Filming on Campus

Named the “most beautiful campus” in the United States by the Princeton Review, Brooklyn College has proudly served as a filming location for innumerable productions, large and small. While we offer all of the typical fare you would expect to find at a college campus over our 26 acres, from lecture halls to standard 30-person classrooms and science laboratories, we boast two beautiful quads, the likes of which are anything but typical in New York City. Brooklyn College has played as any number of Northeastern campuses, both real and fictional, due to its picturesque and green East Quad, complete with Neo-Georgian red-brick buildings. Other locations that can only be found at Brooklyn College include a serene, botanical Lily Pond and our library, home to the stunning LaGuardia Reading Room and the famous LaGuardia bell tower.

Brooklyn College offers all locations for a set price based on the size of your production, starting with a 10-hour filming minimum. We do not charge per location. Prep and wrap are charged at a lower set rate and do not have a minimum.

Brooklyn College requires certain college personnel to be on hand for the duration of your shoot. These members of the college staff will be assigned to assist the production, and their presence is non-negotiable. This ensures that your production has a college liaison for any type of inquiry or need that may arise. Typical members of college staff to be assigned are campus peace officers and an electrician if you plan on utilizing “house power.”

The college typically recommends that larger productions utilize our Student Center for their holding and catering needs. The Student Center is conveniently located on Campus Road and East 27th Street (right across the street from the East Quad) and offers large, flat plane rooms of various sizes. As the Student Center is a 501(c)(3) organization separate from the college, it handles its own agreements and insurance. Rental of the Student Center must be done through the center directly. If the Student Center is unavailable, we will work with you to identify an alternate holding space, if possible.

Film Production Requirements

How to Inquire

E-mail Andrew Lanza with a detailed request. Include the following information, if available:

  • Name and brief description of project
  • Proposed filming location(s) or location types
  • Proposed filming dates (include prep/wrap days)
  • Crew size
  • Availability timeframe for film scout

General Requirements for Filming

Each film production at Brooklyn College has unique requirements based upon the needs and restrictions of both the production and the college. However, the items listed below are necessary for all film shoots on campus.

  • Approval of the senior administration of the college
  • An executed CUNY Film Location Rental Agreement
    • Only the CUNY boilerplate agreement may be utilized. Any changes to the boilerplate agreement must be approved by the CUNY Office of General Counsel.
  • A certificate of general commercial liability insurance

Rules, Regulations, and Restrictions

Most rules, regulations, terms, and conditions are written into the CUNY boilerplate agreement. Details specific to your shoot are filled in should the production company and Brooklyn College agree to go to contract.

The Film Location License Agreement is utilized on all commercial film shoots on the Brooklyn College campus. Should your production choose to move forward with filming at Brooklyn College, please familiarize yourself with its terms and conditions. Any requested changes to the language of the agreement must be approved by CUNY Office of General Counsel prior to signature.

Previous Productions at Brooklyn College

  • The Americans (FX/TVT Productions)
  • Bernie From Brooklyn: A Conversation With Mark Ruffalo (8th Street Productions)
  • Bonding (Blackpills/Anonymous Content)
  • Bored to Death (HBO)
  • Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Wylie Productions)
  • Daredevil (Netflix/Marvel)
  • Elementary (NBC/Eye Productions)
  • The Family Fang (Aggregate Films)
  • Gemini Man (Skydance Media)
  • Half Empty (Netflix/Problem Attic Productions)
  • Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime/Paramount Overseas Productions)
  • Looming Tower (Hulu/40 North Productions)
  • Masters of Sex (Showtime)
  • Mr. Robot (USA/Anonymous Content)
  • Power (Starz/Starz Power Productions)
  • Ramy (Hulu/Hyphen Hyphen)
  • Redliners (Universal Television)
  • Sneaky Pete (Amazon Video/Mesquite Productions)
  • Spike Lee/Bernie Sanders (40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks)

We have also played host to numerous commercials for various production companies, with clients including 3M, Apple, Expo Markers, Google, Kipling, Nintendo, Northwell Health, U.S. Bank, Victoria’s Secret, Vitamin Water, and Warby Parker.

Brooklyn. All in.