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Rochdale Film Office

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Information for Industry

At Rochdale Film Office we focus on understanding the needs of each individual production, offering advice on locations, applying for film permits, costs, traffic management, resident engagement and training for local people.

Rochdale is an eclectic mix of five townships in one borough and offers film companies a diverse range of landscapes including rural, urban and industrial. For an urban feel, filmmakers can choose from the high streets, back streets and buildings of Rochdale and Middleton or for something more rural, the towns and villages of Littleborough and Milnrow with their quaint stone cottages and scenic countryside.
The Rochdale Film Office database also includes a completely empty shopping centre, rooftop car-parks, 1930’s Methodist Chapel and a ready-to-go industrial site that can be used as a location, studio build space, storage, workshop, backlot, unit parking and production office.
For a stunning piece of Victorian Gothic architecture film companies are welcome to film in Rochdale Town Hall, with it’s dramatic interiors including the Great Hall, Grand Staircase and formal rooms and corridors. It also features a fully preserved courtroom, Judges chamber and police cells. Historic England describes Rochdale Town Hall as ‘a stunning example of Victorian Gothic Architecture, widely regarded as one of the finest examples in the UK. It’s ornate stylings rivalled only by the Palace of Westminster.’
With the support of Rochdale Borough Council, Rochdale Development Agency and our network of partners and location owners across the borough, the Rochdale Film Office provides a film-friendly, streamlined, one-stop-service. From initial scouting questions and recces to permit approvals, filming logistics, and parking arrangements, to ensure that your shoot runs smoothly and that our residents, businesses, and location owners have a positive experience throughout.

The Film Office is always happy to help either on the phone 0330 900 8 900 or by email at filmoffice@investinrochdale.co.uk and local knowledge is readily at hand.

Enquiries can also be made via the website by clicking the button or with the following link https://app.apply4.com/filmapp/uk/rochdale

Apply to Film

FAQs

How do I apply for a license to film?

If you already know where and when you are planning film, go to this page this page and click on APPLY TO FILM (FILMAPP) to submit your application. Depending on the contents of your shoot, a lead-in time might apply. Please see the Fees and Lead Times sheet in the Useful Documents section for more details.

Yes, you are required to supply Public Liability Insurance of a minimum of £10 million. The insurance must be in the name of the production company named on the application and it must be valid in the UK.

Filming incurs Location Fees and / or Admin Fees, depending on where you are filming. Location Fees tend to be chargeable in any of the following locations: estates, libraries, parks, green spaces, squares, pedestrianised areas, markets, leisure centres, swimming pools, town halls, Council offices, and car parks. When filming on a public highway, you will not be charged a Location Fee, but Admin Fees are still applicable. There may also be other fees attached to your shoot such as Temporary Structure fees or Temporary Traffic Order fees, depending on what you plan to do. You can find the guideline figures for Rochdale on the Fees and Lead Times sheet under the Useful Documents section. Charities and students may be eligible for reduced fees.

If you are filming on public, Council-owned property such as roads, parks, libraries and cemeteries, the chances are that you will need to apply to film with us. If you are unsure whether a location is Council owned or not, get in touch via the Contact Information below.
Although we do not necessarily need to licence your filming, we do ask that you make us aware of your shoot as we have a duty of care to ensure that productions have completed a sufficient residential consultation. If you require any parking or use of the public highway, you will need to apply as usual.

We have our own Location Library, which can be found here. You can browse by style, key word or genre to find what you are looking forward. If you have a specific brief that you are struggling to fill, please do get in touch and we will make do our best to make suitable suggestions. Email: filmoffice@investinrochdale.co.uk with as much of the following as possible: – The production / production company – A rough idea of your dates and timings – An overview of your brief – Any reference images you have – A rough idea of your budget.

If you need to suspend parking for filming purposes – regardless of whether you are filming on private or Council property – you will need to complete a parking suspension application form. This can be found under the Useful Documents section. You will then need to complete a FilmApp application and upload the parking form to your application, then we can process your parking. We may also offer daily permits or dispensions for DYL/SYL for some locations. Give us a call to discuss your requirements further if you are unsure of the next steps.

Any filming involving a drone will require a separate licence. You can find all of the necessary information, including an application form, guidance notes and information sheet, in the Useful Documents section.

If the pitch or court in question is part of a Council run site, you still need to apply for a license to film through us. We will then liaise with the relevant sports facility for your booking. Some pitches/courts come with hire costs which need to paid on top of location fees and administration costs. We will be able to advise of the costs following your application.
A film agreement is not usually required for breaking or live broadcast news being filmed on public highways. The news crew must be in a possession of a press pass issued by the NUJ and ID provided by their employer. News crews filming on location or filming narrative/content pieces must apply for a license and pay the relevant fees.

You will need to obtain police consent when you are filming with anything that looks like a weapon (knives, baseball bats etc), any replica or airsoft firearms, when you have actors in uniform, if you are filming with replica emergency vehicles, if your scenes could seen as a criminal or violent act, if you have real or perceived nudity or when there could be an issue with public safety due to your filming. The contact details for the Manchester Police Film Unit is: https://www.gmp.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/f/af/filming

Any filming which involves the employment of children under school leaving age (whether paid or not) requires a child performance license from the Council. Please note: the licence must be issued by the Council of the child’s borough of residence, not the borough in which the filming is taking place.