Putting Your House in the Movies

IF You have always dreamed of being in the movies but never made it, consider making a star out of your house. Putting your home in the pictures can be thrilling and fairly lucrative and it is easier now than it has ever been. More and more moviemakers and TV producers are looking for real life settings for their extravaganzas. Many pay $ 1,000 a day and sometimes more to rent houses with that lived in look.

Your chances are best if you live in or near areas where most commercials, TV shows and movies are filmed, meaning New York or Los Angeles. But many production companies and advertising agencies are also active renters in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco and other cities.

If you would like to make your home a star, first list it with your state and local government film commissions. They help producers find locations. Also register with at least one of the nationally known location services. For example, in New York City there are such companies as Judie Robbins Locations, Location Locators and Wild Locations. And in Los Angeles, try Cast Locations. Some of them are listed in the Yellow Pages under "Motion Picture Location Service."

Beware of any service that promises to use your home if you pay a registration fee. The company should keep a description and photo of your house on file at no charge, even if you live out of state. Send color photos that emphasize your home's fascinating and distinctive details, such as a tennis court, circular staircase or cathedral ceiling.

Putting your home in pictures may mean that a cast and crew of up to 100 people with countless pieces of equipment may be trooping over your property and upsetting family routines. They might want to repaint or even completely redecorate your house. So make sure the producers sign a contract that spells out the filming dates and makes the company responsible for any damages.