Selecting locations for Commercial shoots

Genghis

(I hope I have posted in the right place; looking for advice only).

I am trying to figure out how film locations (Photo) are selected. Context is I am helping out a couple with marketing for their business and one of the
areas they are looking at is the possible hire of their home for photoshoot.

To my (albeit) untrained eye, I would say their home is genuinely a good prospect - i.e. in a good location and there would be plenty of scope for a range of 'sets' both indoor and outdoor.

My question is this - how do photoshoot sites for commercial projects get selected, i.e. who decides where? What would be the way to tell these such about a new location. Is there even much interest in new locations?

There's one major barrier I see - they have no 'network' or 'experience' to draw on - as far as this goes, I don't have either!

I would be grateful for any insight you can offer.

PCPhoto

believe it or not this is or was actually a job....a location scout !! (fairly popular in USA, not so much here)

there are people who decide they want ..... a river...leading into a lake, with snow capped mountains in the background of the lake.... and the location scout has to find such a place, take photos of the location and report back as to availability (are permits required etc) , accessability (for trucks carrying props, lighting gear etc)

Genghis

Thanks PCPhoto - 'location scout' sounds like a cool job!! If we don't really have them here, how are locations generally selected?

PCPhoto

I'm not saying we dont have them here - but as best as I know, in Ireland its kind of incorporated into another job, so part of your job would be to find a nice rural pub, or lake etc etc for location.

its just a bigger market in USA so they can make it into someone's job.

as a photographer- I note locations which I think would be great for photographs, have a huge list of locations in Ireland and various places in USA/Europe that I have visited and found locations.

artyeva

if what you're actually trying to do is get the word about this location out to photographers/art directors/stylists/producers then why not just do that?! i'm not saying it's simple, but i think it might be a lot easier than you think it is.

if i were you i'd get a nice simple marketing pack ready - be in the form of a pdf/video/website/whatever and try the social networkig routes. get a photographer who's style or approach you think might match the location and hire them to take the marketing shots and start sending your marketing pack/video/link to every art director/stylist/producer you can find details for. ask for feedback if it's the kind of location people could actually use, have an open day or something, along the way you'll learn if it's viable or not.

Genghis

Thanks artyeva, that was more or less what I was planning, I like your ideas. I just wasn't sure who to target for specifically commercial shoots - it seems that there is no one person, so I will get working on pulling together a list.

Thank you all.

artyeva

you're very welcome. i gleaned that from a stint working on short films years ago. that and a few episodes of 'Country House Rescue' on channel 4.