Shooting In Airports

March 30, 2005

I am looking to shoot a few scenes in an Airport terminal in the near future and was curious if anyone has as done location shoots in one before. I am curious about Security and getting equipment through and crew security passes. Looking for any possible problems or confrontations that may occur and the past solutions to those problems. This will be a student film on a extremely low budget.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Mike Burchett

John Sprung · March 30, 2005

Try to find a newly built but not yet open shopping mall, or maybe a convention center, and dress it with airline check-in counters. Probably a bunch easier than messing with Homeland Security.

-- J.S.

Dan Salzmann · March 31, 2005

I'll second that. Airports have always been difficult but post 9/11 has rendered this nearly impossible. Doesn't hurt to try but get started as far in advance as possible. Maybe offer to hire an off-duty security security officer to be on set.

Brent J. Craig · March 31, 2005

Before 9/11 - shooting in a major international airport all we had to do was verify our names on a callsheet for full access (tarmac, roofs, elevator shafts, everything). We were allowed to carry tools, Leatherman knives, and carts full of gear with no inspections.

After 9/11 - we could shoot outside the security zone with an escort. Period.

We used a convention centre to pass as an airport. It was the most expensive location I have ever heard of! It was only a month or two after 911 and they made us rent every single square foot of the convention centre's exhibition space, even though we were only using the hallways. $$$32,000 to shoot in a location for 8 hours. W - O - W - !

Perhaps you can see why the multi-zillion dollar finale of "Friends" staged their airport scenes against a single-walled set!

John Pytlak RIP · March 31, 2005

Are there any abandoned airport terminals that still have most of the furnishings? Wasn't the old Pan Am terminal at JFK unused for quite a while?

http://www.airnav.com/airports/

David Mullen ASC · March 31, 2005

I was able to shoot a second unit shot at LAX for "Akeelah and the Bee" for a surprisingly low location fee, so it doesn't hurt to ASK. But whatever you do, don't even think of taking the camera to the airport and stealing a shot. Either get permission and pay the fees and work with their security, or forget about it and fake it elsewhere.

drew_town · March 31, 2005

That sounds quite ambitious for a student project. It seems like you're looking for a larger, commercial airport. There are, however, smaller or private airports that should be a little more hospitable. You'd probably have to set it up to look the part. Check out flying schools or privately owned strips. I had a classmate when I was in school shoot a scene on a private airport. They rolled out a jet plane and positioned it for them on the runway. It was only three or four shots of some people getting on the plane, and they covered it well with framing and sound effects. That was one heck of a personal favor I might say. Good luck.

March 31, 2005

This is all great advice. I don't need any actual footage of planes and boarding and in fact the terminal is supposed to be empty. Not trying to sound pretentious, the terminal is in fact purgatory (the whole basis of the story which will be a ten minute film, is that due to excessive use of psychedellic drugs durring the late sixties and through the late seventies, i.e. Timoth Leary, heaven is forced to make passage to the afterlife more beauracratic and like real life situations, therefore the protaginist is sent to the airport for purgatory and subsequently his flight to heaven keeps getting delayed for roughly 160,000 years.) So all I need is a few tracking shots at the airport terminal here in Bozeman to build a small montage. So I think I might be able to get all I need in two hour chunks over two or three days (Bozeman is a smaller airport and after working there I know the extended down times.) I was planning on shooting it on HD using mostly natural light, do you think that will save time and increase efficency? The main reason I want to shoot there is the views out of the terminal.

This isn't the exact view, but still a near acurate example. There are roughly fifteen foot floor to ceiling windows looking at the Bridger Mountains that I am dying to take advantage of.

Matt Pacini · April 3, 2005

I shot at Sacramento airport and stole lots of shots, but this was pre-9/11.

I'm going to have to agree with what others here have said;

either play by the rules, or you're in for a cavity search, and I'm not talking about your equipment!

MP

Dave Hammond · April 5, 2005

If I were you I would, as a first step, write to the airport director, explaining your project, the fact that you are a student with no funds etc. With a bit of luck he/she will take you under his/her wing...'scuse the pun ;-)

Mark T. Ingham · November 11, 2005

I was able to shoot a second unit shot at LAX for "Akeelah and the Bee" for a surprisingly low location fee, so it doesn't hurt to ASK. But whatever you do, don't even think of taking the camera to the airport and stealing a shot. Either get permission and pay the fees and work with their security, or forget about it and fake it elsewhere.

This reply is a bit late -- and probably not as applicable to Mike's original query about shooting an airport near Bozeman -- but I second what David says; you CAN film in and around LAX. The airport has a designated film office that handles nothing but student and professional films. It's my understanding they have as many as 30 shoots of various sizes filming there per month. I've actually filmed a modest little student production there myself:

LAX Film Office

The biggest issue with LAX is they want to see some sort of general liability insurance before they give you the green-light.

Also, I believe Burbank airport is fairly open about allowing student and professional filming. Anyways, FYI for people in the L.A. area -- especially students.

Jonathan Bryant · November 14, 2005

Yeah it amazes me that if you go with a professional 35mm or betacam to film some location like a Airport and they consider you are a terrorist or something. Wouldn't the terrorist carry an inconspicuous camera. Heck you can now get satelite photos of almost anything. What about cameraphones. I think they should treat you just like any person with eyes who can take a mental picture. Unless of course you are using lights. I don't expect them to accomodate you with 2 10k HMIs,or etc... Also I can understand them wanting to scan your equipment for weapons.

But is the consensus that you can't film in airports without permission because Homeland Security?

Even though I have friends in the security industry, I think the whole 9/11 thing worked like the terrorists wanted it to by crippling our country into a high security zone with fewer freedoms. I would even goto say that the added security doesn't hassle the right people and so for the most part it is useless.

Edited November 14, 2005 by johnhollywood