Cameras filming

Request approval to film on campus

The Ohio State University welcomes members of the news media to our campuses free of charge as part of our land-grant mission to share our discoveries, innovations and expertise with the community and world.

All commercial filming and photography on The Ohio State University campuses requires prior approval from the Media and Public Relations team.

Additional considerations

  • Any use of Ohio State trademarks or indicia must be approved in advance of production and in tandem with the Location Agreement.
  • Flying drones to film anywhere on our campuses must adhere to the university policy on using unmanned aircraft systems.   
  • Location fee: Filming and photography for commercial purposes requires a location fee.
    • $350/first hour; $150/additional hours; day rate (7+ hours) - $1,200
    • Studio-backed films -
      • ​​​​​​​Filming (full day 5-10 hours) - $2,500/day / (hourly - min 4 hours) - $250/hr
      • Prep/Strike (full day 5-10 hours) - $1,000/day / (hourly - min 4 hours) - $100/hr
    • Still photography (up to 10 hours) - $500
  • In most cases, the fee does not apply to university affiliates and contractual partners, including affinity and LEARFIELD partners.
  • The Office of Marketing and Communications, Office of Advancement, and Department of Athletics reserve the right to waive the fee in part or in full.
  • Questions about the location fee should be directed to filmingrequests@osu.edu
  • Colleges and units have established rental fees for various indoor and outdoor locations across the Columbus campus. Additional costs for security, public services, facility rental, etc. will be the responsibility of the production company.
  • A general liability insurance certificate with limits of $1 million per occurrence is required.
  • A walk-through of all proposed shooting locations must be coordinated with an appropriate Ohio State representative at least 10 days in advance of the desired production date. After locations are given tentative approval, the production company must take part in an initial meeting with representatives of all involved university departments.
  • Black-out dates: No filming is permitted during midterms, finals and other relevant times, or in sensitive areas.

All requests will be evaluated and assessed based on alignment with the mission of the university, impact to the university's reputation, conflicts with existing agreements, and adherence to the university's no endorsement advertising policy and other governing standards. The Ohio State University reserves the right to deny requests to produce commercial videography and photography on any of our campuses or other properties at any time.

a subject is interviewed with a broadcast camera filming

In-House Broadcast Studio

The new Columbus campus broadcast studio opens in 2023 with convenient access for interviews with Ohio State experts.