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Hollywood in your own home?

Fancy rubbing shoulders with rich and famous actors, from the comfort of your own home, at the same time as making some extra cash? Sounds to good to be true, but by offering your home as a film set, you could do exactly that. This extract from the book 'A Bit on The Side: 500 ways to boost your income' by Jasmine Birtles, published by Piatkus priced £10.99, shows you how

Your home as a film set

You would be surprised at how much you can make by allowing a film crew into your home for a day or more. If you live in a posh or even just an interesting place you can rent it out as a film set - prices are around £1,000 a day for somewhere really good!

How to do it

Not every home is of interest to production companies but it is often surprising what they are looking for. Contact the BBC locations department, your local film commission or one of the national location libraries in London (see below for contact details) and they will send you a form to fill in about your home.

There are quite a few criteria that the ideal home needs to fulfil. Locations manager Helene Lenszner says, 'Ideally we're looking for generous-sized houses with large rooms, a road with good parking facilities, friendly neighbours who won't mind the intrusion and owners who are relaxed about having a crew of about 30 or 40 people in their homes with all the cameras and equipment that go with them.'

If you live in a fabulous stately home you can certainly make a lot of money per day (around £1,000-£2,000) by accommodating a film crew. But quite ordinary homes are wanted too, so long as they are not too far from London or other main filmmaking cities, there is good parking nearby and enough room for a camera crew to swing a tripod. Some programmes, such as The Bill, for example, often need grotty bedsits to film in. They also love homes that have original period interiors, so if you are into fifties decor, for example, consider offering your home for Heartbeat or a one-off drama.

You can also hire out your home for stills shots. If it is swanky enough you could get between £1,000 and £2,000 a day, but it needs to be a pretty special house.

How much can you make?

Usually around £1,000 a day, although it would be less for a small place and more for a large stately home. In London, documentary-makers pay around £300-£500 a day.

Costs

Usually film crews will replace broken or damaged items, although you are often left with damage that you only find later . Also, if they take over your home for more than a day you will have to find other accommodation for you and your family, which could cost you.