Filming Commercials at our Home

For several years now, we have been asked by location scouts to use our property to film commercials, documentaries, or photo shoots for print ads. It is always amazing to me how many people it takes to create the magic we see.

Yesterday, we had a staging crew arrive at 9:00 a.m. They removed most of the furniture from the family room, brought in their own chairs, pillows, rugs, artwork, tables, lamps to turn it into a post college apartment. They even removed our curtains! This was for a commercial for an online university.

Trucks filled with equipment line up in our front driveway and side streets.

Even though the actual filming was confined to the family room, the front hall, front porch and other areas of the house were filled with equipment.

The pool house was used for wardrobe and the actors.

There were over 65 people here all day. Naturally, they need to be fed, so most crews have their own caterers on site.

Lunch was served in tents under the cluster of trees in our front yard. Portable air conditioners were brought in to combat the high temperatures.

Since we live on a busy street, a motorcycle police officer from the City of Phoenix made sure vehicular entry and exit was safe. All productions done here need to be permitted by the City.

Here are some photos from other commercials. This setting in the back yard was a children’s baseball team’s celebration for Cousins Subs.

Another Cousins Subs commercial was a girl’s graduation celebration in our dining room. Often multiple commercials are shot on the same day(s)

If you are interested in having your home as a candidate for potential commercials, photo shoots or movies, connect with your local scouting agent. Typically they will need lots of photos of your home and property.

Naturally, you are paid a fee for the use of your home and the amount depends on whether the production is for a local or national company. The fee is also based on number of days and how much of your home they use.

An insurance policy is provided and we’ve never had a situation where any damage has occurred. As you can see from the photo above, they take great care in protecting flooring from all the equipment and traffic.

By 8:00 p.m. the house was back to normal. You would never have known the filming took place! This process is a bit of an intrusion, but fortunately, we have worked with conscientious production companies who are respectful of our home. Fun day!