Marcella,

I agree entirely with every single comment on this thread - DO insist
on a museum collections management / curatorial staff member /
conservator accompany and monitor the use of the motorcycle at all
times and have express control over the use and handling of the
artifact.

You have to realize and accept that the interests of all of the film
crew, rightly, is to get the best possible shot in the quickest time
within their schedule. You interest is in the security and
preservation of the motorcycle. Ultimately, if you believe that if
these two perspectives can be comfortably joined then  lease the bike
for the film. If there is any doubt, don't.

In my experiences I have run into some excellent film crews that
respect and protect the property of others during film and I have also
witnessed what I could call barbarous behavior towards the property of
others. You really need to forge a meeting of the minds with the
production staff. If the producers / director / art department make
promises ,  insist that it all go into writing.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California USA

On 6/19/07, Randy Little <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> As a person who works in Hollywood I have watched priceless things destroyed
> on a whim especially if it is insured.  The only way I would recommend
> letting something on set is with very hefty penalties and on set supervision
> of the object by someone who has the power to say NO you can't do that.
>
> R.
>
>
>
> On 6/19/07, Glenn A. Walsh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Marcella,
> >
> > In the late 1990s, "Wonder Boys" by Michael Chabon was
> > being filmed in Pittsburgh. The studio requested use
> > of historic tables from the main reading room of the
> > Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in
> > Carnegie, Pennsylvania [a Pittsburgh suburb], for
> > certain college scenes in the movie.
> >
> > We had hoped that they would actually film some of the
> > movie at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library [as was done
> > with he filming of Tim Robbins' "Bob Roberts"
> > political satire in November of 1991]. However, after
> > looking over the Library and Music Hall, they decided
> > they only wanted to use our reading tables!
> >
> > As a Life Trustee on the Library's Board of Trustees
> > at that time, I was very hesitant to loan out our
> > historic tables. However, the Library was always short
> > on cash; we needed the money so we loaned-out the
> > tables.
> >
> > After several months, the tables were returned to us
> > without any problems. Of course, we did have a
> > contract with the studio, and we required a
> > certificate of insurance.
> >
> > It is difficult to say what you should do. Certainly
> > lending out a historic motorcycle is more problematic
> > than reading tables. I was not so worried about the
> > reading tables being damaged [after about a hundred
> > years of library use, what more could be done to
> > them!]. However, I was worried about the reading
> > tables being "lost" among all of the other props.
> >
> > A strong contract, with insurance requirements, would
> > be the minimum, if you decide to go through with the
> > loan.  You should probably also require some sort of
> > daily accountability--say, a daily check on the
> > condition and end-of-the-day storage of the motorcycle
> > that HAS TO BE SIGNED-OFF BY ONE OF THE MAJOR STUDIO
> > EMPLOYEES. And, you should probably insist on a
> > periodic report on the consition of the motorcycle.
> >
> > As with libraries, I am sure your museum could use the
> > money such a rental would provide. Make sure your
> > attorney "dots all the i's and crosses all the t's" of
> > any such lease contract.
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> > gaw
> >
> > --- Marcella Wiget <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:11:52 -0500
> > From: "Marcella Wiget" < [log in to unmask]>  Add
> > to Address Book  Add Mobile Alert
> > Yahoo! DomainKeys has confirmed that this message was
> > sent by HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM. Learn more
> > Subject: [MUSEUM-L] lending objects to film studios
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> > > Hello everyone,
> > >
> > > Our museum has recently received a request to borrow
> > > one of our artifacts (a
> > > motorcycle, to be precise) for use in a film.  Now,
> > > this obviously raises a
> > > number of concerns, and we're still very early in
> > > negotiating this process,
> > > but we wanted to hear what other museums have done
> > > in similar situations.
> > > Have you lent your artifacts?  If so, how did you
> > > work out the details about
> > > overseeing the object, price to borrow the artifact,
> > > and other issues I
> > > might not even be thinking about?
> > >
> > > I could swear I've seen this topic (or one very like
> > > it) come up before on
> > > the listserv, so if anybody could point me in the
> > > direction of any previous
> > > threads where this topic was discussed, I would
> > > really appreciate it.
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> > > Marcella
> > >
> > > Marcella D. Wiget
> > > Curator of Collections
> > > Reno County Historical Society
> > > [log in to unmask]
> >
> > gaw
> >
> > Glenn A. Walsh
> > Electronic Mail - < [log in to unmask] >
> > NEWS - Astronomy, Space, Science:
> > < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
> > Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
> > * Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
> >   < http://www.planetarium.cc >
> > * Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
> >   < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
> > * Astronomer & Optician John A. Brashear:
> >   < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
> > * Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
> >   < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
> > * Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
> >   < http://www.incline.cc >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> --
> Randy S. Little
> http://reel.rslittle.com
> http://www.linkedin.com/in/rslittle
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