City Guide Filming in Shadow Hills, CA
Production Permit Fees
- Permit Application - $863 for up to ten locations
- Permit Rider Fee - $137 per rider per permit change
- FilmLA Monitor Fee - $41 per hour as required
- Fire Review Fee - $282 per permit for cast and crew over 15 people
- Fire Safety Officer - $196.99 per hour. Minimum 4 hours
- Fire Safety Advisor - $56.55 per hour. Minimum 4 hours
- Student Permit Fees - $33 for simple productions
- Student Permit Fees - $124 for complex productions
- Non-Profit Permit Application Fee - $69
- Non-Profit Permit Rider Fee - $34
- Notification Service - $215
Minimum Insurance
- General Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Vehicle Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Harbor Department - $3,000,000
- Workers Compensation - $1,000,000 per occurrence
- Aircraft Use - $5,000,000
- Drone Use - $2,000,000
Additional Permits
- Special Effects Permit Fee - $288
- Animal Exhibition Permit $250 plus $25 for each additional day
Discounts
About Shadow Hills
Shadow Hills is an aptly-named neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles that, as a filming location, has been hiding its light in the shadow of the Verdugo Mountains for quite some time. Over the years, Shadow Hills has taken a background role in more favored LA neighborhoods such as San Pedro and Beverly Hills as far as filmmaking is concerned. That could be about to change.
This equestrian-loving community tucked away in the San Fernando Valley has begun to catch the eye of producers and directors of short films. What have they found so enticing about Shadow Hills? The answer to that is quite a lot.
The residential zones of Shadow Hills consist of quiet streets lined with superb properties that, while they don't scream megabucks, give the community an air of middle-class affluence that's ideal for many types of family-oriented productions.
Golf courses, picnic spots with scenic views, and isolated hillside trails combine to make interesting exterior shoot locations. Ranchlands and numerous riding stables mean horses are not in short supply in Shadow Hills either, so if you're planning a Western-themed short, Shadow Hills will work for you.
While Shadow Hills is still waiting to be cast in the starring role of a big-screen flick, apart from The Mark of Zorro in 1920, some notable shorts were filmed there. Two attention-grabbing shorts are Beyond, a ten-minute film shot in 2016, and the four-minute long We Vault, made in 2015 that was shown at The Vault Film Festival.
In short, no pun intended, if you're starting and looking for a filming location where you can cut your producer or director's teeth, then Shadow Hills could be the place to do it. You can get a preliminary feel for the place by browsing through the filming locations in Shadow Hills available on Giggster. If you decide to give it the thumbs up, then make sure you know the filming guidelines for Shadow Hills before you take your cast and crew there.
Do I Need a Filming Permit in Shadow Hills?
Shadow Hills is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles and part of Los Angeles County. No commercial filming is permitted without a production company having a filming permit. That rule applies whether you're shooting a three-minute short or a two-hour-long movie with A-list actors.
Getting a filming permit isn't complicated, and the process takes around three business days. If it's the first time you've applied for a film permit anywhere, it's a good idea not to leave the application process to the last minute. Give yourself a little more time so that if any complications arise, you won't get stressed out trying to resolve them as the shoot date looms.
On occasion, depending on the locations you've selected to shoot at - Hansen Dam Recreation Area, for example - or if you want to use horses, you may be required to obtain additional permits or permission, and that can turn out to be more time consuming than getting a regular filming permit. All permitting is about following the process, so don't let the fact you need a film permit to film in Shadow Hills put you off.
Acquiring a film permit for Shadow Hills doesn't come cost-free. No matter how meager your production budget is, you'll still have to devote part of it to paying film permitting fees. There's no escape; the fees must be paid before your permit is issued.
Student Film Permits
If you're still studying at a recognized educational facility and can provide documented proof of that, then you may be entitled to discounted permit fees.
Non-Profit Organization Film Permits
Los Angeles County offers discounted permit fees to non-profit organizations. You will be required to show evidence you're filming for a non-profit organization during the application process to receive the discounted fee.
Permit Management in Shadow Hills
FilmLA
Film permitting in Shadow Hills falls under the jurisdiction of FilmLA. The non-profit organization is responsible for film permits in most of the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, with only a few district exceptions. You should apply for a Shadow Hills film permit online using the FilmLA app.
