Free Location Scouting Checklist (PDF and Google Sheets) With an Example
A location can look perfect in photos and still sink your shoot day. The windows face the wrong way, a bus goes past every 20 minutes, or the only outlet is in the kitchen. This free location scouting checklist gives you a fillable two-page PDF and a Google Sheet for comparing locations side by side, plus a filled-in example from Dead Air, our made-up short film.
TL;DR: Scout at the Hour You’ll Shoot
Visit every location at the same time of day you plan to film. Check the look, the light, the sound, the power, the access, the safety and the permissions. Photograph everything, count every window in every room, and write down what you still need to find out. Then make the call: go, maybe or no.
Download the Free Location Scouting Checklist
The PDF is a fillable two-page location scouting checklist with Yes, No and Check boxes. The Google Sheet and Excel file compare up to four locations side by side and score them for you. Each has a blank tab and the Dead Air example.
What Is Location Scouting?
Location scouting is the search for real places to film the scenes in your script. A location scout finds the options, and a location manager usually handles the deals, permits and releases once a place is chosen.
- The first scout: find places that look right and could work
- The recce: the British name for a scout, short for reconnaissance
- The tech scout: a later visit with the director, DP, gaffer, sound mixer and 1st AD to plan the shoot at the chosen location
A location scouting checklist turns a nice-looking place into a list of facts. It’s the difference between “the apartment looked great” and “the apartment has two 15-amp circuits, four east-facing windows and a bus stop out front.”
What’s in the Location Scouting Checklist
- Page 1: production, scout date and time, location name and address, owner contact, scenes, shoot dates and fee. Then 20 checklist items in seven groups: look, light, sound, power, access, safety and permission. Each item gets Yes, No or Check, plus notes
- Page 2: sunrise and sunset, noise sources, a floor plan box, a photo log, terms, and the call: go, maybe or no, with a backup location and sign-off
- Google Sheet: the same 20 items in columns, one per location. It counts the yes, no and check answers, scores each location, and works out the location cost from the fee and the days
Location Scouting Checklist Example: Dead Air
Here’s the scout of Nora’s apartment, the main location in Dead Air. The producer, director and DP scouted it at dawn, a week before the shoot.
- They scouted at the right hour. Scene 11 happens at sunrise, so the scout started at 6:40 AM. That’s how they learned the bus starts running at 6 AM.
- “Check” is its own answer. Load-in, neighbors and traffic were marked Check, which means find out before prep day, not “probably fine.”
- The notes are numbers. A 14 x 18 foot living room, a 9 foot ceiling, two 15-amp circuits, parking for three cars.
- The photo log has directions and times. “East, 7:05 AM, sun just up” tells the DP more than a pretty picture does.
- There’s a backup. Jo’s apartment is smaller and faces west, but it’s free and it can cover the interior scenes if the owner backs out.
The one miss is in the notes: “4 in living room. Bedroom not checked.” The bedroom had two more windows. Our daily production report shows what that cost on Day 1: 40 extra minutes of blackout work.
Count the windows in every room, not just the one in the scene.
Light spills in from doorways, and night scenes need all of it blacked out.
It takes two minutes on the scout and saves an hour on the day.
Compare Locations in the Google Sheet
The sheet puts up to four locations side by side. In the Dead Air example, the producer compared three options for Nora’s apartment.
| Nora’s apartment | Jo’s apartment | Flat above a bar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score (Yes answers) | 70% | 70% | 40% |
| Location cost | $600 | $0 | $500 |
| The call | Go | Maybe | No |
Notice the tie. Jo’s apartment scores the same and costs nothing, but it faces west, so there’s no sunrise for scene 11. A score tells you where to look closer. It doesn’t make the decision for you.
How to Scout a Location
- Break down the script first. List every scene at the location, day or night, with the pages. Our script breakdown template does this.
- Go at the shooting hour. Light and noise change through the day. A quiet street at noon can be a highway at 5 PM.
- Bring a compass, a tape measure and a phone. Note north, measure the rooms and photograph everything.
- Stand where the camera goes. Look at what’s behind the actors, where the light comes from, and where the crew will stand.
- Listen for a full minute. Fridges, radiators, planes, dogs, traffic lights. Write them all down.
- Find the power, the parking and the restroom. These three decide how long your day is.
- Talk to the owner. Get the fee, the hours and the house rules, then get a signed location release form.
Famous Location Scouting Story: The Shining
Stanley Kubrick shot The Shining almost entirely at EMI Elstree Studios in England, according to Wikipedia). The Overlook Hotel’s interiors were built on soundstages, with some designs based on the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. The hedge maze was built too.
For the outside of the hotel, a second unit filmed Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon. The opening drive was shot in Glacier National Park, Montana.
The lodge came with one condition. In Stephen King’s novel, the haunted room is 217. Timberline’s management worried guests would avoid its own Room 217, so they asked Kubrick to use a room number that doesn’t exist at the lodge. He agreed, and the film’s room became 237.
A good scout does both jobs. It finds the place that looks right, and it finds out what the owner needs before anyone signs.
Ask the owner “what would make you say no?” before you ask anything else.
The answer tells you the real house rules.
Put them in the release, not in your memory.
Once a location is locked, add it to your shooting schedule, put the address on the call sheet, and add the fee to your film budget.
FAQs About Location Scouting
What Is the Difference Between a Tech Scout and a Location Scout?
A location scout finds and checks possible places. A tech scout happens after a place is chosen, when the department heads visit together to plan the camera, lighting, sound, power and parking.
How Many Locations Should I Scout for Each Set?
At least two. The second one is your backup if the first owner changes their mind, the permit falls through or the weather turns.
Do I Need Permission to Scout a Location?
For private property, yes. Ask the owner before you visit, and don’t photograph people inside. Public places are usually fine to look at, but filming there can still need a permit.
Can I Scout a Location Online?
You can start online with maps, street view and listing photos. You still need to visit, because photos don’t show noise, power or how the light moves.
The Final Cut on the Location Scouting Checklist
Location scouting is where you find the problems while they’re still cheap to fix.
Download the checklist, scout at the hour you’ll shoot, and count every window.
What’s the one thing your last location surprised you with on the day?
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.