Getting Started: Process Overview

Outside production companies, photographers, filmmakers, and others who want to use Rutgers’ buildings and property in print, on film, or on videotape should contact the appropriate campus coordinating office to start the process of filming on location at Rutgers:

• Rutgers–New Brunswick: University Relations, Office of Community Affairs
• Rutgers–Newark: Office of Communications
• Rutgers–Camden: Communications Office

The respective campus office will assign a location coordinator who will assist you with required approvals, insurance, fees, and notifications.

A designated campus administrator authorizes all approved requests.

Copies of finalized agreements should be sent to the Office of the Vice President for University Relations.

Requests may be denied if they are not considered compatible with the university’s mission, reflect negatively on the university, or unduly impose on the facilities and/or campus community.

Common Film, Video, and Photography Projects

• motion pictures
• television shows
• television commercials
• industrial/entertainment films
• videos/filming for electronic or digital media
• still photography for advertising

Procedures: Filming, Photography, and Videography at Rutgers

Initial Request

Contact the following to file a location request:

Submit the following at least 30 days before your filming date:

• Video/Film: Final script detailing the project’s subject and how the Rutgers locations will be treated
• Still Photography: Storyboards or mockups

Scripts/storyboards/mockups and projects must be approved by the university before a location agreement is signed.

Identifying Rutgers

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, may not be identified without expressed written permission. Institutional identification should only appear in the production’s credits or acknowledgments unless other arrangements have been approved.

Identification is constituted by:

• the inclusion of exterior shots of buildings on the Old Queens Campus, such as the Old Queens Building, Winants Hall, and Kirkpatrick Chapel;
• any shot showing the Rutgers name, logo, or identifiable symbols associated with the university, such as the Scarlet Knight, Scarlet Raider, or Scarlet Raptor;
• any building or campus identification graphics, including signs or maps.

The above restrictions may not be applicable for news or documentary shoots, which are reviewed by the Department of University Relations, Office of Media Relations for the New Brunswick Campus and universitywide programs and issues; the Office of Communications in Newark; and the Communications Office in Camden.

Campus Locations

Scouting and Choosing a Site

Scouting visits must be arranged by a Rutgers location coordinator who will recommend and secure access to facilities, estimate the amount of time needed to view the locations, and accompany location scouts while they are on campus. If it is determined that research and scouting visit(s) will take more than three hours, a $200 fee must be paid prior to the visit. That fee is applied to the overall cost if a location agreement is signed.

Academic Buildings

Permission to use classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, and exteriors near classroom buildings is dependent on the academic schedule and is subject to availability on a case-by-case basis.

Athletics Venues

• In New Brunswick, requests to film at the High Point Solutions Stadium, the Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC), or intercollegiate playing fields are coordinated with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics depending on facility availability and production requirements.
• Requests to film at Newark athletic facilities, such as the Golden Dome, must be coordinated with Rutgers–Newark Athletics and Recreation.
• In Camden, in addition to coordinating with Rutgers–Camden Athletics, the general manager of the Camden Riversharks must approve requests to film on Campbell’s Field.

General Restrictions

Production for commercial projects is not generally permitted near or in:

• buildings on the historic Old Queens Campus in New Brunswick;
• inside university libraries during midterm and final exams;
• inside student residence and dining halls;
• inside university healthcare facilities.

Property Owned by University-Affiliates

Agreements to record or film on property owned by university-affiliated groups, including most fraternities and sororities, must be negotiated directly with the property owners. In these instances, the Rutgers name may not be used without express written consent.

Safety

Each proposed project is subject to safety reviews by Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety and the Rutgers Department of Emergency Services, a Division of Public Safety. Violation of safety standards set by those offices may result in immediate withdrawal of permission to shoot on university grounds. In certain circumstances, the presence of a university fire inspector may be required during production. Fees for these services are charged to the production company.

