City Guide Filming in Culver City, CA
Production Permit Fees
- Film Permit Application fee - $795 for up to ten locations
- Student Permit Fee For Large Productions - $114
- Student Permit Fee For Small Productions - $30
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability Coverage
- Auto Liability Coverage
- Workers Compensation
Additional Permits
Discounts
About Culver City
Culver City has a history connected to the film industry that goes back more than a hundred years. It's been home to several renowned film studios and entertainment-related companies like Metro-Goldwyn-Myer since they began churning out lucrative productions for the silver screen.
Over the decades since the city's founder, Henry Culver, began advertising its existence it has, just like Beverly Hills, been almost completely surrounded by Los Angeles. Culver City has kept its independence and low-rise character though, but it's not always the city's streets that attract filmmakers. It's the studio lots where such classic films as Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, and the original Wizard of Oz were made that are a major draw.
In more recent times popular TV series like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune plus many more have also been filmed at studios in Culver City. It's that continuing long-term affinity to both large and small screen that has earned Culver City the moniker of Heart of Screenland.
Surprisingly, while almost as many films and TV programs are made in Culver City as in Hollywood, and many well-known celebrities live there to be close to their work, it hasn't developed the same patina of glamor. In Culver, it's all work and no glitter which can never be a bad thing.
Culver City may have a long-standing affinity with filmmaking but that doesn't mean you can just set up and start shooting wherever or whenever. Filming in established and authorized studios doesn't require permission of any type. There are strict filming guidelines and permits required though if you want to film outside of an approved studio so make sure you’re fully aware of what they are before you start.
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Do I Need a Filming Permit in Culver City?
Yes, you will need a filming permit to film in Culver City if your shoot is taking place outside of an approved studio. In fact, you will need more than one filming permit.
When you want to film in Culver City before you can apply for a Culver City filming permit you need to acquire a filming permit from FilmLA. Once you have been granted one you can continue with your application for a filming permit in Culver City.
You should be aware that you may also be required to apply for an additional permit and follow special filming regulations if your chosen shoot location is in one of the city's parks, at the Veteran's Memorial Complex or at the city's public swimming pool.
Permits For Non-Profit Organizations
You may be eligible for a reduced rate filming permit from FilmLA if you are filming for a non-profit organization. To check for eligibility you will need to contact FilmLA for details.
Permits For Students
If you are filming a student production you will be entitled to a reduced fee student filming permit from FilmLA if you can produce the correct documentation issued by your place of study.
Permit Management in Culver City
FilmLA & Culver City PD
Filming permits for Culver City are managed by FilmLa and by the Culver City Police Department. You will initially be required to follow the procedures set out by FilmLA for acquiring a film permit, submit all the relevant documentation they require, and pay the applicable fees.
Once you have been granted a filming permit from FilmLA you will be able to initiate the procedure with the Culver City Police Department via the link on their website. A film permit issued by CCPD is required for any filming in Culver City whether it’s on public or private property. Culver City PD has a Film Coordinator available to deal with any problems or queries you might have.
If you are planning to film in a public park in Culver City you will need to make the initial application to the police department for a city filming permit, then contact the Culver City Parks Department to acquire a permit to film in your chosen park.
If you are planning to film at the Culver City public pool, The Plunge, once you have contacted the Police Department you will need to apply for an extra permit from the pool management. The Plunge has its own Film Coordinator who you can contact for help.
If you are planning to film in any part of the Veteran's Memorial Complex you will need to apply for a rental permit. The City of Culver Police Department Film Coordinator will assist you with the process.
Note: When you first apply for your initial filming permit to FilmLA you will be assigned a Production Coordinator who will help you through the various steps you have to take to get your permit from them and from the relevant Culver City authorities.
What Insurance Do I Need in Culver City?
You will be required to present copies of valid insurance certificates to both FilmLA and the CCPD before you will be granted a filming permit. The certificates must name both FilmLA and the City of Culver and cover at least the minimum requirements as stated by FilmLA.
