City Guide Filming in Farmington Hills, MI
Production Permit Fees
- Permit Fee - Depends on the projects
Minimum Insurance
- Commercial General Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Umbrella Liability Insurance - $4,000,000 per occurrence
- Workers Compensation - $500,000 per occurrence
- Automobile Liability - $1,000,000
Additional Permits
Discounts
About Farmington Hills
Farmington Hills is a city within the metropolitan area of Detroit. While it may be the Zekelman Holocaust Center, the only holocaust center in Michigan, that it's become known for, Farmington Hills is also quietly coming into its own as a filming location.
One of the things that makes Farmington Hills so attractive to filmmakers is its rural aspect. Located in the south of Oakland County, this city is a low-rise spread of detached houses and tree-lined streets that epitomize middle-class America and a healthy and relatively wealthy lifestyle.
A great example of how ideal Farmington Hills is as a film location was set by local writer, director, and producer Lance Kawas. His film Golden Shoes and Fractured came to life in Farmington Hills, as was a music video he also produced.
Probably one of the most unusual movies to be partly filmed in Farmington Hills, which deserves a mention and is best forgotten, was the 2009 remake of the sci-fi comedy Mutant Swinger From Mars. The less said about that, the better, although it does have a cult following and was screened at Comic-Con.
In common with what frequently seems the case with pleasant-looking urbanizations, it draws filmmakers of the more macabre. The contrast of middle-class affluence where evil lurks behind closed doors is a well-tested on-screen winner, so if that's what your script is focused on, you're scouting in the right place.
You can find out if there's anywhere that's fit for purpose for your production by taking a look on Giggster for the best film shoot locations. Once you've checked them out, your next step will be to read up on the filming guidelines and film permitting regulations for Farmington Hills. You'll discover what is almost as thrilling as reading a great plot twist you weren't prepared for.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Farmington Hills?
There is no cut-and-dried answer to whether or not you need a filming permit to film in Farmington Hills. There are times when you will and times when you won't. As throughout all of the state of Michigan, you will need a filming permit if you:
Plan to shoot your production on state, federal, or tribal lands.
Will be implementing the use of fake weapons or pyrotechnics.
Will be filming in protected natural areas.
Will be filming at a place that is classed as a state historical site.
Will be filming at a military site.
Are going to be filming on highways or state and county roads.
Plan to film on a waterway or lake.
Will be using a drone.
Will be filming on public transport.
Permit Management in Farmington Hills
Detroit Film Office & Various Others
As Farmington Hills is within the metropolitan area of Detroit and doesn't have its own film office or film coordinator, in some cases, you may need to apply to the Detroit Film Office for a filming permit.
In other cases, depending on your chosen locations, you may need to seek permission to film from different authoritative departments of the city of Farmington Hills.
For example, if using pyrotechnics or other special effects during your shoot, obtain a permit from the Farmington Hills Fire Department.
If using fake weapons and ammunition, obtain a permit from the Farmington Hills Police Department.
Should you want to film at any public green spaces, golf course, ice arena, Longacre House, community center, or nature center, acquire a permit from the Farmington Hills Parks and Recreation Department.
Farmington Hills has no film office or film coordinator. Depending on the selected location, you may deal with more than one city authority. While most permits can be issued within 72 hours, you'll find it easier to coordinate the issue if you work a little more in advance than that.
What Insurance Do I Need in Farmington Hills?
You should have general liability insurance coverage if your production requires a film permit from Farmington Hills authorities or the Detroit Film Office.
Even if your production does not require a film permit, at least have minimal coverage. Accidents are called accidents because no one expects them, so having insurance means you'll be covered should the unexpected happen.
If you're making a small production, you don't necessarily need to fork out for a policy that covers you for the whole year. There are short-term policies that will afford you the coverage you need for the length of the filming period only. That's a big budget saver, so shop around before contracting your coverage.
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 Farmington Hills?
The only filming location that Farmington Hills probably does not have is a bonafide castle, although plenty of moat-less mansions are almost worthy of the title. Before mentioning those a little more in-depth, you should know that the variety of outdoor external filming locations is practically limitless, not counting the absence of castle grounds.
Farmington Hills has natural areas that are unbeatable for filming countryside scenes. The Woodland Hills Nature Park is a prime spot with over 70 acres of beach and maple forest intersected by trails and the Rouge River. There is also a picturesque pond.
Many more park areas are worth investigating, but check out the special requirements section of this article to find out about film permitting for Farmington Hills parks.
Farmington Hills has it all — if you need an archery range, a skate park, or a splash pad. There's a fantastic selection of sports fields, and should the script you're working from require a character to be chilling in quiet contemplation while casting a hook, there’s a great fishing pier where they can do just that.
As for internal shoot locations in Farmington Hills, you'll come across everything from the normal to the eclectic. Starting with the way out there, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is full of mechanical toys, pinball machines, and other related paraphernalia. It suits a horror film or to find that unusual prop that will scare everyone once it's wound up and working.
The studio spaces in Farmington Hills range from bungalows with well-kept gardens to expansive mansions. There are also private houses with gardens and patios large enough to put up a wedding marquee and host the ceremony in a garland-adorned bow under the trees. The Greenmead Historical Village, although strictly speaking, falls outside Farmington Hills, is historic and nearby on the city border.
Special Requirements in Farmington Hills
Filming In Farmington Hills Parks
To obtain a film permit to film in any park area in Farmington Hills, such as Heritage Park or the Woodland Hills Nature Park, you will need to contact Farmington Hills Special Services. This department has the authority to issue film and photography permits.
To get the permit, filmmakers must contact the department in person via the city's official website or by directly calling the number published on the webpage. Once you have discussed your project with them, they will inform you of the next steps to take. Fees for filming in Farmington Hills parks are charged on an individual basis.
