Filming Permit and Licence Costs
How much is a filming permit London? This costs £425.
What licences do I need?
Film licence – the cost for this can vary depending on the distributor who owns the rights to the film. The average cost of a Single Title Film Licence is around £100 per licence, per screening, per film.
Do I need a filming permit UK?
You should check if you require permission from the appropriate local authority or council if you intend to film on public land. They are responsible for public land, public buildings, roads, and parking.
Owning a film on DVD only grants you rights for home use. It does not mean you are permitted to show the film publicly. How do I get the rights to screen a movie?
You can obtain a public performance license by either contacting the copyright holder directly or by licensing from entities set up specifically for licensing movies.
How much is the licence?
The licence fee starts at £100.20 + vat for areas up to 500 square metres.
Please note that we do not operate on standard fees for the inclusion of artistic works in films. Our licences include worldwide rights, all media, platforms, and forms of exploitation and uses in connection with the advertising, publicity, commercial exploitation, and distribution of the film.
It isn’t necessary to attend a top UK film school to become a filmmaker. Formal education is not needed to become a film director.
Licensing for Public Film Screenings
Budget several hundred dollars for a yearly licence, depending on your location and the size of your audience. For a one-off event, the costs for a standard movie licence vary from $300 to $1000.
Please find below our current prices for reproductions on television and in films:
-
Television
- Usage: UK / Worldwide
- Duration of Licence:
- 5 years / In perpetuity
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Film
- Please contact us on [email protected] for a quote.
The Public Video Screening Licence (PVSL) is an annual licence for premises where films will be shown regularly to a non-paying audience for background/ambient use. You can screen an unlimited number of films per year from PVSL participating studios and distributors.
The Single Title Screening Licence (STSL) allows you to showcase a film from our catalogue in a public setting on a per screening basis. With an STSL, you may also charge ticket admission and advertise your screenings.
Under UK copyright law, screenings films to audiences outside of the cinema or home for entertainment purposes requires a licence from the copyright owner or their representatives (in this case, Filmbankmedia) before doing so.
Historical Legislation and Film Ratings
In particular circumstances, the local authority can place their own restrictions on a film – that is change the BBFC rating – or even ‘ban’ the film. It is a licensing offence for cinema managers to allow children into films with an age restriction.
Cinematograph Act 1909 introduced licensing of cinemas, originally for safety (from fire) in cinemas. Statutory control lies with local authorities. BBFC set up by the film industry in 1912 to standardise decisions. Cinematograph Act 1952 prohibited children from ‘unsuitable’ films. The mandatory X certificate was introduced at around the same time.
Understanding Film Screening Licences in the UK
A licence is needed to screen a film or exhibit moving pictures in the UK. There are exemptions from the need for a licence for film entertainment, in defined circumstances.
If you want to put on a film screening, there are two areas of licensing to consider:
1) Copyright – To screen a film to the public, you need permission from the film’s copyright owner. Usually, this is its UK distributor. Permission may be granted in the form of a licence.
2) Premises – Your venue may need a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 unless an exemption applies.
There are several licence options:
- MPLC Umbrella Licence – Allows groups and organisations to show unlimited films from studios, producers, and distributors represented by MPLC. You may not charge admission.
- MPLC Single Title Movie Licence – Issued for one film at a time from MPLC’s rightsholders list. You may charge admission.
- Filmbankmedia Single Title Screening Licence – Issued on a per-screening basis. You may charge admission.
Licence costs vary depending on factors like audience size, location, revenue from ticket sales, and the specific film. Prices range from around £100 to over £1000 per screening or film.
The law says that to screen films in public places requires a licence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. It’s the responsibility of premises showing films to ensure the correct licence is in place, whether content is shown via DVD, streaming, or other methods.