Find your Filming Location in Washington, DC

Filming Locations Rental Guide

Filming locations include but extend beyond a normal film studio. Filming locations help tell your story. These add a more personal touch to your film, as opposed to just shooting on a soundstage, and they also can save you a lot of work on things like set design, since  these spaces come furnished. There are, of course, advantages to hiring a film studio. For instance, they offer an unparalleled amount of control to your shoot when it comes to set creation and lighting. You will also be less dependent on things like the sun, as most, if not all of your lighting will come from studio lighting. Also, if you are required to build a set, it will be more personalized than if you were to shoot on location somewhere.

Here are some of the major advantages of shooting on location in Washington DC.

Cost – When you are shooting on location, there is less overhead than if you were to set up in a studio. To have a proper studio shoot, you will have to worry about all of the lighting and building a proper set that will work with your vision. This process is time consuming and expensive. On-location shooting handles all of these issues, and you will really only have to worry about setting up the room to work with your shot, the lighting, and the acoustics. On-location shooting is especially advantageous if you have a smaller crew and are moving from location to location.

Aesthetics – Shooting on-location is a great way to boost the aesthetic value of your film project. On-location shoots are a surefire way to give a real-life feel to your shoot that cannot be matched in a studio. The rooms and locations that you are using will have a lived-in feel that a built set could never match. On top of this, you will have ample opportunity to play with a mixture of natural and artificial lighting to add a fun and creative edge to your shots that will be a dream to play with in post-production.

As Washington D.C. is an incredibly historic city with tons of landmarks and diverse neighborhoods around the city will also add value to your shoot, which can only be achieved through on-location shoots.

Availability – Studio spaces are often tightly scheduled, which means that it can be difficult for you to have multi-day shoots if you wait until the last minute to book a space. This, combined with the time consuming process of building sets, can leave you in a real pinch. Filming locations are normally more available for shooting and are easier to set up, which will help you utilize your time in a productive manner. Here are some things to consider when you are planning to film on location:

Scouting – The director of the shoot should have a general idea as to what their ideal location should look like. The director and cinematographers should be working in tandem to find just the right place that can make the overall vision of the shoot a reality. Finding the perfect location is an involved process which can take anywhere from days to weeks to find it, especially if you are going from place to place. Tagvenue, fortunately, can help save some time when looking for the ideal location with our comprehensive list of spaces all around Washington D.C. right at your fingertips.

Shooting in One Location – Any film or video production is a huge process with an incredible amount of moving parts to keep in line. Shooting in one location is the best way to save you a ton of work and time planning logistics, as well as keeping your shots and story consistent. The less moving you have to do, the easier it is to keep up your film’s continuity. Washington D.C. has plenty of versatile locations that can be the host of shots both inside and outside. On top of this, keeping your production in one location will make budgeting a whole lot easier.

Organizing Your Shoot Day by Day – Shooting videos and movies on location will take a few days at least. Having a clear plan for what you intend to accomplish over the course of each day is key for you to stay on schedule and for your crew to know exactly what should be accomplished for the day. As stated above, there are many moving parts involved for shooting, so the best way to stay organized is to keep a shooting breakdown, which is essentially an outline, and also to brief the entire crew before you start working for the day.

There are tons of factors that you have to keep when planning to film, let alone finding a great on location site. This process costs film crews plenty of precious time that could have otherwise gone into shooting. Thankfully, Tagvenue can help make this process that much easier by listing some of Washington DC’s best filming locations in a convenient list with smart filtering options so you can find the spot that you have been scouring the world for. Browse and book today!

FAQs about Filming Locations in Washington, DC

Where are some of the best filming locations in Washington DC?

Dupont Circle has some incredible locations available for shoots of all sizes. Here you will find sites and buildings with beautiful sets inside and also, as you are right downtown, great opportunities for outside shots. Ivy City will put you right by the National Arboretum which will give you some greenery for any shot you have in mind.

Which are some of the best filming locations in Washington DC?

There are tons of great filming locations all around DC, but here are some of our favorites:

Public Live Bar – Located right in the mix of the city, this location is great if you are going to need a lot of space for your shoot or will be including live performances in a music video.

Friends Meeting of Washington – With an intellectual atmosphere, the Friends Meeting of Washington is a great place to conduct interviews and host podcasts with visual elements.

Culture Speaks Studios, located within Fort Totten, provides a beautiful location for various events, such as the Ivory Flame Set. Equipped with high-quality professional cameras for top-notch content creation, the studio exudes a professional atmosphere. Furthermore, the venue's well-thought-out design elements, such as comfy seating arrangements and customizable features like the fireplace and branding options, ensure a unique and unforgettable experience for all attendees.

How do I keep costs down when filming in DC?

Filming in DC is not going to be incredibly expensive. One way to keep costs down is to only film in one location. This will save you money on moving and time setting everything up in a completely new location with loads of other factors that are out of your control. Outside of this, keeping a comprehensive itemized budget is going to be the best way for you to keep track of your spending (mint.intuit.com is a great resource for this).

How do I stay organized on the day of my shoot?

Filming requires a lot of organization in order to make the most of your time on set. First thing first, you have to be sure that you have a clear image of what you want to see on set. Following this, write everything down as clearly as possible to make sure that everyone is on the same page. After this, having a meeting with the crew about the expectations and the goals for the day is key and should be repeated every day of the shoot. Always remember that you cannot be everywhere at once, so you have to have a crew that you trust to do their jobs, because nothing holds up the filming process quite like micromanaging.