Overview
Local and distant location policies define whether a filming location falls inside or outside the school’s studio zone and explain how travel time affects the production day. Local productions are generally expected to remain within the studio zone, while certain productions may request approval to film at distant locations.
These distinctions matter because travel time affects safety, scheduling, crew workload, equipment logistics, and the amount of time available for filming. The policy helps productions plan realistically while giving the school a clear framework for evaluating when distant-location work is appropriate.
Local Locations
A local location is any location within the school’s studio zone.
When shooting at a local location the travel time will always be calculated from the College’s production offices in University Center A to the location base camp area, regardless of where individual crew members live.
Each day of production is allotted a penalty-free, one-way drive time of 30 minutes at the speed of the Grip Truck. Any distance from the production office to the location that exceeds 30 minutes will be considered a drive-time penalty and that additional time is subtracted from the 12-hour shooting day. Any drive-time over 30 minutes is a minute-for-minute penalty. Any unused time of distances shorter than 30 minutes may not be added to the shooting day or applied towards overtime.
All F1, F2, F3, M1, M2, and M3 productions must be shot at local locations within the studio zone.
Distant Locations
A distant location is any location outside of the school’s studio zone. When shooting at a distant location the travel time from the production office will always be calculated from the hotel or temporary residence where the BTL crew is being accommodated.
Each day of production is allotted a penalty-free, one-way drive time of 30 minutes at the speed of the Grip Truck. Any distance from the production office to the location that exceeds 30 minutes will be considered a drive-time penalty and that additional time is subtracted from the 12-hour shooting day. Any drive-time over 30 minutes is a minute-for-minute penalty. Any unused time of distances shorter than 30 minutes may not be added to the shooting day or applied towards overtime.
F2, FC, and MC productions may request approval to shoot at distant locations outside of the studio zone.