The police department on each campus and the Facilities Maintenance and Operations Department in New Brunswick, Physical Plant Department in Newark, or Facilities Maintenance Service Department in Camden will be involved in determining if a request conflicts with the university’s mission or creates an imposition on the campus facilities and/or community.

Insurance

The production company will procure and maintain, during the term of the location agreement, comprehensive general liability insurance with a combined single limit of at least $2 million for personal injury or property damage, naming Rutgers as an additional insured, and will provide Rutgers with a certificate of said insurance.

The university retains the right to require additional insurance based on the production size and level.

Fees

Checks or money orders must be made payable to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Location Fees

Location fees are based on a half-day/full-day rate system. Half-day rates are based on a 1- to 5-hour time period; full-day rates are based on a 5- to 10-hour time period between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Full-day productions that overrun their contracted time will be charged an additional $400/hr. Half-day productions that overrun their contracted time or occur outside of the designated hours will be charged at the full-day rate.

• Time covered by the agreement begins when the first production staff person arrives on campus on the day(s) of the shoot, until the last production staff person leaves.
• Rates are determined by the nature and scope of each production (i.e., film, video, still photography). In addition to location fees, some facilities (i.e., stadium, recreation center, student center) require a facility rental fee.
• Extensive revisions of Rutgers’ Location Agreement requiring support from legal counsel may be subject to additional fees.
• Additional production costs including staffing and/or equipment rental will be paid by the production company. These potential fees include parking fees, security fees, custodial services, electricians, table and chair rental, etc. All fees must be paid a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
• University facilities experiencing a disruption of normal activities or loss of revenue resulting from an approved location request will be entitled to share a percentage of the location fees. Facilities personnel and the location coordinator will make a good faith effort to identify potential hardships and costs prior to execution of the location agreement.
• Rescheduling due to inclement weather may require additional fees.

Damages

A damage deposit equal to a minimum of one (1) day’s location fee must be presented in addition to the location fees payment. The deposit will be used to correct any damage to university facilities and/or to offset any additional location/staffing fees owed by the production company.
The deposit should be paid by separate check or money order and will be held until completion of filming. The check will be refunded in full after satisfactory inspection of the location(s) by the university. Facilities personnel are responsible for documenting and reporting all such hardships to the location coordinator within five (5) working days of the last day when production company representatives were at the facility.

Cancellation Fee

A fee equal to one-third of the first day’s location fee will be charged if the cancellation occurs less than 48 hours before the production is scheduled to begin.

Parking Fees

• Parking charges are based on the size of vehicles brought onto campus.
  • Automobile-sized space: $10/day
  • Cargo vans, truck/trailer combinations, campers/mobile homes under 20 feet long: $25/day
  • Any vehicle over 20 feet long: $50/day
• The Rutgers location coordinator must provide Rutgers Department of Transportation Services with specific information about all cast and crew vehicles, including makes, models, and license plate numbers, at least three days in advance of the production.
• University parking regulations must be followed at all times. The production company must advise cast and crew of parking structure height limitations and location of designated spaces.
• Under no circumstances will fire, safety zones/lanes, or handicapped parking spaces be compromised or will pedestrian walkways be used for vehicular traffic.
• All parking lots must be returned to their original state at the completion of production.
• University events will have preference in the case of potential scheduling conflicts.

Security Fees

University police/security officers are required to be on site for all major commercial film and television productions, and/or during set preparation or removal. Security requirements for other types of productions are made on a case-by-case basis. The rate of pay varies and will be provided when staffing arrangements are made. University police officials determine staffing requirements.

Staff Assistance (Location Coordinator) Fee

The fee for the location coordinator is included in the location fee. The location coordinator, or a designated representative, will assist production company personnel with scouting, secure permission from the various location officials to record at their sites, handle contract negotiations, and be accessible while the production team is on campus.

Technical Assistance Fees

Electrical work and other technical services related to the university’s buildings and grounds and their systems, including custodial and telephone utility work, must be performed and supervised by the university’s Facilities Maintenance Services staff. Arrangements must be made in advance and will be charged to the production company.