Q. What are you looking for in a location?
A. We get asked for all sorts of things. To see what we are currently looking for, see the Location Lookout page of the website. Clients will look for large rooms, and space to change, do hair and makeup, store props and equipment and eat lunch; ample parking provision and locations that are easy for them to get to.
Q. Shall I have my property photographed professionally?
A. The better the photographs, the better impression you give to potential clients. You don’t have to get a professional photographer in, but it helps if you take some time and care over taking the photographs yourself. Tidy up, wait for a sunny day, turn the lights on, steady the camera on a tripod or other stationary object rather than hand hold it in low light. Check the images are not blurry! We can work on them a little with Photoshop, but there is only so much we can do!
Q. Will someone just turn up on my doorstep?
A. No! Your privacy and security is paramount. If you wish, we can omit photographs of the front of your property and we don’t have to call your location by the name of the road if you prefer us not to. We will only give out your name and address once the booking is confirmed.
Q. Can I e-mail you my photographs?
A. Yes, please do email the images, if you prefer that to sending us a disk. However, please send images in small batches, so as not to crash our system! The email to send them to is info@dixcotlocations.com.
Q. Will you visit and photograph my property?
A. Unfortunately, this is not usually possible. As a small company, we do not have a dedicated location photographer and it would be impossible to visit all the potential locations put forward to us. It is therefore important that you provide us with ample, good quality photographs, to give us and our clients a good impression of your property and all it has to offer. Please see the Photographing Your Property section of the website.
Q. How much does it cost to register with Dixcot Locations?
A. Nothing! It’s free. If your property is used, we take 20% of the agreed fee for the hire of your location. For example, if the job pays £1,000, we will take £200 and give you the remaining £800. Our full Terms and Conditions are available in the Register Your Property section of the website.
Q. So what happens after I’ve sent my pictures?
A. If we think your property would be suitable for location work, we will send or email you our Registration Form to complete. (It is also possible to complete the form online). This asks you all about your property and gives us all the information we need to talk about your property with clients. You will also need to accept (online) or sign our Terms and Conditions. If you have any reservations or wish to discuss our Terms, please do telephone us.
Q. How many images do you want?
A. Please take as many images as possible (within reason!). Our clients need to get a really good idea of the location without having to leave their desks. They may not have the time to recce, so your photos may be all they have to go by.
Q. What happens if there are damages?
A. It is our job to ensure that our clients are fully insured. If you wish, we can ask for a ‘damage deposit’ on your jobs. This is where the client will issue a separate cheque (usually for £250) prior to the shoot. If at the end of the day, there has been no damage, the cheque is returned to the client. If, however, there has been damage you keep the cheque. If the cheque more than covers the damage, you return the remaining monies to the client; if more money is required to pay for the damage, we will chase the client for the addional money.
Q. As a location owner, do I need to have insurance?
A. We will ensure that our client is fully insured before they set foot in your property to shoot. However, this is not something required if they come round for a recce. Therefore, some location owners do choose to take out their own insurance, but a vast number don’t. It’s up to you.
Q. Is my property suitable for location work?
A. Our clients come to us with incredibly varied briefs. They might want anything from a council flat to a stately home, though the more amazing or interesting your home, the more popular it is likely to be. However, other factors do come into play – is it conveniently located for the client? Does it have ample parking provision? How big are the rooms? (Camera work, crews, cast, props and equipment take up a lot of room). Will you allow decorating? Do you have room to store props? After we have seen photographs of your property, we will be better able to inform you of its suitability.
Q. How will you market my property as a location?
A. When you first come on our books we will upload your property to our website and send information of your location to all our clients. Clients will also contact us with their location requirements, e.g. they may want a modern apartment with a Thames view, or a cosy thatched cottage or an ordinary family suburban home – it could be anything. If your location fits their brief, I will email the client a link to your location page on our website.
