FILMING AT THE INNER TEMPLE : CODE OF PRACTICE

From April 2001

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  1. Cabling
    1. All cables used for any purpose in the course of filming must be made safe as they are laid and not at some later time.
    2. Cables should be laid in the gutter along roads or in the junction between a wall and the footway.
    3. Cables on steps should be taped down to avoid the risk of tripping.
    4. Wherever possible cables should be flown at a minimum of 17' (5.2m) above roadways and 8'6" (2.6m) above footways.
    5. Cables across footways should be laid at right angles under a taped mat. The matting should be:
      1. a minimum of one metre wide and
      2. visible to the public by proper lighting, cones or high visibility hazard tape.
    6. Cables across roadways should be covered using proper cable ramps unless otherwise agreed in advance.
    7. No attachments may be made to any street furniture without the prior written consent of The Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
    8. Power may not be taken from any Inner Temple building without prior permission.
  2. Catering & Removal of Litter
    1. All catering arrangements must be agreed in advance.
    2. No catering vehicles other than those specifically agreed in advance will be given access.
    3. No food or drink should be taken inside any of the buildings in Inner Temple without prior agreement.
    4. It is the responsibility of the producer/location manager to ensure that all litter is removed before the end of filming each day.
  3. Charges
    1. All charges will be agreed, and an agreement signed, in advance of filming.
    2. Please note that any work undertaken without signed agreement will incur extra charges.
  4. Checking In and Out
    1. The location manager or notified person responsible for filming should contact the Duty Porter (020 7797 8255) for internal filming, on arrival and again on departure. These times will form the basis for charges.
    2. The Duty Porter has the authority to make any decisions regarding the arrangements in the absence of the Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
  5. Children
    1. Producers/location managers must make adequate provision for the health & welfare needs of any children employed when filming.
    2. A child is considered to be a young person of less than 15 years old or still subject to full time education.
    3. Any filming involving the employment of children (whether paid or unpaid) must be specifically agreed in advance of filming.
  6. Coning
    1. Any areas to be coned off must be agreed in advance
  7. Consultation
    1. The Inner Temple will, at its own discretion, consult with residents and professional tenants before agreeing to filming.
    2. No contact should be made with residents or professional tenants without the knowledge and permission of The Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
  8. Cranes, Camera Cranes and Aerial Platforms
    1. Use of cherry-pickers or cranes must be agreed in advance of filming. The exact position of such equipment will be agreed and the producer/location manager will ensure that the position is maintained. Access for emergency vehicles must be maintained at all times.
    2. At night, or at times of poor visibility, warning lights must be placed around any cranes or cherry-pickers whether parked on a roadway or not.
    3. Rigging and de-rigging must only be carried out at times agreed with The Deputy Sub-Treasurer in advance of filming.
    4. Please note the section on height and weight restrictions in this document. Inner Temple is not responsible for otherwise notifying production companies or location managers of these restrictions.
  9. Health & Safety and Risk Assessment
    1. Full consideration of Health & Safety issues must be taken and proven by the producer or location manager.
    2. The producer or location manager must appoint a competent person to act as the Health & Safety representative (with a minimum of NVQ level 3) and a full risk assessment of the location must be carried out in accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Management of Health & Safety at Work regulations (1992).
    3. The Health & Safety representative must be on location at all times to co-ordinate and monitor Health & Safety systems and any control measures put in place as a result of the risk assessment.
    4. The instructions of the Inn’s duty security officer (the Duty Porter) should be followed at all times.
  10. High Visibility Clothing
    1. Crew members and production personnel working on any open sections of roadway must wear high visibility clothing to standard EN471.
    2. Please note that all roads and paths will remain open unless specifically agreed in advance of filming. No section of road or path may be closed at any time without prior agreement.
  11. Indemnity & Insurance
    1. The production company will be expected to indemnify the Inn, its officers and employees against any claims or proceedings arising directly from any injury to persons or damage to property as a result of activities of the production company or its agents.
    2. All production companies filming in Inner Temple must carry adequate public liability insurance and this cover must be proved to the Inn’s satisfaction before filming commences.
  12. Lighting, Scaffolding and Generators
    1. The construction and position of lighting towers must be agreed in advance of filming.
    2. Any scaffolding constructed must be certified as safe.
    3. The following considerations should be taken to prevent any risk to the public, production company employees or agents:
      1. All lights and lighting stands must be properly secure;
      2. Lighting stands placed on open footways must be attended at all times;
      3. Lights should not dazzle motorists or pedestrians
      4. Lights should not be shone towards residential or professional properties without the specific permission of both the Inn and the tenant.
    4. Any generators used should comply with the specific requirements of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) and be position as agreed in advance.
    5. Generators must be sited exactly as agreed and should be run only at agreed times. Running a generator outside agreed times would constitute a breach of the agreement to film and penalty charges would be enforced.
    6. Generators should be provided for internal filming to buildings unless specific agreement has been given for the use of the landlords or tenants electricity supply and the power loading approved by the Inner Temple.
  13. Night Filming
    1. Night filming is defined as any filming between 20:00 and 08:00.
    2. Any activity is subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) regarding noise and nuisance.
    3. In general all filming involving noise above that of conversation level must stop before 22:00.
    4. It is unlikely that permission to film will be granted between 23:00 and 07.30
    5. Excessive noise, or filming, rigging or de-rigging involving noise outside agreed times, will result in the termination of filming. All agreed fees will remain chargeable and excess fees may be charged.
    6. Where vehicles are left overnight to avoid noise of de-rigging they must be left "in situ" and attended by the production company’s security. Vehicles may only be left by prior arrangement or at the discretion of the duty security officer.
  14. Parking
    1. All parking plans, including temporary access for vehicles, must be agreed in advance.
    2. Resident and Tenant parking bays will only rarely be suspended. Any such suspension must be agreed in advance and will carry an additional charge.
    3. The passage of pedestrians should not be impaired nor should access to buildings.
    4. Access for emergency vehicles should be maintained at all times.
    5. Instructions from the duty Porter with regard to parking should be followed at all times.
    6. On occasions it is possible for car parks to be cleared for filming. In this case each space cleared will be charged at the normal daily or hourly rate as separately published.
    7. All vehicles must be authorised in advance and issued with a temporary pass.
  15. Middle Temple
    1. Permission to film in Inner Temple in no way indicates any permission to film in Middle Temple
    2. All arrangements to film in Middle Temple should be passed to the Under-Treasurer at the Treasury Office in Middle Temple;
    3. Unless specifically arranged in advance with Middle Temple no vehicles may be parked in Middle Temple and the reverse applies.
  16. Height, Weight and Width Restrictions
    1. Please note the following restrictions:
      1. Height / Width
        Kerb Line
        Embankment Gate 15'10"  8'11"
        Tudor Street Gate 13'0"  7'5"
        Fleet Street Gate 12'3"  6'8"
        Carpmael Arch 11'0"  11'11"