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 Culver City?
Aside from the shoot locations controlled by the City of Culver such as the pool, the Veterans Memorial Complex, the twenty public parks, skatepark, and dog park, you'll find an incredible variety of locations in Culver for both indoor and outdoor filming.
There are complete working kitchens ideal for filming single chef cooking shows, and dance studios with mirrored walls that are light and bright but could challenge your cameraman's skills at staying out of shot.
If you're looking for a house with grounds for indoor and outdoor takes there's no shortage and the diversity is immense. You'll come across Spanish-style villas with well-established gardens, individual state-of-the-art houses with architecture that's so out of this world it would even suit a sci-fi movie, and bungalows ideal as the set for a family sitcom. Vintage, contemporary, Boho - whatever style of furnishings you need to suit the script you're working from, you'll find it in Culver somewhere.
Office set ups, conference rooms, school classrooms that are not in schools, and amazing bars just waiting for a Tom Cruise lookalike to step in and mix a cocktail. It's no good waiting to hire the real guy, he's far too busy flying jets these days. There are fully furnished restaurants in a number of different styles ranging from fast food to rustic steakhouse to classy pizzerias that can seat more than fifty.
For outdoor locations with super features you'll be totally spoilt for choice. Think Japanese zen gardens, rooftops with great views, Olympic-sized swimming pools surrounded by lush lawns, or, if you need something a little more unkempt, there are backlots and front yards specifically left untended so they look overgrown.
If you can't find the location you're looking for in Culver City, it doesn't exist. All you can do is send the script back to the screenwriter as they were too imaginative and need to tweak the description to make it fit within the bounds of reality.
Special Requirements in Culver City
Filming Hours In Culver City
Film shoots are restricted to specific hours and no filming is permitted outside of the curfew hours. The permitted filming hours are as follows:-
Monday to Friday – 7am to 10pm
Saturday – 8am to 10pm
Sunday – 9am to 10pm
Should you need to film outside of the standard permitted filming hours you will be required to conduct a survey of all residential properties, including households in multiple residency properties, within a three-hundred-foot radius. To obtain permission for extended filming hours you need to achieve 70% approval from the residents.
NB: Standard formatted letters for conducting surveys in Culver City are available to download from the Culver City special requirements section of the FilmLA website. There’s also a downloadable PDF with informative guidelines for you to follow.
Police Attendance
Culver City requires you to have a police officer present at all times when filming on public property. You will also need to have a police officer present if your shoot impedes the right of way on a sidewalk or street in any way shape or form. This applies to the time of setting up and striking too. Police personnel attendance is charged to the production company by the hour and has to be paid in full before filming commences.
Special Requirements For Internal Shoots
In most cases, Culver City will require you to have a Fire Safety Officer present during filming when you are shooting in an interior location. You may also be requested to comply with a safety spot check before filming commences to ensure there are sufficient working extinguishers, proper exits and that electrical wiring or cables being used is in adequate condition. The attendance of a Fire Safety Officer is charged by the hour and all costs must be paid to the relevant authority before filming begins.
Temporary No Parking Notices
If you need to ensure an area remains free of parked vehicles during the shoot, you will be required to position temporary no parking notices yourself. You must use the correct signage as recommended by the CCPD, but they do not provide them. You must have prior permission from the CCPD to post the temporary no parking signs and pay the charges for a temporary no parking permit.
What Does it Cost to Film in Culver City?
Listed here are the standard fees charged by FilmLA and other various authorities connected with filming permits for Culver City. Be aware that these can vary depending on the size of your productions and any other requirements the authorities might request or any facility rental charges you may incur.
Additional Fees
You may be asked to pay estimated fees because productions can vary, and costs can change if permit modifications are required. The difference between actual and estimated fees is refunded when the film shoot is completed.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Culver City?
