Commercial Filming or Photography

With their distinctive architecture, lush grounds, elegant interiors, and spectacular water views, our collection of historic house museums offer unmatched backdrops for any filming or photography production.

Previous productions filmed at our museums include the HBO series, The Gilded Age, PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, and feature films such as The Great Gatsby, True Lies, 27 Dresses, and Amistad.

While we welcome inquiries to film or take photos at our sites, our primary aim is to ensure that our museums and grounds are protected and that the visitor experience is not significantly disrupted. We do not allow film crews to disrupt visitors’ experience of sites by asking them to move out of shot etc., however, with sufficient planning, we can close properties and parts of a property to insure a successful film or photo shoot. We will make every effort possible to ensure that productions, with which we have entered into agreements, can get what they need from our historic house museums, while also protecting the property and visitor experience

Please contact the Special Events Office at [email protected] to discuss locations and to arrange a site visit to learn more about our locations available for your production.

Properties Available

Marble House ~ The Chinese Tea House ~ The Elms ~ Rosecliff ~ Chateau-sur-Mer ~ Green Animals ~ Chepstow ~ Isaac Bell House ~ The Breakers Stable and Carriage House

Fees

The standard charge for filming at The Preservation Society of Newport County’s Newport Mansions properties is $10,000 for up to 8 hours for interior film or photo shoot ($1,500 per hour for overtime), this includes set-up and breakdown time, and $7,000 for up to 8 hours for an exterior film or photo shoot ($1,000 per hour for overtime) and includes set-up and breakdown time.

No film/photography fee will be incurred if your film/photoshoot is judged to be directly promoting our organization, The Preservation Society of Newport County. For example, a film or shoot specifically about the history of one of our houses or the family history. The Marketing Department will make the final determination if your requested shoot falls under this category. In these instances, we will still charge for any additional staffing costs.

Damage Deposit

Should we judge that there is a risk of damage to the property or grounds as a result of your proposed project we will request a refundable damage deposit from you. The payment of that deposit before the commencement of filming will be a requirement. Should no damage occur, the full deposit will be refunded to you by an agreed date at the end of the filming.

Loss of Income Recovery Charge

Should we agree to close the property and in so doing lose admissions or retail income, we will recharge that loss to your project. The level of that recharge will be based on sales figures from equivalent dates from previous years, adjusted to take account of particular circumstances, e.g., holiday weekends, prime weekend visitation, etc.

Event Staff

At least one qualified staff person is required to accompany all photo or film crews while on our properties. Additional staff may be required depending on the details of the production and location for the film or photo shoot. There is a charge of $30 per hour, per staff person assigned to the shoot between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is a charge of $40 per hour, per staff person for overtime hours before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Police/Security

For a large crew, the Preservation Society will hire a police officer or private security guard to oversee the production. The current rate for a police officer on special detail is $80.00 per hour.

Preservation Society Policies

No furniture or furnishings will be moved without prior approval.

No eating or drinking, except in assigned areas.

No smoking.

Productions are required to assume full responsibility for their photographic equipment.

The Preservation Society will not be responsible for the loss of equipment or props.

Physical and Special Effects

All applications that include the use of smoke or other effects must state the effect you wish to use/achieve, where you intend to use the effect and the chemical composition of the materials involved in the effect. It may be possible to use certain effects in some areas (e.g., on grass) and not others (e.g., inside the museum). Each effect will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be included in your request.

Film Crew Size

We may ask you to reduce your numbers if you request a large crew for a busy property. While a crew of 20 might be manageable during an exterior shoot, it could disrupt one of our smaller properties.

Equipment

Equipment cannot be attached to any part of a museum under any circumstances whatsoever. All lighting, tripods, and other structures must be freestanding and have rubber footing to avoid damage to the museum. For example, freestanding counterweighted rigs may be used for overhead camera shots. All indoor lighting must produce minimal heat. Lights may not be left on for extended periods. Tripods and light stands must be fitted with rubber feet and may not be placed on antique floor coverings. Photo lighting requiring more than 10 amps must supply their own power pack

Nothing must penetrate the ground. No tape of any kind can be attached to floors or walls. Crews may not place or stage any props on museum pieces.

Filming/ Photography Not Considered

Not all themes for filming or a photo shoot will be considered by The Preservation Society of Newport County.

Political – We do not allow any filming or photography of a political nature.

Paranormal filming or photography – The Preservation Society does not actively promote the use of its houses for the investigation of alleged paranormal activity. Filming or photography requests of this nature are unlikely to be granted permission.

Inappropriate filming – The Preservation Society will not permit or accommodate requests for filming that are deemed unsuitable insofar as they do not align with the organization’s objectives or are considered to be salacious, or derogatory in nature.

The Application Process

Once you have contacted the Special Events Office you will be sent our film/photography questionnaire for completion with details of your proposed filming or photo shoot. You should provide as much detail as possible when completing the questionnaire. Information provided should include proposed dates and times, potential locations, content, and nature of the shoot, description of any equipment to be brought on-site, set dressing, number of vehicles, cast, crew, and extras, if applicable.
The completed questionnaire should be returned to [email protected] and your request will be circulated internally to relevant departments for comments.

Straightforward requests may not require a site meeting and the process can continue through telephone and e-mail correspondence. For more complicated requests, a site meeting may be necessary.
A site meeting is held if required.
Any questions, concerns, or issues raised in the application process are discussed at this stage to determine whether your request can be accommodated at the property requested.
Fees are agreed upon (for commercial filming or photography projects). Our standard fees are based on an 8-hour minimum rate, but your project will be assessed on several factors including the number of people involved, the impact it will have on the property, and the duration of the film or photo shoot. Additional charges may be applicable, for example, the cost to The Preservation Society of Newport County to provide additional staffing or loss of admissions income and museum store sales if the property needs to close.
When all agreements are in place, we will issue a formal Commercial Film/Photography Agreement. This must be signed and returned in full before the shoot can take place.
An invoice will be issued to you as per the agreed agreement. This may include a deposit payment and may also include a refundable damage deposit.