The Montréal Space for Life – Biodôme, Insectarium, Botanical Garden and Planetarium – welcomes more than 1.6 million visitors annually and receives hundreds of film and photo shoot requests per year. The Public Relations Department analyzes, manages and supervises all shoots on our site to ensure the best experience possible for our visitors, prevent damage to our internationally renowned collections and maintain our institutions’ daily operations.

1. Submitting your shoot request

Please submit your duly completed request by e-mail. Feel free to contact a member of our team for assistance in validating the feasibility of your shoot, depending on our availability.

• François Ouellet, Communication Assistant
  514 872-3232 ou fouellet_2@ville.montreal.qc.ca

• Anik Robichaud-Gauvin, Communication Assistant
  514 868-3123 ou anik.robichaud-gauvin@ville.montreal.qc.ca

• Karine Vendette, Communication Assistant
  514 872-2227 ou karine.vendette@ville.montreal.qc.ca

• Nadine Fortin, Communication Coordinator
  514 868-3053 ou nadine.fortin@ville.montreal.qc.ca

• Karine Jalbert, Communication Coordinator
  514 872-1453 ou karinejalbert@ville.montreal.qc.ca

2. Information required

• Production Company Name
  Complete co-ordinates of production company, including contact name.

• Broadcaster Name
  Name of broadcaster, broadcast date, and estimated duration of the segment to be filmed on our site.

• Description of shoot
  Clearly describe the shoot, including the title of the series, the movie or advertisement. Specify whether an interview with one of our employees at Montréal's Space for Life is required within the context of the shoot.

• Where
  Indicate the exact location required for the shoot (name of institution, garden, greenhouse or ecosystem).

• Date
  Shoot date, as well as the time of arrival and departure; make sure to allow for the time required to get to the actual site of the shoot, and for equipment set-up and takedown.

• Equipment
  A list of equipment used during the shoot, and the crew members' names and positions.

3. Selection criteria

1. Shoots that least affect our visitors, collections and daily operations;
2. Shoots that showcase the programs, experts, expertise, mission or history of our different institutions;
3. Shoots for which the time and management and supervision efforts required seem warranted in terms of the desired visibility.

4. 2012 Rates for commercial and other filming

For production companies meeting the above criteria, shoot permits are free. However, parking fees are always at the expense of the production company. Shoot fees (see below) may apply to any requests that do not comply, in whole or in part, with the latter two selection criteria.

• Under 5 people: $200/hour (minimum 2 hours)

• 5-14 people: $300/hour (minimum 2 hours)

• 15-29 people: $400/hour (minimum 2 hours)

• 30-49 people: $500/hour (minimum 2 hours)

• 50 people or more: $600/hour (minimum 2 hours)

Conditions:

• The filming period starts when the first member of the film crew arrives on the Space for Life site and ends when the last crew member leaves.
• Beyond the second hour charged, the period listed in the rental agreement may be divided into 30-minute segments.
• Any unused hours paid for under the contract may only be credited toward a subsequent film shoot by the producer.
• Commercial photography fees must be paid ten days prior to the filming date, by credit card, except for film shoots with a fee of $5,000 or more, which may be paid by certified cheque or debit card.
• When the authorized representative of the Director of the Space for Life agrees during a film shoot that the producer may extend the rental period, the additional charges will be billed to the producer’s credit card at the same rate.
• The rates include all applicable taxes, film shoot co-ordination and supervision, except in the case of some film shoots at the Biodôme, where an additional charge for a Garda security guard may apply, depending on the nature of the shoot.
• Parking charges are extra.
• Any charges related to services of certain specialized Space for Life employees (e.g., electrician, carpenter, horticulturist, animal keeper) to meet the specific requirements of the film shoot are extra.

5. Guarantee

The production company agrees to warranty and hold the City of Montreal harmless and to take its part in any claim or any action for damages of any nature whatsoever resulting directly or indirectly from the production company's occupancy of the site, and to defend the City of Montreal and indemnify it for principal, interest and expenses for any claim or judgement against it in this respect.

Moreover, before occupying the site, the production company must take out third-party liability insurance of $1 million for bodily harm and material damage resulting from its occupancy of the site, in which the City is designated as co-assured. Finally, the City of Montreal is not responsible for guarding or overseeing equipment provided by the production company or for any damage resulting from the presence of this equipment on the filming site.