Welcome to Sutton Film Office
Filming can help to raise the profile of Sutton to a wide audience and be a source of revenue for the council and local causes. London has a major international film industry which generates revenues of over £4 billion per year and employs most of the approximately 70,000 people working in the UK film industry. Sutton, as a key London borough, aims to be at the forefront of this exciting industry. For more about the UK film industry, see the BFI 2014 Statistical Yearbook.
We think it is important that filmmakers come to an agreement with people in the community before they start filming. They might offer to make donations to local associations of residents or traders, community projects like maintenance of local parks or to local charitable causes. We also encourage filmmakers to offer film opportunities in Sutton such as positions for young people on film sets.
If you are interested in being part of this process, have a look through rest of the information on this page to find out how.
If filming is causing a nuisance, please contact us with your name, contact details, and the details of the problem including the date and place of any particular incidents.
If the complaint is urgent, please contact us on our emergency phone number which is 07919 002 115.
Below is a list of some common complaints and how we address them:
FIlmmakers are filming me without my permissionThere is no specific right under English law to not be filmed in public but you do have legal rights to privacy and data protection which might be violated by filming under certain circumstances. Sutton Film Office supports Film London’s guidance that all filmmakers should have your permission if you appear on film, especially if you feature significantly. However, there are situations when you might be filmed ‘incidentally’ and it is not reasonably possible for the filmmaker to get your permission (for example if you are one of a large crowd in public). In these cases, we expect filmmakers to make people aware (for example with ‘filming in progress’ signs). If you have spoken to the filmmaker and you believe that they are not living up to these expectations, we also have a 24 hour emergency phone number for you to call us on and we will immediately contact or visit the set to resolve the situation. If a filmmaker does not act responsibly, it will count against them in future applications to film. For more details on your legal position, have a look at Film London’s guidelines.
Filmmakers are filming my property without my permissionGenerally speaking you have no legal right to prevent your property being filmed (there are some exceptions). Nonetheless, we expect filmmakers to behave responsibly and to react positively to reasonable requests from property owners. If you have spoken to the filmmaker and you feel that the film crew are not living up to these expectations, we have a 24 hour emergency phone number for you to call us on and we will immediately contact or visit the set to resolve the situation. If a filmmaker does not act responsibly, it will count against them in future applications to film. For more details on your legal position, have a look at Film London’s guidelines.
Filming activities are blocking my route, or restricting access to my house or businessFilmmakers may not block access to your house or business without your permission. Neither may they block a pavement or highway while it is in use, although in some cases we may close off an area for them. If we think a planned shoot is likely to cause an obstruction, we make sure that the filmmakers come to an agreement in advance with anyone who might be affected for example through letters and Q&A sessions with local associations of residents or traders. We can include any agreed conditions in the license and can take deposits from the filmmakers. The deposits are usually donated to local causes if the conditions are breached. We also have a 24 hour emergency phone number for you to call us if you are being disturbed without your permission, and we will immediately contact or visit the set to resolve the situation. If a filmmaker or their crew does not act responsibly, it will count against them in future applications to film.
My business has suffered because of filming in the neighbourhoodIf Sutton Film Office thinks that a proposed shoot might disrupt nearby businesses, we expect the filmmaker to contact the owners in advance of the shoot to reach an agreement for example through letters and Q&A sessions with associations of residents and traders. If you believe your business is suffering and you did not agree to the filming, then please contact us (using our 24 hour emergency phone number if necessary).
Filming personnel are being rude or antisocialWe expect film crews to film and act responsibly, and consider any rude or antisocial behaviour to be unacceptable. Before most shoots filmmakers will give their contact details to local people, so if a member of the film crew is rude or antisocial you can contact the filmmaker directly. If this does not resolve the situation, you can call us on our 24 hour emergency phone number and we will immediately contact or visit the set to resolve the situation. If a filmmaker or their crew does not act responsibly, it will count against them in future applications to film.
Filming activities are causing excessive noise or lightSome filming activities make noise and bright light. The majority of filming is only licensed between 7am and 11pm to minimise the disturbance this might cause. If we think a planned shoot is likely to cause significant disturbance, we make sure that the filmmakers come to an agreement in advance with people in the neighbourhood for example through letters and Q&A sessions with local associations of residents or traders. We can include any agreed conditions in the license and can take deposits from the filmmakers. The deposits may be donated to local causes if the conditions are breached. We also have a 24 hour emergency phone number for you to call us if you are being disturbed, and we will immediately contact or visit the set to resolve the situation. If a filmmaker does not act responsibly, it will count against them in future applications to film.
Parking has been suspended for film reasonsParking is often needed for support and technical vehicles during filming. We proactively explore with the council ways to minimise the impact of suspending bays. Resident and Business Permits do not guarantee the holder a parking space, and the council has the right to suspend bays. When this is necessary for filming, we always give advance notice at the affected bays.
You can help to use local filming to your community’s advantage by joining or creating a local resident or trader association. Or your neighbourhood might already run an association you can join. A list of residents associations that might be useful can be found here. We notify the associations we know of about any filming planned in their area, and we have standing agreements with several of them. If you represent an association like this and would like to be more involved in local filming, please send us an email with the contact and other details of the association.
For major shoots, we encourage filmmakers to engage with known local associations to agree conditions for filming, which can include direct donations to local causes. Filmmakers behind smaller shoots usually send in advance letters to all nearby buildings, or visit in person to talk through the plans and discuss any issues which need to be addressed.
Our community consultation process is guided by the Code of Practice for Location Filming in London.
From time to time, Sutton Film Office will conduct a comprehensive survey of residents and traders about their experience of filming in their neighbourhoods. This is part of the agreement between FilmFixer and Sutton Council to make sure we are providing a quality service to the community.
If you would like to take part in the survey please send us an email with your name and address.
Many Sutton residents and traders are enthusiastic about hosting filming – it’s an opportunity to be part of your favourite films or shows, and a good way of raising funds for local projects. If you’d like to tell us what you like about having filming in Sutton, please send us an email with your name, address and feedback. Cllr Jayne McCoy, Chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee at Sutton Council, says: “Using our borough as a filming destination is a great way to pull in investment at a time when we face unprecedented budget cuts. It was a real coup recently to attract Carlsberg with Peter Schmeichel toSutton and it certainly created a buzz in the area when people saw him in action.” The production company made a donation to the local children’s centre to compensate for any disruption, which has been spent on children’s activities during the summer holidays. Jenny Henry, The Grange Play Centre Manager, says: “It was fun for the children to watch all the cameras and Schmeichel running around with a lovely dog. They could tell he was a special player. We don’t usually have a lot of money for special events during the summer, so the donation is greatly welcomed. We’re spending it on fun activities for local children.”