Q. What happens if a client is interested in my property?
A. If they like it they might want to come over and do a recce. I will then contact you and tell you what the shoot is, when it would be, how many people would be involved, what rooms/areas they would want to use and what their budget is. You can then accept or decline the job or set your conditions and agree a recce date. A recce, though a positive sign, is no guarantee that your property will be chosen for the job.
Q. How do I register my location with Dixcot Locations?
A. First we need to ascertain whether your property is suitable for location work. Please email us a few pictures along with a paragraph of text about your property. If your property is suitable, you will then be asked to send masses of photographs. Ideally, you should send the photographs to us on a CD. Alternatively, you can email images as attachments, however, please send only a few images at a time, so as not to crash our system. We will also need you to complete our Registration Form and sign our Terms and Conditions. You can register online or we can send you the paperwork to complete and return.
Q. What happens after the recce?
A. If the client wants to go ahead and use your location we will contact you to let you know and to get your final go-ahead. We collect their public liability insurance and check that it is all in order and draw up a contract for them to sign. This Client Agreement includes the shoot dates and times, the number of people involved, the areas of your property they are allowed to use and the fee. Once the client has signed this agreement, should they cancel the job, they are liable for the full location fee.
Q. What’s expected of me on the day of the shoot?
A. Besides someone being on hand to open up and show the client around, and a clean and tidy house, the only thing you are expected to provide, is tea and coffee. Some owners are happy to open up in the morning and then leave the client to it (the client can lock up and return the key to you) or you may wish to stay on-site and offer assistance as and when required. It’s up to you.
Q. Can you guarantee that my location will be used?
A. Unfortunately we can’t. Our clients usually come to us with a very specific location brief. For example, they might ask us for a central London modern apartment with a spiral staircase or a thatched cottage on a village green. If your property matches the client’s brief, we will put it forward. Your location might be short listed and even reccied, but there is still no guarantee that it will make the final cut.
Q. My property is not in London, is this a problem?
A. London locations do get the most work, however, there are certain types of location you can not find in London and so the client will, for some jobs, be willing to travel. It’s when your location is something they can easily find in London, that it is difficult to get work, though not all our clients are London based and so you might be in luck!
Q. How much money can I expect to make from location work?
A. The fees vary from job to job. Factors that influence budget include: the size of the client company; the type of shoot (whether it is stills or filming and whether it is editorial, advertorial, TV or film); the number of people on the shoot; the amount of disruption expected; and finally, the type of property you have and where it is. As a guideline: Editorial pays approximately £400 - £600 a day, advertorial £800 - £1,000, and filming £1,000 - £1,500.
Q. Will my property appear on your website?
A. The vast majority of locations we receive are uploaded to the website. Occasionally, however, due to security/privacy issues, we will keep a location on file, and suggest it to our clients, but it won’t actually appear on the website itself.
Q. What sort of photographs do I need to take?
A. You will need to provide masses of good quality photographs of your location for us to put up on our website and show to potential clients. Ideally, you should go around with a digital camera and take photos of both the inside and the outside and all the rooms, from lots of different angles. It’s best to do this on a sunny day, open all the curtains, turn the lights on and tidy up. Also, if you have any unusual or unique features at your property (e.g. fireplaces, interesting architecture, water features, etc) send us pictures of these things too. Remember, you are trying to show your property at its best!
Q. Will I have to move out?
A. Most jobs we get in will NOT require you to move out of your home. It depends on the job. Reality TV programmes will certainly want you to move out and in that case will pay to put you up in a hotel for the duration of the shoot, however, this is the exception, rather than the rule.
Q. Who can see my location contact details?
A. Only the Dixcot Locations staff has access to your contact details. When we upload your location to our website, we usually call it by the name of your house or road. If, however, you wish it to be called something that disguises its location, we can do that. When a client is interested we will tell them the area it is in, so that they can work our whether it is in a place convenient for their requirements. If they wish to do a recce or make a confirmed booking, we will have to give them the full address and your name and telephone number. If you no longer wish to be registered please contact us and we will remove your location from the website.