      2. Weight
        All Areas of the Temple 15 tons

  17. Prop or Mock Emergency Vehicles
    1. The Inn must be informed in advanced if there are to be actors dressed in a specific uniform (Police, ambulance etc). The relevant emergency service should also be notified. A copy of the notification should be provided to The Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
    2. Uniforms and vehicles resembling emergency services must be covered whenever possible and in particular between takes.
    3. Sirens should not be used without specific permission and flashing lights should be switched off when not in shot and covered when not in use.
  18. Road Markings and Signs
    1. By prior arrangement road markings and/or signs may be painted out on a temporary basis. Full restitution of must be made before the end of the agreed filming to the satisfaction of the Inn’s representative.
    2. The producer or location manager is responsible for road safety while road markings are covered.
  19. Sound Playback
    1. The filming of artists to sound playback can only be undertaken by prior arrangement.
  20. Street Furniture, Lighting and other Property
    1. No furniture may be removed, covered, altered or damaged in any way without the prior written agreement of the Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
    2. Nothing should be attached to property without the prior written agreement of the Deputy Sub-Treasurer.
  21. Stunts, Special Effects and Pyrotechnics
    1. All stunts, special effects (including weather effects and wet downs) and pyrotechnics must be under the direct control of a named qualified co-ordinator or operative and must comply with the Environmental Protection Act (1990).
    2. All plans for stunts, special effect or pyrotechnics must be agreed in writing in advance.
    3. No firearms or replica/mock firearms should be used without the consultation and consent of the Deputy Sub-Treasurer and, where appropriate, the Police. The production company must ensure the safe custody of such weapons at all times.
  22. Track
    1. All matters with regard to track must be discussed with the Deputy Sub-Treasurer in advance of filming.
  23. Trees
    1. No damage may be caused to trees in the Temple
    2. No attachments may be made to any tree without prior agreement.
  24. Wetdowns
    1. Wetdowns may only be carried out with the approval of the Deputy Sub-Treasurer after a proper evaluation of the forthcoming weather conditions and with the proper signage.
  25. Road dressing, underground drainage and gullies
    1. Use of soil or similar road dressing to be kept clear of rainwater outlets and gullies to be suitably protected as an extra precaution by hessian bags or fine sieve to avoid blockages. In the unlikely event of a blockage in consequence of the filming, the production company shall bear the direct cost of any remedial work to bring the drainage installation back into normal use.
  26. Pavements
    1. Particular care should be taken to cause no damage to the historic York paving throughout the Inn and loading restrictions apply where these span over underpavement vaults. The placement of heavy machinery or track must therefore be approved in advance and protection of paving by boarding etc., and/or propping of vaults agreed where appropriate.
  27. Fire Precautions and Means of Escape
    1. Normal access for the emergency services should be maintained at all times.
    2. The means of escape route from all buildings should be available at all times and not obstructed.
    3. The concealment of smoke sensors, call points and fire alarm panels and/or exit and emergency exit buttons shall not be permitted without the express consent of the Inn and in conjunction with the proper notification of tenants to advise any changes to the normal evacuation procedures.
    4. Mock doors should be functional to permit escape and normal ingress/egress from the building and existing entrance doors to be temporarily removed, when required, to avoid a clash of door swings. Security arrangements to be agreed when filming out of normal hours (i.e. when entrance door are normally locked to the general public and access by security fob or door entry phone).

Please note:

  1. The description "filming" refers to every type of filming. In particular feature films, television productions, commercials, music promotion videos, corporate filming and stills.
  2. The description "production company or location manager" includes any person or organisation responsible for filming in Inner Temple.
  3. This document is intended as a guide to the requirements of filming in Inner Temple. It is not exhaustive and filmmakers, location managers and production companies must enter into a specific agreement before filming can be done. The Inn accepts no liability for loss, financial or otherwise, alleged to have incurred as a result of these guidelines.
  4. This document, along with other documentation associated with the filming, forms part of the agreement to film.
  5. The Inner Temple asks the film company to send in some stills of the filming for its records and for publishing in one of its publications such as the Newsletter.