City Guide Filming in San Antonio, TX
Production Permit Fees
- Film Permit Minimum Cost: Free
- Film Permit Application Fee: Free
Minimum Insurance
- Workers’ Compensation
- Employers’ Liability
- Commercial General Liability
- Business Automobile Liability
- Professional Liability
Additional Permits
Discounts
About San Antonio
San Antonio, located about 75 miles southwest of Austin, is a very popular city that residents know by different nicknames. Some call San Antonio Alamo City because of the Alamo Mission which is located in the Downtown area (Alamo Mission is the No. 1 tourist attraction in Texas). Some others know San Antonio as River City because of the River Walk in the Downtown area. The reputation of the city as a home of military bases also gives it the nickname Military City, USA. The way tourists love San Antonio for its various attractions is the same way filmmakers are attracted to it because the tourist sites serve as iconic locations for film shoots.
Filming began in San Antonio around the 1920s. Different parts of the city have been featured in movies, commercials, TV shows, and independent productions since filmmakers started visiting the city for production works. One of the standout achievements of San Antonio to date is the movie Wings (1926) which was filmed in the town and went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Picture in 1927. It remains the only silent film to have received such an accolade. That achievement could not have been possible without the joint efforts of the filmmakers, the city, and the US Army.
To date, filmmakers love filming in San Antonio and even enjoy benefits and. Some popular movies filmed here include Lolita (1997), Battleship (2012), Spy Kids (2001), The Getaway (1972), Miss Congeniality (2000), and The Poison Rose (2019). If you have seen any of these movies, then you will have an idea of what San Antonio offers. Find your next filming location in San Antonio now with Giggster.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in San Antonio?
You may or may not need a filming permit for your project in San Antonio. It all depends on the nature of your project and where you intend to film.
If you will be filming on public property as part of a news media crew or for news gathering purposes, you will not need a film permit. In addition, if you intend to film on private property in the city and your undertakings will not affect any public activity, you will not need a film permit either.
On the other hand, if you intend to film on public property and/or for commercial purposes in San Antonio, you need to obtain a film permit before going about your project. Public property includes city-owned property, sidewalks, and streets. Moreover, any filmmaker that intends to use drones during filming must submit a film permit application and abide by the procedures, policies, and guidelines of the Federal Aviation Administration.
If you are unsure about whether you will or will not require a permit for your project, reach out to the San Antonio Film Commission for guidance and information. It is in your best interest to abide by San Antonio filming laws.
public property
public property as part of a news media crew or for news gathering purposes, you will not need a film permit
filmmaker
filmmaker that intends to use drones during filming must submit a film permit
Permit Management in San Antonio
The San Antonio Film Commission
The San Antonio Film Commission is the agency that oversees filmmaking and film permit issuance in San Antonio. All filmmakers that intend to do business in the city can count on the San Antonio Film Commission for everything related to obtaining film permits and more. This is because, besides issuing permits, the Film Commission offers additional services to filmmakers. Little wonder the Film Commission is considered to be the one-stop shop for film production in the city. The additional services filmmakers enjoy from the Film Commission are:
Scouting for film locations
Liaison with government services/agencies
Providing information about the production crew and resources through a robust production database
Casting calls
You can rest assured that the San Antonio Film Commission has got you covered if you intend to film on city streets, parks, college campuses, neighborhoods, and sports venues in San Antonio. To start with, you need to submit your request or film permit application at least ten business days before your first date of filming. The entire application process is online. You will need to have your certificate of insurance ready, too, as you apply online for your film permit.
If your production is such that you will require the services of police officers for traffic control, street closure, or safety reasons, the Film Commission will guide you on how to work with the Police Department for approvals, etc. Moreover, the Film Commission makes it easy for filmmakers to connect to other city agencies as well when their services are required during production. Another thing that the Film Commission helps filmmakers with is locating parking spaces for production vehicles.
What Insurance Do I Need in San Antonio?
As part of your application for a film permit in San Antonio, you need to provide a certificate of insurance that conforms to the film production insurance requirements of the San Antonio Film Commission
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 San Antonio?
San Antonio is famous for the diverse locations that allow it to depict various periods in history and adapt to multiple storylines. This is thanks to the over three centuries of history of the city. As a result, it is very easy to use a host of settings in the city for rural and urban, contemporary and historic, as well as industrial and artistic filming requirements.
