Hello,
I have also found this discussion interesting. In over 30 years managing 
collections we have often worked with film crews for various size projects. 
Never would we LEND something original to a studio. They could come and film 
on site with us handling and directing the handling of items that had 
previously been reviewed for stability. Artifacts are never "just a prop"

If managed correctly a film can be beneficial in terms of publicity and 
awareness if the contract stipulates that you recieve the credit properly. 
Usually we only do this if the main subject of the film involves our history 
or focuses on an important part of our collections. Do not get trapped into 
letting them use your museum and collections as a "location". It will get 
lost in the editing and you will be left with only light damage.

The upside can be as ours was this year - "Sam Hill" received an Emmy.

 Betty Long-Schleif
Collections Manager/Registrar
Maryhill Museum of Art
35 Maryhill Museum Drive
Goldendale, WA 98620
(509)773-3733
Fax(509)773-6138
www.maryhillmuseum.org
www.maryhillmagic.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Henrikson, Steve E (EED)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 2:10 PM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] lending objects to film studios


> It has been interesting reading the various warnings about film crews.
> I'm curious as to what compels us to consider that having museum objects
> in a film is something we really want to facilitate. In other words,
> given the cost in our time and risk to our collections, what's in it for
> us? How does having our museum objects in a film further our educational
> and preservation missions? Doesn't this activity by its very nature tend
> to undercut our preservation ethic? Then there's the slippery slope
> aspect:  if you say yes to the film crew, how can you say no to other
> requests to use objects? If you're looking to complicate your life,
> saying yes to this is a good way to do it!
>
> We spend lots of time and money eliminating threats to our collections.
> Sometimes we take calculated risks with museum objects if the
> "educational pay-off" is considered sufficiently high to justify those
> risks--such as when objects are loaned to other museums for special
> temporary exhibits. In these cases, we control nearly every aspect of
> the event to make "the original" available, which in many cases is a
> critical factor in a museum exhibit. Our museum partners in the loan
> will generally share our standards.
>
> In a film project, the producers don't share our professional goals, and
> the object is "just a prop." My impression in dealing with film
> producers is that they see borrowing things from a museum is cheaper and
> more convenient for them than other alternatives, which is to have a
> replica made or to rent one from a prop rental house or a private
> collector. The fact is, film producers usually have alternatives to
> using museum objects--even if they have a compelling "storyline" about
> why they want your object. The bottom line is they want to save
> themselves time by getting your time at a cheaper rate.
>
> What other advantages might this proposal give the museum? Simply from
> the standpoint of the time it takes to negotiate and monitor such an
> activity, prop rental seems unlikely as way to generate revenue for the
> institution. Even if they pay for our time, it takes the time away from
> doing our mission-supportive activities. As far as visibility, I've seen
> a few major films that have been based in part on a "real museum", but
> the names of the institutions are fictionalized, so its not like you're
> getting that much free exposure. While the museum might be named in the
> credits, they roll so quickly that they are difficult to read. As for
> the excitement and glamour of being involved in filming, that perception
> is, unfortunately, "made in Hollywood."
>
> Simply put, I just don't see much advantage to getting involved with
> providing props. If we must sell ourselves out, let us not be a "cheap
> date."
>
> Steve Henrikson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Heather-Marie Wells
> Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 7:03 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: lending objects to film studios
>
> Randy's comment reminded me of a recent story.
>
> In the Battlestar Galactica TV show they have been showing Edward James
> Olmos's character, for the last 2 seasons, building a model ship.  In
> this year's season he finally "finished" it.  The production company had
> been renting a museum quality ship model as the finished ship.
>
> Well, half way through the season a crew member dies and as they were
> filming his character's reaction scene without warning Olmos picks up
> this model ship and smashes it to pieces!  It wasn't something he had
> rehearsed, it was just something he did caught up in the moment of
> acting.  The prop people were stunned and said they would have been glad
> to make him one that he could smash to pieces rather than the one they
> had been renting.  The production company had insured the piece but that
> isn't going to bring it back.
>
> I'm not a lawyer and I have no idea how to write contracts but I'm
> guessing you can put anything in them that you want.  So I would suggest
> that the production company should have to include in writing all the
> names of the people who might handle your artifact, including the
> actors, and make it mandatory for them to take a lesson from museum
> staff on the proper handling of the artifact.
>
> Heather Marie
>
>
>
>>From: Randy Little <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: Re: lending objects to film studios
>>Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:25:17 -0700
>>
>>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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