The Massachusetts Film Office, which encourages producers to film movies in the state via tax incentives, encourages property owners to list their homes, offices and more for possible shooting locations.
Currently, 9 Wellesley properties are listed, including Town Hall, the Wellesley Hills clock tower, the downtown fire station, and a few homes.
Listing your property as a possible movie shoot site is straightforward, and involves sharing pictures. The office provides tips on how to best reflect the nature of your property in photos.
We’ve seen reports that homeowners can reap thousands of dollars a day for renting out their property for filming, with the monthly mortgage sometimes used to figure out the daily rate. That could work out pretty well for a Wellesley homeowner indeed.
You’ll probably be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement by the filming outfit so their big secrets aren’t revealed. Not that the location or subject matter of productions like the Julia Childs TV series recently being shot on Cottage Street in Wellesley was any big secret.
The Wellesley Police Department is listed as the municipal permit contact by the Mass Film Office for those seeking permission to film.
You might wonder what the town gets out of films being done here, beyond a bit of excitement and some extra traffic. Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop says the town gets funds for police details and parking if any town-owned lots or spaces are used. “When filming occurs in the commercial districts, the Town receives the cost of lost revenue for the parking and if additional space is rented on other Town land there can be a negotiated fee,” she said.
If listing your property isn’t something you want to do, there’s still a mess of other interesting info on the Mass Film site, including internship and casting call opportunities.
Here’s a look back at movies filmed in Wellesley, Mass.
If you’ve rented out your Wellesley property for filming and are willing and able to share your experiences, or want to help clarify anything in this piece for us, please let us know at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
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