Filming At Suburban Ice
If you're shooting a film about ice hockey and want to use the Farmington Hills ice rink as a filming location, you will need to contact the Suburban Sports Group. The group has several rinks and sports facilities in the Detroit suburbs, so if the Farmington Hills one isn't available, another might be. You can contact their media division by messaging them on their official website, and they will then inform you if they have availability, the rental rates, and the permitting process.
Filming At Greenmead Historical Village
Should you want to use the Greenmead Historical Village as a filming location, you will need to obtain permission from the City of Livonia Parks and Recreation Department. Contact them well in advance of your proposed shoot date, as the park hosts multiple private events during which they don't permit filming.
What Does it Cost to Film in Farmington Hills?
There is no set fee for a Detroit Film Office film permit that will allow you to film in Detroit or anywhere in the metropolitan area that falls under its jurisdiction.
Additional Fees
Any fees you will need to pay to film in Farmington Hills are charged on a project-by-project basis by the relevant city authority. You will have to pay fees to the parks department, the police department, or the fire department, depending on where you're going to be filming and if your production involves the use of special effects. Each department bills a production company separately once they have assessed the project.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Farmington Hills?
Farmington Hills is around 23 miles northwest of Downtown Detroit and makes up part of Detroit's outlying metropolitan district. In total, the city covers an area of approximately 33.5 square miles of Oakland County. While in general, it may have a rural aspect, it's home to more than 80,000 people, which means it ranks second as the most populous in the county.
Farmington Hills almost entirely surrounds the smaller city of Farmington. Farmington is separated from Farmington Hills by the West Ten Mile Road to the north, Orchard Lake Road to the east, and Freedom Road to the south.
Farmington Hills itself is bordered to the north by West Fourteen Mile Road, beyond which lie minor urbanizations, the grounds of several country clubs, the West Bloomfield Township, and the West Bloomfield Woods Nature Preserve.
To the northeast of Farmington Hills is the town of Beverly Hills, and to the southeast Lathrup Village and Southfield. To the southwest is Northville, the Township of Northville, and the Maybury State Park, and to the west, Novi. To the northwest are Lakeshore Park and Walled Lake.
If you discover that the filming location you've chosen isn't in Farmington Hills but in Farmington, then you will need to apply to the authorities of Farmington for a film permit. They may appear to be the same place, but they're not, and each has its own administrative bodies.
When the script you're working from needs a water location, you'll be hard-pushed to find it in Farmington Hills, so you'll probably need to head to Lakeshore Park. There you'll find a lake with a swimming beach and multiple other facilities, including bike and ski trails. The park falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Novi, so to be able to film there, you will need to contact the City of Novi Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services.
Should you decide you need more uninhabited countryside and choose to film in Maybury State Park, you will need to apply for a film permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Outreach in Farmington Hills
The residents of Farmington Hills may be used to seeing their local filmmaker setting up in various locations across the city, but that doesn't mean they'll welcome a crew from outside doing the same. While the city authorities don't publish any set requirements for doing outreach, it's a good idea to let the folks living or working around the shoot location know about the planned filming activities.
A standard notification letter is relatively easy to prepare. All it needs to contain are the name of the production company, a contact number, and the days, times, and exact locations where you'll be filming. It's always a good idea to add the title of your production. There is nothing people like more than being able to boast they saw a movie or TV series episode being made when it's eventually screened, and they can't do that legitimately if they don't know what it's called.
Outreach does involve a bit of leg work, there's no arguing with that. It's leg work that's worth it at the end of the day, though, as it can prevent many unforeseen problems during the shoot. Most film offices or authorities that require production companies to conduct outreach usually advise that the notifications should be distributed around an area that's within a 300 to 500-foot radius of the shoot location. Follow their advice, and you should be more or less covered.
Handing out notices around that size of the area might not seem like much, but can be a hefty job if there are blocks of apartments with several floors in the vicinity. If you have ten mansions on a broad avenue with enormous gardens in between, you struck it lucky, and it'll be like taking a walk in the park.
If you're fully occupied with pre-production and don't think you'll have time to distribute notifications, there’s still no excuse for skipping doing it. If you can't undertake the job yourself, then hire a community manager to do it for you.
Community Management in Farmington Hills
There are diverse benefits to employing a community manager when filming on location. A community manager can undertake the time-consuming task of doing outreach for you. As well as distributing the notifications, they will also be able to have a friendly chat with anyone they run into in the vicinity of the shoot. That interaction can go a long way to ironing out any prospective problems.
If you do get any negative responses to the notifications that have been distributed, then it'll be the responsibility of the community manager to deal with them. That's a big time saver for you and frees you up to keep doing all the other things.
A good community manager should have excellent public relations and on-the-spot problem-solving skills. If they don't fulfill those two requisites, then you have the wrong person for the job and could end up in a worse situation than if you didn't have one.
Once the subject of outreach has been done and dusted with, you'll find a community manager will be more than helpful during filming. They'll be able to deal with bystanders who might try getting in the way and move them on politely so that it won't cause a disturbance and upset the cast or your sound engineer.
Conclusion
Congratulations if you've decided to produce your next project in Farmington Hills. You've become one of several filmmakers who have realized the filming potential of this Oakland County city. Farmington Hills can't be compared with either Detroit or Ann Arbor, as it's much more rural and has features to offer that neither does. Farmington Hills lacks water, but there's plenty of that not too far away, so even that can't be classed as a negative point.
You'll find that Farmington Hills is suitable for all types of productions, from horror to drama to comedy and all the other genres. Once you've had a good scout around, see what it offers, and how easy it is to get filming permits for Farmington Hills, you may question why more films haven't been made here. Who knows, but you may be the start of a flood of new filmmakers who make this film-friendly Michigan city their own.