Oglethorpe University’s charming Gothic Revival architecture and Atlanta location have attracted many production crews hoping to utilize the school’s assets for commercials, music videos, streaming series, indie films, and major-screen productions alike. Oglethorpe is registered in the National Register of Historic Places, only furthering this appeal. Keen viewers can spot the university’s classrooms and trademark stone buildings in productions like the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries,” NBC’s “Constantine,” Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow,” and Netflix’s “Do Revenge.”
Most recently, film crews populated campus for nine days, spanning from Nov. 11 to Nov. 20, warranting the closure or periodic limitation of parking lots and buildings across the grounds. Pete Stobie, the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operations Officer for the university noted, “This is the first [project] we’ve had on campus that’s been more disruptive than a day or two since most of the students have been on campus.” For many students, this notion was particularly apparent.
Though the specific film remains unnamed for privacy reasons, the first floor of Hearst Hall served as the primary location for filming and it, alongside the bottom floor of Hearst (the Commuter Lounge), was closed for the duration of the crew’s stay. Additionally, half of the commuter lot beside Hearst and Greek Row was closed for the same duration. Spanning from half a day to a full day, access to other sites was restricted as well, including the track and field lot, Stormy Brews, and the game room in the Turner Lynch Campus Center.
With these temporary changes and class relocations, many students reported feelings of frustration regarding an inability to find parking spots. Over 50 percent of enrolled students commute and with Oglethorpe’s small campus and limited parking, lot closures tend to generate stress around finding a parking spot and getting to class on time. In a small anonymous survey conducted (n=18), 50 percent of respondents reported either often or always having to worry about parking when filming on campus occurs. One student added that this was their “first year being a commuter and filming has made that extremely stressful for parking.”
Stobie recognized and validated the inconveniences large-scale productions and grounds closures posed to students, further expressing that the university continuously worked to make an effort to mitigate these effects.
“We are working with [Campus] Safety to see how many permits are in each lot so we can plan accordingly,” Stobie said. “I don’t think we’ve had a day where we’ve run out of parking. It does get tighter and students have to walk farther, as do faculty and staff. But, we are very mindful of the parking and have no intention of blocking off more than we can accommodate. We know the numbers in each lot. Campus Safety is very involved in all the filming aspects and parking aspects so hopefully they are much more flexible during those days as well regarding tickets.”
Stobie detailed that the contracts given to crews filming on campus outline specific things they can and cannot do, with each agreement unique to the goals of the production. These goals are identified during a three-step process: an initial visit, a director’s visit, and a ‘tech scout.’ From then, a contract is written up and students receive a filming notice closer to the start date, largely through email. Stobie added they generally tried to push production dates to less busy days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and never allowed filming during final exams. Yet, with larger-scale projects like the most recent one, the ability to shift dates is decreased.
“Some students love it, some do not,” Stobie said. “We try to do what we can to ease the pain.” He emphasized adequate and effective communication with students and film crews, wanting to protect the rights and privacy of the students and production crews. Film notice emails include important notes regarding closures and reminders about respecting the privacy of film crews, the top of the message adorned with the signature ‘Filming Notice’ banner.
Regarding financial aspects, rental revenues constitute relatively 5 percent of OU’s operating budget, with filming largely contributing to that percentage, according to a 2022 Source article. For the 2023 fiscal year, Oglethorpe set an operating budget of approximately $35 million and a goal of $1 million target revenue from all rentals. In the same aforementioned survey conducted, 66.7 percent of respondents indicated that they felt it important the campus benefitted from these partnerships. Yet, 77.8 percent reported that they did not feel like they knew exactly how Oglethorpe, and the students, benefitted.
In response, Stobie broke down where the university’s revenue is sourced from: student tuition, fundraising, rentals, and the endowment payout. “We have a lot of scholarships that are given, some of them are funded, some of them are unfunded aid, and really our total amount that is unfunded needs to get made up through other things,” he said. The funds from rentals, including filming, are invested back into the pool used to fund non-funded scholarships bestowed. “It’s the whole experience – it’s hard to say this film is [fully] paying for somebody’s scholarship.” For any individuals further interested in the university’s financial reports, Oglethorpe’s Form 990 is open for public inspection, as required for an organization designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Regardless, over a third of respondents indicated they enjoyed the presence of filming on campus and that they received ample communication from the university. Additionally, the university made strides to include the students in areas of production as possible despite it being “very difficult because of the timelines.” For instance, some students were invited to participate in a recent music video production, generating excitement for those involved. Furthermore, getting a ‘behind-the-scenes’ glance can also prove valuable to students interested in going into the industry; when appropriate, students can be seen sharing brief chats with the crew, asking about equipment and the filming process. Stobie had high hopes regarding filming for the rest of the academic semester and onwards. Students with any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding filming and how to lessen inconveniences may contact Oglethorpe University Filming at filming@oglethorpe.edu.
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