker and your project is part of
your course, this should be covered by your college / university. You will need
to supply confirmation from your college / university to this effect.
A basic list of media related insurance companies can be found below. Alternatively
you can source these details from the online UK production guides, such as: www.theknowledgeonline.com / www.kftv.com / www.talentcircle.co.uk.
To be insured by a UK insurance company the production company must be based
in the UK. If you are not a UK film-maker you will need to get insurance through
a broker in the country in which you are based. You will need to get this document
translated into English.
Please note: Public Liability Insurance may be referred to by a different name, e.g. General
Liability Insurance. Please contact us on 020 7613 7683 if you have any questions
relating to insurance.
| [Microsoft Word] | Media Insurance Brokers (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Media Insurance Brokers (PDF) |
UK Tax Relief
Qualifying as a British film provides a number of advantages; productions are
eligible to apply for UK Film Council funding and for the benefits of the UK's
tax relief structures. Films can qualify as British in one of three ways. They
must meet the requirements of one of the following:
- One of the UK's official bilateral co-production treaties, or
- The European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production
- The Cultural Test (Schedule 1 to the Films Act 1985)
For more details visit the UK Film Council website.
Working with Incoming Productions
These guidelines are aimed at individuals and companies (crew, locations, facilities
companies) in the UK who work with, or plan to work with, incoming productions
from overseas. The following advice is broken down into subject areas such as
contracts, payment, insurance, as well as health & safety.
| [Microsoft Word] | Working with Incoming Productions (MS Word) |
| [Acrobat PDF] | Working with Incoming Productions (PDF) |