Applying is a swift and straightforward procedure of answering questions relevant to the production. Once you've filled in all the relevant details, all you have to do is click on the submit button, and you're almost done. FilmLA will revise the submission, and within twenty-four hours, you'll be contacted by one of the FilmLA Production Coordinators.
It's the Production Coordinator's job to manage your application and offer advice should you need it. The coordinator will also assist you in contacting other city departments if your production should involve road or sidewalk closures.
What Insurance Do I Need in Shadow Hills?
Every production company, student and non-profit, must have adequate liability insurance to obtain a film permit in Shadow Hills. You won't be issued a filming permit without the right insurance.
FilmLA and the Los Angeles County authorities are very strict about insurance. Ensure that the certificate you submit during the permit application process states FilmLA and any other authority, as additionally insured.
Consult with a FilmLA insurance specialist before purchasing coverage, or follow the advice of your project coordinator.
While FilmLA may publish minimum insurance liability amounts on its website, they are only a guideline. As all filming productions are different, you may be required to contract more than the stated amounts.
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 Shadow Hills?
If the script you're working from has anything to do with horses, then Shadow Hills will deliver big time for filming locations. It'll work out well for you if the script has a Western theme, or the story is about a family living in a large house surrounded by countryside, is set on a ranch, or you need to film in a stable. You're in the wrong place if you need busy city streets and high rises.
There are several ranches in Shadow Hills where they welcome filmmakers with open arms - so long as they have their checkbooks. You'll come across magnificent ranch houses set on five acres of grounds fronted by sweeping lawns and backed by mountains. One comes with a private pool, patio areas, and a pagoda. You'd be hard-pushed to find a better setting for a Dallas-style episodic TV series.
If a ranch isn't what you're scouting for, why not a mansion decorated like a Moroccan palace? Okay, that may be a little too over the top for your script, but there are also smaller properties with less acreage that vary from wooden cabins to a home decked out in a complete 1900s prairie pioneer style.
Shadow Hills is surrounded by countryside. One superb spot, although you do need a special permit to access it for filming purposes, is the thirteen-acre Tujunga Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary has wilderness zones and ponds, hiking, and equestrian trails.
When you need somewhere with sporting facilities, the Hansen Dam Recreation Area is your best bet. This stunning park has just about everything you could ask for, including the Hansen Dam Aquatic Center, with an enormous pool and sports fields, not to mention an eighteen-hole golf course.
In truth, Shadow Hills is a filming location suitable for all kinds of scripts. The more you know about its multiple attributes, the more you'll like it and understand how to adapt it to your needs.
Special Requirements in Shadow Hills
Filming In Los Angeles County Parks
If you decide to film somewhere that falls under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County Parks - Tujunga Ponds for example - as well as obtaining a film permit from FilmLA, you will need to liaise with the Department of Natural Areas.
Your first step will be to contact the Department of Parks and Recreation Reservation Office to find out if filming on the dates you require is possible. This can involve a walk-through of your chosen location with a member of the department to decide if the location is feasible for the project. If they agree to your use of the area and the dates, you will be able to state it as one of the locations on your filming permit application.
After you submit your regular film permit application to FilmLA, they will send a draft copy to the park authority. Fees for use of the park or recreation area have to be paid directly to the Department of Parks and Recreation Reservation Office.
Filming With Animals
Filming with animals is not permitted in Los Angeles County unless you have the correct Animal Exhibition Permit. These special permits are issued by the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. They apply to the use of all types of animals, even if the animal is hired from a private provider.
Animal exhibition permits are available on the FilmLA website in the section dedicated to the special requirements for Los Angeles County. Completed applications must be mailed to the relevant office along with the required payment in check form. Email or fax submissions are not accepted.
The address to mail the completed form and check to is:-
County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control Facility License Program
12440 E, Imperial Highway
Suite 603, Norwalk
California, 90650
Cost of an Animal Exhibition Permit
Permit - $250
Each Additional Day - $25
Special Effects Permits
It's not permitted to use any type of special effect on a film shoot in Los Angeles County without first obtaining a Special Effects Permit. Special effects are classed as the use of fake or real weapons firing fake ammunition, fireworks or other forms of pyrotechnics, naked flames, and the use of storm lanterns.
