City Guide Filming in Chandler, AZ
Production Permit Fees
- Film Permit Fee - $0
Minimum Insurance
- Minimum Insurance Coverage - Depends on the project
Additional Permits
Discounts
About Chandler
Most folks on a road trip across Arizona would probably drive straight through Chandler after visiting Phoenix without stopping unless they were scouting for filming locations. The city has something that has been attracting not just Dust Bowl migrants but the novice and the elite of the film industry for decades.
It's not just filmmakers looking to b-roll tumbleweeds rolling down a dusty street or capture a desert sunset who head to Chandler and get out their cameras either. There have been so many movies filmed in part in and around Chandler that it would be impossible to mention them all. Some are instantly recognizable as absolute classics, while others have sadly slipped into the black hole where long-forgotten movies go to die.
In the late 1950s, Chandler appeared in The Sound and The Fury, starring the late great Yul Brynner and Joanne Woodward. The early 2000s saw the Arizona city begin to see multiple film crews arriving and getting down to the filming business. Here are just a small sample of movies filmed in Chandler:
Soul Eternal 2010 – a fantasy comedy
The Detective's Lover 2012 – a mystery drama
Exposure 2015 – a horror film
A Broken Leg 2014 – a comedy
Chandler has also been the filming location of more short films than it has features, so if you're getting ready to make your first production, you could be looking at the ideal place. Before you set yourself up to suffer scouting in the desert heat, look at filming locations in Chandler on Giggster. You'll be able to get a good idea of what's available without risking dehydration or being phased by the shimmering mirage of a non-existent filming location in the distance.
The one thing you should be aware of before making your final decision about whether to film in Chandler is the filming regulations for Arizona. They are complex, so be prepared to study them to learn more about how to film in the Copper State without breaking the law.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Chandler?
Yes, you should apply for a film permit if you wish to film in Chandler. Depending on your chosen filming locations, you may need several.
You will need to obtain a film permit, not just in Chandler but in the state of Arizona, if you hope to film on:
City property or parks
State highways
State parklands and trails
Tribal property
National Forest property or terrains
National Park Services property or terrains
Federal lands and waterways
Bureau of Land Management property
Permit Management in Chandler
Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media and Others
Before approaching any permitting organization, you should know under whose jurisdiction the filming location you have chosen falls. You can check specific locations on an interactive map provided by the Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media website.
While the Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media might not issue all the filming permits you require to film in and around Chandler, they should be your first port of call. They may advise you to contact the Phoenix Film Office as this is the closest permitting film office to Chandler. They may also advise you on reaching any other permit organization relevant to your project.
To initiate contact with the Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media, you should fill out a Register Your Project form on the authority's website. You will be required to complete details like:
An email address
Your name and address
A contact number
Your role within the production company
Information about the production company
Name of the production
Type of production
Genre of the production
The estimated production budget
An estimation of how much of the budget will be spent in Arizona
Proposed start and finish dates of the shoot
Size of the cast and crew
What Insurance Do I Need in Chandler?
Having adequate insurance coverage is a statutory requirement for obtaining film permits for Chandler and the state of Arizona.
While the Arizona Office of Film & Digital Media doesn't publish any minimum requirements for insurance coverage, they do expect your insurance to cover:
If you can’t meet any of these requirements, you’ll need to explain in writing why you can’t meet the requirement to the Office. They will determine if the shoot can go ahead without the necessary insurance.
Note that these requirements are minimum requirements. Larger and more complex shoots may require additional insurance which will be determined by the Office.
What Kind of Filming Locations Are Available in Chandler?
Chandler delivers filming locations, both internal and external. Mainly low-rise, walk the streets of Chandler, and in parts, you will feel time-warped back to the 1950s, so if yours is a movie set in that era, stop the search — you have already found the perfect setting.
If you are producing a family movie and need a fun location, check out Desert Breeze Park. It has it all where kid-friendly entertainment is concerned, from a locomotive with colorful carriages to a vintage carousel to play areas, lily ponds, and even a hummingbird sanctuary.
Should you be scouting for rolling stock rather than child-oriented trains, then you should look at what there is in the Arizona Railroad Museum. The museum, in Tumbleweed Park, has a collection of locomotives and passenger cars from various eras that would look perfect in any movie scene.
Need a peaceful spot with a lake and mountain views? The Veterans Oasis Park is the place to go. As well as a five-acre lake full of catfish, there are hiking and equestrian trails, pavilions, and an amphitheater.
You will also find the usual run-of-the-mill filming locations in Chandler. Houses, apartments, bars, restaurants, and various event spaces. Along with those are photography studios, recording studios, dance studios, and fully equipped gymnasiums.
Should you be scouting for a location to film a Western movie, you won't need to go further than five miles out of town to discover the Rawhide Western Town. It may be a recreation of a late 19th-century western town, but it has everything you could imagine to make it look realistic.
If you need some desert lands, this is the place to investigate, too, as the Rawhide Western Town and events center has over 150 acres of the Sonoran Desert right on its doorstep. You would not be the first to film there either. The most recent movie filmed in the fake town was 2020’s Royal's Revenge.
For something more luxurious, and where there is not a lot of dust, explore Wild Horse Pass Casino and Hotel. It is not Las Vegas, but a substitute on a smaller scale.
