How Easy Spaces selects technically validated filming locations

How Easy Spaces selects technically validated filming locations

Easy Spaces selects filming locations validated technically, access dimensions, electrical power, parking, so that logistics never compromise your photo or video production in France.

What is an easily accessible filming location?

An easily accessible filming location is a space where visual criteria and operational constraints are both met. In practice: an immediate unloading zone (the "kerbside drop"), openings of at least 90 cm for moving equipment, access within 10 minutes of major road routes, and sufficient electrical power to avoid systematic reliance on a generator. Every detail matters.

An aesthetically perfect but logistically impossible location costs more than an ordinary, well-equipped one. Every hour lost during unloading is an hour taken away from filming. And that's without mentioning the additional manpower required.

Checklist: validating a location's accessibility before booking

Dimensions and circulation

• Door and corridor widths: minimum 90 cm for standard flight cases
• Ceiling height: minimum 2.50 m for usable lighting without unwanted shadows
• Lift: 1.50 m depth for camera dollies and lighting stands; minimum 400 kg capacity
• Access ramps: gradient compatible with heavy equipment trolleys
  
  

Parking, unloading and storage

• Reserved zone for the production truck within 20 metres of the entrance
• Floor load capacity verified for 12-tonne vehicles (loaded production truck)
• Sufficient turning radius for HGVs on private access roads
• Storage area welcome, possibilities to be checked during the technical scout
• For Paris: anticipate highway authority orders and AGATE processing times (15 working days since 1 September 2024)

Electricity

What a location's power supply can and cannot handle

Most villas and flats are connected with a single-phase 9 to 12 kVA supply, i.e. 40A for the entire building. This is insufficient for a serious film production: a single blonde (2,000 W) draws 10A, and a standard room circuit breaker trips at 16A. As soon as your kit list includes HMI lights or significant machinery, the domestic network can't keep up.

Three-phase 380V changes everything. It allows the load to be distributed across three phases and powers significantly higher capacities. It's rarely found in private residences, but our scouts systematically locate the consumer unit during each visit to assess what the location can absorb. When available power is insufficient, a Stage 5 generator takes over: generator operators are qualified electricians, and they arrive with distribution boxes, Hypra cables, splitters and M6 connectors.

Knowing these constraints before booking means avoiding a total blackout the moment the first HMI is switched on. The goal: anticipate everything so that not a single grain of sand can cause a problem or slow down the production. On a shoot, time is money.

Production spaces

• Minimum 20 m² off-camera holding area for empty equipment storage
• Space for a mobile dressing room or motorhome in the immediate vicinity
• Floor protection (period parquet, polished concrete): provide heavy-duty mats and corner protectors. Slit tennis balls fitted to stand feet can also help
  
  

Paris, the regions, the Côte d'Azur: constraints vary by geography

Paris and the Île-de-France region

Haussmannian buildings often require an external furniture lift for upper floors. Ground-floor flats with an internal courtyard are preferred for heavy productions. Since 1 September 2024, AGATE applications require 15 working days' notice. Since 1 January 2025, every application must include the signed charter against gender-based and sexual violence (VHSS). Filming rates were updated on 1 July 2024 with specific fees for the occupation of public space.

Lofts and industrial zones on the outskirts offer single-level access and direct unloading from a 38-tonne lorry, an incomparably simpler logistical set-up for high-volume productions.

Côte d'Azur and the PACA region

Villas on the hillsides of Nice, Cannes or Saint-Tropez are often reached by winding roads. Always verify: the load-bearing capacity of the private track, the turning radius of access points, and the availability of a stable footprint for a generator. A detailed access plan sent 48 hours before the shoot prevents delays in the back country.

As a side note, I remember once having to deflate the tyres of a 12-tonne lorry to get under a bridge in Cannes, during a shoot with American actress Uma Thurman. On a production, time is tight, and it's essential to scout the route for heavy vehicles BEFORE the photo or film shoot. This avoids problems DURING the production.

Proximity to a major road is an advantage, but it can generate noise pollution incompatible with synchronous sound recording. Acoustic insulation must be tested during the scout.

How Easy Spaces assesses a location's accessibility

Our scouts don't rely on photos alone. During each visit, they measure ramp gradients, access turning radii, floor strength, and test available electrical power. We gather as much information as possible about a location before adding it to our catalogue. This information saves you from discovering constraints on the day, when crews are on site and the budget is starting to slip. The best practice remains carrying out a full technical scout ahead of the production.

Mobile dressing rooms: keeping HMU out of the set

In a high-end flat or a small footprint location, installing the Hair-Make-up-Costume pole indoors clutters the set and disrupts the camera crew's focus. A motorhome or a mobile dressing room positioned nearby solves the problem. Easy Production coordinates the placement of these mobile units in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur, with the necessary highway authority permits.

Filming permits: deadlines to observe in 2026

Frequently asked questions

What concretely defines an easily accessible filming location?
An easily accessible location combines several things: a kerbside drop-off, ideally without blocking the public highway, with openings of at least 90 cm, access within 10 minutes of a major road, and an electrical supply compatible with the planned equipment (to be verified). The absence of steps or the presence of a minimum 400 kg goods lift often makes a significant difference between a "beautiful" set and a "usable" one.

How do I know whether my production truck will be able to park?
Private parking on site: ideal. Public highway: anticipate the municipal order and, in Paris, the 15-working-day AGATE processing time. Our experts check the turning radius and floor load capacity for 12-tonne vehicles during every scout.

Do I need to plan for a generator in a private villa shoot?
It depends on your kit list. Most prestige villas are limited to 12 or 18 kVA. If your HMI lights or your machinery exceed that capacity, a Stage 5 generator is required to comply with 2025 environmental standards. We locate the consumer unit during the scout to advise on the optimum configuration.

What minimum dimensions are needed for smooth equipment access?
90 cm clear width for standard flight cases. 2.50 m ceiling height for lighting. Lift: 1.50 m depth and 400 kg capacity for camera dollies.

Can a mobile dressing room be installed in the city centre?
Yes, with the appropriate highway authority permits. It's the standard solution for Haussmannian flats where the on-site HMU space is insufficient. Easy Production handles placement in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur.

What additional costs are linked to difficult access?
A complex access can lead to the hire of an external furniture lift (charged per half-day) and increased handling costs. In Paris, the filming rates updated on 1 July 2024 include specific fees for prolonged occupation of public space. It seems essential to identify these constraints from the first technical scout, so they can be built into the initial budget without surprises.

Is a technical scout necessary before booking?
We systematically encourage it. It allows the gaffer and the production manager to confirm access, measure openings and identify connection points. It's the step that secures the entire production chain.

Easy Spaces: over 1,000 technically validated locations

Since 2003, Easy Spaces has been supporting image professionals (luxury brands, film studios, advertising agencies) with a catalogue of locations audited for compatibility with real-world production requirements. Our scouts know the constraints of Parisian Haussmannian buildings as well as those of the winding roads of the Côte d'Azur back country.

If your project presents unusual logistical constraints, our teams carry out a bespoke search and activate a network of off-catalogue locations.

Find your filming location: in Paris, on the Côte d'Azur, in the PACA region, and throughout France.

Article written by Camille Chevreuil, co-founder of Easy Spaces and Easy Production. A former photographer for Corbis and Getty, he has been supporting photo and film productions for more than 20 years.