The issue of Special Effects Permits falls under the management of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Public Safety and Film Unit. Your first step in obtaining one is to download the application form from the FilmLA website, complete it, and then submit it to the LAFD. You can submit the form by snail mail, email, or fax. Before you are issued with the permit, you may be required to have a safety inspection carried out at the chosen shoot location.
LAFD address :-
Los Angeles County Fire Department
Fire Prevention Division – Public Safety and Film Unit
14425 Olive View Drive
Sylmar
California, 91342
Special Effects Permit Fee
$288
What Does it Cost to Film in Shadow Hills?
Obtaining a filming permit to film in Shadow Hills is not without cost. The fees you'll pay to film in this Los Angeles neighborhood are on par with the rest of the city and most places throughout LA County, except a few where they charge their rates. Film LA will expect you to pay all fees in full before they issue you with your filming permit.
Additional Fees
You should be aware that the fees published here and on the FilmLA website for film permits are the minimum ones you are likely to incur. The final fees you'll have to pay may be more if you are shooting a complex production or have large numbers of cast and crew. Your production expenses can also rise if your shoot involves interruptions to traffic, requires police officer attendance because you're using firearms, or needs to post temporary parking notices.
Geographical Jurisdiction of Shadow Hills?
Shadow Hills is just about as far outside of Los Angeles as you can get without leaving the city limits. This nucleus of the Los Angeles equestrian society is tucked away at the northeastern end of the San Fernando Valley and backed by the low slopes of the Verdugo Mountains.
In total, Shadow Hills covers an area of around twelve square miles and has a population of less than five thousand. Horses don't quite outnumber the people yet, but they're almost winning the race, and if it were just legs being counted, they'd definitely come in first place.
While Shadow Hills is located in the far northern reach of Los Angeles' massive urban spread and is, as city neighborhoods go, pretty rural, it's still surrounded on three sides by other LA neighborhoods. To the north is the affluent neighborhood of Lake View Terrace, to the south, Sun Valley, and to the east is Sunland.
Should any of your chosen filming locations cross over the boundaries that define the neighborhood of Shadow Hills and enter into any of the above three places, you won't need an additional film permit. All three of the neighborhoods fall inside the jurisdiction of FilmLA, so you can add them as some of the ten locations permitted on your Shadow Hills permit.
Outreach in Shadow Hills
Shadow Hills may be more rural and have more hoofed beasts than other parts of the City of Los Angeles, but that doesn't mean that outreach to the community isn't required. Thankfully, you won't need to go out distributing notifications of your upcoming filming activity, as FilmLA will do it for you.
Part of the film permitting service provided by FilmLA is outreach. It's not a free service; the production company pays for it during the application process. Notifications are distributed to residents and businesses, but not horses, after FilmLA receives your application.
FilmLA requires at least three working days to complete the notification service, so don't leave your application to the last minute. Large productions or ones that might disrupt the area allow more time for completing the notification procedure.
Applying for your film permit in good time will also pay dividends if FilmLA receives any notifications. Should that happen, you, not FilmLA, will be expected to conduct a survey.
Conducting a survey can be tedious, as you should contact every household and business within a given radius of the film shoot location. FilmLA supplies a standard survey form, which everyone you speak with should sign in favor of the film shoot. Sweet-talking people into signing in favor of your project is where having a good community manager is particularly useful.
Community Management in Shadow Hills
Choose a horse-loving community manager for the production team you're taking to Shadow Hills, and you'll be a winner. As well as being able to fully relate to the residents and business owners of the community, should you need to conduct a survey, they'll have a proper understanding of how the filming could disturb the four-legged occupants of the area.
Have a community manager around during the film shoot, and they'll be able to deal with any disturbance, equine or human, that may occur. There's no telling when a lone rider may appear and, thinking they're the local sheriff, try to end your filming activities for whatever reason.
In Shadow Hills, a good community manager can halt any ill feelings about the filming by being a relatable and talking horse. They'll need to be able to communicate on other levels, too, so make sure you hire an all-round multitasker who knows their job well.
Conclusion
While it's true that Shadow Hills still has to find fame as a filming location, that doesn't mean it hasn't got lots of amazing attributes. The filmmaking history in this Los Angeles neighborhood may so far have been more about short films than blockbuster movies, but it doesn't have to continue to be that way. If you're looking to break the mold with your production, it could well be that Shadow Hills will be the perfect filming location to do it in.