San Antonio’s reputation as a city with lots of military bases makes it uniquely fitting for projects that have such requirements. Wings, the Oscar-winning movie in the 1920s was certainly not going to have gotten the recognition it did without the huge filming support that it got from the military. Filmmakers are welcome to enjoy the benefits of San Antonio as the Military City, USA.
The three animal attractions and several commercial amusement parks in San Antonio also serve as good settings for filmmaking. One of these parks dates back to 1925 and therefore offers both historic and entertainment benefits for production teams whose scripts require such settings.
Producers who love museums and what they stand for will enjoy working in San Antonio as the city is home to several museums and art institutions. Some of the popular ones in the city include McNav Art Museum (the first museum of modern art in the state), Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, Texas Rangers Museum, the Briscoe Western Art Museum, and San Antonio Museum of Art.
Filmmakers that are interested in outdoor settings in San Antonio also have interesting options to play with. The city features miles of bike lanes, off-road trails, city parks, streets, freeways, and highways, as well as green spaces.
As for the architectural styles in the city, the most unique and prominent ones are Spanish/Mediterranean and the 1920s to 1940s. Other ones you will find here are Victorian, Gothic, 1800s, and Contemporary/21st Century.
Special Requirements in San Antonio
San Antonio International Airport
San Antonio International Airport is open to production activities such as commercial filming, non-profit filming, and student filming under certain circumstances. Any filmmaker that wishes to use the airport grounds must first obtain approval from the Airport Director. In addition, the filmmaker must also obtain a City of San Antonio Aviation Department permit. Other considerations before filming in the airport include:
Payment of application and filming fees
Submission of proof of insurance
Obtaining a location permit
Alamo/Alamo Plaza
Production companies are welcome to shoot films in Alamo. However, as a requirement, the filmmaker will be required to complete the following before they can have access to Alamo’s facilities/property for filming:
Alamo Film Permit Request
A license agreement
A right of entry agreement
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
You may or may not require a permit for filming in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. If your filming falls under the category of low-impact filming, it will not require a special use permit. However, if it is a non-low-impact film production, you will need a special use permit for your activities.
To obtain a special use permit to film in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a filmmaker must contact the park in writing at least ten days before the intended date of filming. The park’s superintendent will determine if your production conforms to the park’s safety and public-use requirements.
A filmmaker must also complete the film application form and pay a non-refundable processing fee of $50. If considered necessary, the filmmaker will be asked to pay a cost recovery fee and provide proof of liability insurance as part of the application for permission to film in the park.
San Antonio Botanical Gardens
Any commercial filmmaker who wishes to use San Antonio Botanical Gardens’ premises for filming must first obtain prior approval from the Botanical Garden. To get the approval, the filmmaker must fill and submit the Project Form and pay the applicable location fees. The filmmaker will be notified of any additional requirements they need to fulfill before the filming date.
Amtrak
Two Amtrak rail routes serve the city of San Antonio. Any filmmaker that wishes to film on Amtrak’s property in San Antonio must first obtain the required approval by reaching out to the Real Estate Department of Amtrak via phone. The filmmaker will then be briefed about the requirements for filming and how to demonstrate compliance.
What Does it Cost to Film in San Antonio?
As part of its goal of promoting film production in the city of San Antonio, the San Antonio Film Commission does not charge any fee for film permits in the city. The fees that filmmakers may be required to pay during production in San Antonio are related to the additional services that city agencies such as Police Officers or Fire Personnel would offer. For instance, production activities that include the use of prop weapons or traffic control require Police supervision. The hire rate for these officers is $35 per hour for a minimum of three hours. Moreover, the filmmaker must make hiring arrangements at least a week before the film shoot date.
Additional Fees
While film permits in San Antonio are free, filmmakers will need to pay an additional charge for some services or city facilities used for production, as well as additional permits for certain activities involved during the production process. It might include Parking Restriction Permits for using reserved City parking spaces for vehicles of various sizes or Block Party Permits.
Any request for temporary street closures in any part of the city due to film-related activities must be submitted to the Right-of-Way Management Division at least thirty (30) days before the proposed closure date.
Geographical Jurisdiction of San Antonio?
