Our waterways and towpaths are open for everyone to enjoy. We work closely with production companies in preparation for film and photography shoots to ensure that both your needs and our visitor's needs are considered.
As the charity which cares for canals and rivers we always carefully consider the effect of filming or photography on all aspects of what we do. We have ongoing maintenance, heritage and environmental projects, as well as providing services to boaters and boating businesses.
Getting Started
Before you get in touch please check out our map to make sure that your chosen filming location is on a Canal & River Trust waterway. We recommend that you recce the location to ensure its suitability for filming.
To apply to film on a Canal & River Trust waterway you will need to:
- Visit our FilmApp page to make an online application. You will need to set up a new account if you dont already have a login.
- Download the risk assessment template and filming safety guidelines.
- Provide proof of your public liability insurance, you must have minimum cover of £5 million.
The Next Steps
Once we have received your forms we will issue you with a fee quote, you can work out an estimate by looking at our Filming Location Fees page, when a fee has been agreed we will raise an invoice. All fees must be paid in advance of filming.
We will notify the local customer operations team in the area you wish to film in and send your risk assessment to one of our safety advisors to be reviewed. If there are any conflicting events or other concerns we will let you know as soon as possible. When the risk assessment has been reviewed and you have paid your invoice we will send you a filming permit via FilmApp.
We ask for five working days as this process relies on other teams taking time away from their usual tasks to approve the application. If your filming is urgent please let us know and we will try our best to turn around the application but please be aware that at busy times this may not be possible. Large scale productions (i.e. a feature film with crew of 20 and above) should give as much notice as possible as five working days may not be enough notice, especially if a towpath closure is required or an engineer is needed to assess the impact of equipment or plant on the towpath.
Talk to Us
If you need advice on choosing the ideal location or if you have a specific query please contact Cassie Clarke, Filming & Campaigns Executive on 07788 366 530 or send an email to [email protected]
