Permission to Record

Filmmakers, photographers, videographers and others have used the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign the setting for many productions over the years. Anyone seeking to record video or still images on university property needs to work with Strategic Communications and Marketing and other offices to receive formal permission from the university.

Things to Know

• In addition to receiving formal permission and signing a written agreement, it is important to think through logistical issues such as building access, classroom schedules and facility-specific filming rules. StratCom and other university staff can assist filmmakers with these considerations.
• This process often requires several correspondences between the university and the filmmakers in order to negotiate the terms of the written agreement that both parties will sign. This agreement must be completed before any filming begins.
• Because the process to formulate and sign the agreement can take several days, we highly recommend requesting permission to film as far in advance of your preferred shoot date(s) as possible.
• The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reserves the right to limit or forbid filming of university properties that are not open to the public.

Contact StratCom

You can start the process to receive formal permission to film on campus by emailing StratCom (stratcom@illinois.edu) and providing some basic information about your proposed work.

In your email, please include the following:

• Your name
• Company
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• What will be filmed on campus? (locations, people, etc.)
• How will the footage be used? (e.g. in a movie, instructional video, commercial, internal video, etc.)
• When would you like to film on campus?