Special Requirements in Chandler
Filming With Animals
Filming using animals is common in Arizona, so the state has a set of guidelines you will be expected to follow if you choose to use animals in your production. Contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department about the regulations pertinent to the species you will be filming with.
They will also inform you if you require a license or permit to film using your chosen animal and recommend you also liaise with:
The American Humane Film and Television Unit
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
The Arizona Game and Fish Department also recommends you inform yourself of the contents of the American Humane’s Guidelines for Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media.
Filming With Children
The state of Arizona has strict child labor laws for minors under the age of 18. Child actors are exempt from labor laws if they follow the correct procedures before filming. If you have child actors in your cast, then you must inform the Department of Labor of the Arizona Industrial Commission of the following details:
The name and regular address of the child
Title of the production they'll be acting in
Name, address, and contact number of the production company
Proposed filming dates – start and finish
Number of hours the child will be filming
Location of the filming
NB: Not informing the authorities of employing a child for acting purposes is a misdemeanor and can land you a hefty fine, so make sure you're fully aware of all the regulations before doing it.
Use Of Pyrotechnics & Special Effects
The Arizona Film and Digital Media Office is happy to advise production companies on which organizations they need to approach if they plan on using pyrotechnics, explosives, or any other special effect that may be a danger to the public. While they will advise, it's up to the production company to ensure they have the correct licenses or permits for the activities they wish to undertake.
To use pyrotechnics or other special effects without breaking the local laws, you should be aware of the no-burn days in Maricopa County. A yearly no-burn day calendar for Maricopa County is published on the Clean Air Make More website. If your proposed filming dates fall on a no-burn day, you can contact Clean Air Make More, and if possible, they may exempt you.
Filming With A Drone
To be able to film with a drone anywhere in Arizona, including Chandler, the drone pilot must have a valid pilot's license issued by the Federal Aviation Authority. The drone pilot must also be fully aware of the Arizona drone laws. The drone laws can be read in full on the UAV Coach website and must be strictly adhered to during filming.
What Does it Cost to Film in Chandler?
There are no fees associated with a film permit issued by the Arizona Film and Digital Media Office or by the Arizona Department of Transport for filming on public property, state parklands, or state roads and highways. Depending on your chosen filming location, you may incur permit fees for filming on tribal property or lands. How much the fees will depends on the managing authority and is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Fees
You will be requested to sign up for an account on the Arizona Production Directory and issued a Reel Discounts identity number. You can request rebates within 30 days for monies spent on hotel rooms, car hire, equipment purchases, and rentals. Don't miss out on doing it. The savings and rebates are phenomenal.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Chandler?
Chandler is a city in the Sonoran Desert area of southern Arizona, approximately 22 miles southeast of Phoenix. It is a part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metropolitan area and covers terrains of approximately 65.5 square miles. In total, it is home to 275,000 people, which ranks it among the top 100 most populous cities in the US.
Chandler's irregular urban spread is bordered to the south by Sun Lakes, Goodyear Village, part of the Gila River Indian Reservation, and Lower Santan Village. To the southeast, Chandler is bordered by Chandler Heights, the Seville Golf and Country Club, Gilbert Regional Park, and Power Ranch.
Along Chandler's northeast border are Santan Village, The Islands, and the city of Gilbert, while to the north is Dobson Ranch. To the northwest are Kiwanis Park, South Tempe, and the city of Guadalupe, beyond which is the South Mountain Park and Preserve. To the due west of Chandler are the Ahwatukee Foothills Village and the Desert Foothills Park.
There are many tribal-managed lands around Chandler, and if your chosen filming location should fall into their jurisdiction, you will need to approach them for permission to film. The Arizona Film and Digital Media Office will be your starting point, and they will direct you to the correct people or organizations who manage the properties you want to film on.
If any other of your chosen filming locations fall outside of the boundaries of Chandler, the Arizona Film and Digital Media Office is still the best place to start unless you want to film in Phoenix. To get the required permits to film in the City of Phoenix, you will need to apply for a permit from the Phoenix Film Office.
Outreach in Chandler
The Arizona Film and Digital Media Office does not publish any statutory requirements for community outreach. Considering the complexity of obtaining the required permits for filming in Chandler, it's a good idea to have outreach on your agenda.
Even if you only distribute the most minimalistic notification, you'll have made the locals around your chosen filming locations aware of your activities, and that's never a bad thing to do.
Community Management in Chandler
Will you need a community manager on your team if you're filming in Chandler? The answer to that is maybe yes and maybe no. Chandler is a film-friendly place where many local businesses are happy to participate in the Arizona Film and Digital Media Office Reel Discount program.
That said, though, human nature is human nature, and folks whose businesses you might not need to use can soon get jealous of the extra income the ones you do use receive. It's a difficult balance to maintain and can distract you from more important things. There's always the general public to deal with, too, and they can be as unpredictable as a firework on a damp night.
Having a community manager on your team who knows how to deal with the unexpected is an absolute bonus. Having one capable of taking the responsibility of outreach is even better. You can wash your hands of the entire job and leave them to it.
Conclusion
While film permitting in Chandler might not be as clear-cut as in other cities in the U.S., it does have its good points. Those Reel Discounts alone make Chandler and Arizona worth considering as a filming location. The good thing is, there's always the Arizona Film and Digital Media Office to help you navigate the permitting mayhem, so don't doubt in choosing Chandler as a filming location for your movie. You'll be glad you did.