The city of San Antonio is the county seat of Bexar County and the second largest city in Texas. It is surrounded by smaller towns and cities such as Elmendorf, Adkins, and Converse to the east; Macdona, Castroville, and Helotes to the west; Boerne and Bulverde to the north; and Somerset and Losoya to the south. Some nearby municipalities with different filming requirements are Boerne, New Braunfels, and San Marcos.
Boerne
Before applying for a film permit in the city of Boerne, a filmmaker must first reach out to the Film Friendly Liaison at the Office of Special Projects. The purpose is to discuss the specific requirements and feasibility of the production in the city. Thereafter, the filmmaker must complete the online permit application five business days before the intended filming date.
Other considerations for filmmakers who wish to film in the city of Boerne are as follows: The application fee is a non-refundable $50 Filming hours are from 7 am and 9 pm on weekdays, and 8 am to 8 pm on weekends and public holidays The permittee shall cover all costs incurred for the use of city personnel during the film production ($40 per hour per city personnel) The permittee shall notify residents and businesses within the neighborhood of the film location and obtain their consent and approval as required for filming
The applicant will sign a Hold Harmless Agreement and provide proof of insurance that conforms to the city’s requirements: General liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence Automobile Liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence Any other insurance requirements deemed fit by the city of Boerne for dangerous filming activities Name the City of Boerne as an additional insured Rental fees and damage deposits vary per city facility.
New Braunfels
The one-stop shop for everything production-related in the city of New Braunfels is the New Braunfels Film Commission. The Film Commission oversees the film permitting process in the city while providing other services that production companies may require for a smooth production – location scouting, crew and resource information, liaison with Government agencies, and casting calls. To begin, filmmakers are required to complete an online request, and based on that, the Film Commission will work with the production team to meet their filming needs.
San Marcos
The Office of the City Manager oversees the film permit issuance process in the city of San Marcos. Any filmmaker that plans to engage in commercial filming in the city must first contact the City Manager’s office to discuss the project details and requirements before applying for a permit. The permit issued by the Office of the City Manager covers commercial filming on city-owned property, commercial filming on private property, and the use of city equipment for production.
The turnaround time for a film permit in the city of San Marcos depends on the nature of the film project. For feature films, the filmmaker must submit their application at least five business days before the start of filming. However, applications for adverts and TV episode production require only a minimum of two business days.
Filming hours are from 7 am to 9 pm on weekdays, and 8 am to 8 pm on weekends and public holidays. Furthermore, the film producer must send a notice to the residents and business owners within the vicinity of the intended filming location after the City Manager has approved such notice.
As for the production insurance requirements in the city of San Marcos, the filmmaker must provide a valid certificate of insurance that covers $1,000,000 general liability per occurrence, and $5,000,000 aggregate, as well as $1,000,000 automobile insurance. Moreover, the certificate of insurance must list the City of San Marcos as an additional insured. The Office of the City Manager will notify the filmmaker of all associated costs of filming in the city.
Outreach in San Antonio
As part of the preparations for filming in San Antonio, filmmakers are urged to conduct outreach in their prospective filming locations. This involves notifying the members of the community where the filming is set to take place and providing the details of the film production such as dates and duration of filming, contact person, number of crew, types of production vehicles, etc.
Community Management in San Antonio
One way production companies can ensure good community relations during production is by opening avenues of communication between the hosts and the residents/businesses. Often, this takes the form of open houses, public meetings, and house-to-house visits, where allowed. At the very least, filmmakers can do their best to film without causing disturbance to the activities of the public. Moreover, when the cast and crew keep the filming area clean and tidy after each shoot is completed, it further earns them the respect of the community.
Conclusion
There are good reasons to want to film in the city of San Antonio. Besides the funding incentives that you can take advantage of as a filmmaker when you do your thing in the city, you also get to enjoy hassle-free film permitting and seamless production no matter how long you stay. Why? Because the San Antonio Film Commission is committed to ensuring that filmmakers have access to whatever service they require while filming. The folks in the city are very friendly as well.
San Antonio is a great place to visit, whether as a tourist or a filmmaker. Thanks to the abundant attractions, historic sites, and beautiful locations for filming, no production company visits this city without wanting to return for another project. Find a filming location in San Antonio that suits your needs now on Giggster and schedule your next production in the city.