While Culver City is mostly encapsulated within Los Angeles, it does have very defined boundaries as far as the jurisdiction of its authority is concerned. Culver City is bordered to the northwest by Venice Boulevard which stretches as far as West Culver, a part of the city surrounded by the Del Rey district of LA. On the far side of Venice Boulevard is the neighborhood of Palms and at the very northern tip of Culver, the LA neighborhood of West Adams. Along Culver City's eastern border are the LA districts of Crenshaw and Ladera Heights as well as the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Alsace, Westchester and Inglewood meet the edge of the city's five square miles to the south. FilmLA manages film permits for the majority of cities within LA County with a few exceptions. They are, among others, Burbank and Beverly Hills. To film in Burbank you need to apply to the Burbank Police Department for a filming permit. To film in Beverly Hills you will need a big budget and to contact the City of Beverly Hills Filming and Special Events Department for a permit. To film in Los Angeles City you will need to apply to FilmLA for a filming permit.
Outreach in Culver City
As Culver City has such a lengthy association with the film industry, you might expect that no one would bat an eyelid at a film shoot happening in their neighborhood or on their street. That sadly is not so even if you have A-list stars in the cast, the best behaved crew imaginable, and a police officer present.
To help prevent any problems arising while you're filming in Culver City, part of the services that are included with your film permit application to FilmLA is a notification service. It's not a free service by any means, but comes with a moderate fee that won't break the bank unless you're producing on a micro-budget.
FilmLA undertakes the distribution of notifications to all the relevant residential and commercial properties within a set radius that might be affected by your presence in their locality. Don't take it for granted that just because everyone has been informed of your filming activities they aren't going to whine about it. Some disgruntled residents still may.
If FilmLA does receive a complaint about your filming, it'll be in your hands to deal with it efficiently and promptly or you could get your filming permit revoked. FilmLA doesn't do it for you, but will want to see the results before making a decision about the continuance of your permit.
The standard procedure you will be required to follow should someone complain about your activities is ordained by FilmLA. You will have to conduct a survey of the specified area using the standard survey forms available on the FilmLA website.
Community Management in Culver City
There's an old saying that goes prevention is better than cure. Where film productions are concerned, prevention, especially when it comes to complaints, is also more time and cost-effective than having to deal with problems so way better in the long run.
It might not seem overly important to have good community relations when you're pitching up and striking on the same day and quite possibly never returning to the same place again, but it is.
Following the filming protocols set out by the authorities wherever you go is important, otherwise whatever you do wrong could cause a knock-on effect that will prevent another film company from shooting their film in the same place. Memories are long, especially where bad behavior is concerned, so if you ever did want to return, it could also mean you'd be refused a filming permit.
Employing a Community Manager may seem like a big investment if you have a limited budget, but it can pay dividends. Having someone on-site during filming to deal with any upset and nip it in the bud before it escalates can be very helpful. If your budget doesn't stretch to taking on a Community Manager as part of the crew, consider hiring a FilmLA monitor.
Hiring a FilmLa monitor to be on set is by no means compulsory when you're filming in Culver City. A police officer and maybe a firefighter, yes, but a community manager no. But if yours is a large production with a crew of over fifteen or one that you expect might cause waves in the neighborhood, then it's a good idea.
A FilmLA monitor's attendance at any film shoot is not included in the filming permit application fee, but is charged by the hour at a very reasonable rate and always worth the investment.
Conclusion
For whatever reason you've chosen Culver City as your filming location, whether it be because it's featured in the script you’re working from, because it’s for convenience, or just because there’s a super location there you can't find anywhere else, follow the filming regulations set out by FilmLA and Culver City and you won't have a problem. Don’t, and you will.
You won't be working alone in Culver City either as FilmLA will be there to guide you through your filming permit applications every step of the way. They'll also point you in the right direction for staying within the special requirements and additional regulations set out by Culver City for filming there.
Culver City is where some of the greatest classic movies and most popular TV series of all time have been produced. There's no reason why yours couldn't be the next big hit. Stick to the filming guidelines, cross your fingers and get ready to roll. You're in the right place to produce a long-running series or the next Oscar winner. Good luck.