I don't remember exact details, but I think I heard somewhere that when filming the original Dawn of the Dead in 1978, the shopping mall allowed Romero to use it for free. The things was, however, he could only shoot after the mall closed, and had to be done shooting and have everything cleaned up by the time the mall opened the next morning.

So he got the location for free, but they only worked by night.

Or so I've heard.

Make your executive producer earn his share of the backend and pay for it :D Here's where I'm shooting in Sept:
Set for Sadistro's Western
CK

Spammer!!!

;)

Au contrare ! I never mentioned the name of it, nor any of the B-horror actors I'm getting for it (even though it's not a horror film, but will have some horror elements and some excellent gore fx) :D
CK

For mine and my brother's horror film, which we began shooting a few years ago now (details provided on the 'indie' board), we needed a large school building.

My brother Alix was attending college at the time and thought that his building, which was huge, and run-down and bordering on being derelict, would make the perfect location, so he called the dean of the school and set up a meeting.

Basically, we went in and told him how much we loved the building, and managed to negotiate use of the building after-hours, free of charge, so long as we paid for a security guard to be present at all times (approximately $3500 in total), kept the locations clean, and waived the right to sue them if anybody was injured.

Thankfully, the lack of liability insurance, which can kill your chances of making a low-budget film because it's so damn expensive, was thankfully never an issue, despite the constant running up and down stairs and occasional knife- and axe-weilding.

this is true - romero was friends with some of the principle investors who allowed them to shoot overnight between, as i recall, 11pm and 6am (when the mall was opened for old people to go walking around in - hilarious)

I'm writing a horror screenplay right now. I have noticed though, as I mention that to friends, or co-workers, I'm suprized how many people know someone who's into independent movies. Also, the internet helps alot. There is always a site that has other locals that are into movies as well. Befriending these people, these unselfish people, have given me new oppertunities. There are also a ton of people that will gladly let you shoot your film at thier location, you just have to make it sound damn important. Perhaps there are just alot of b-movie fanatics in seattle, but the support of others have been amazing!