Filming at Yale

If you’d like to film on campus, please follow these steps:

1. Fill out the filming application form and include a copy of your insurance policy. A Certificate of Insurance naming Yale University as additional insured for the day(s) of filming, load-in, and strike must be submitted a minimum of 48 hours prior to filming and/or load-in. Coverage ranges from $1 to $5 million and is determined by the nature of the project.
2. Call OPAC at 203-432-1345 when you’re ready to schedule your visit. Please try to give us as much notice as possible; it might not be feasible accessing certain buildings without 24 hours’ notice. 
3. Students under the age of 18 must have their parent or guardian sign off on the film company’s release form. Students who are age 18 or over can sign on their own. All students should be informed that their participation and signing of agreements and forms related to this filming is voluntary.

Please visit the university’s  Filming at Yale website for guidelines and location information.

OPAC would like to make it as easy as possible for you to record news or documentary footage and interviews on our campus and will be happy to facilitate your efforts. Please email filming@yale.edu or call us at 203-432-1345.

Some restrictions apply to where and what you can record on campus. Out of concern for the privacy of our students, faculty, and staff, we do not allow cameras or any other recording devices into our residential colleges, classrooms, or the gymnasium. It is also necessary for an OPAC representative to escort your film crew at all times while on Yale property. 

Access to some iconic locations is granted on a case-by-case basis. These locations include:

• Sterling Memorial Library
• Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
• Residential college courtyards
• Woolsey Hall
• Battell Chapel
• Harkness Tower

We can also provide you with high-quality B-roll of some of the most popular filming locations on campus, including Yale’s landmark buildings.

Anyone wishing to film or take still photographs on the Yale campus must inform OPAC in advance by emailing filming@yale.edu or calling 203-432-1345.

All filming requests must still be approved in advance. Production crews must be escorted by a Yale staff member for the duration of their time on campus.

Production companies, members of the media, and commercial photographers must be accompanied by an OPAC escort while on the Yale campus, and any filming must be arranged in advance.

The university reviews each request on a case-by-case basis. Issues such as the time filming is to take place and the project’s subject matter are considered when reviewing requests.

OPAC’s media relations team can assist with finding a suitable location on campus for filming. Some restrictions apply regarding where and what can be filmed on campus. Out of concern for the privacy of our students, faculty, and staff, the university does not allow filming in classrooms, residential colleges, and residential college courtyards. Please note that during the academic year space may be limited. It may be possible to arrange to have an interview filmed in the Yale Teaching Studios.

OPAC can provide high-quality B-roll of some of the most popular filming locations on campus, including Yale’s landmark buildings. Available footage includes ground and aerial shots of campus. To request b-roll, email filming@yale.edu.

Yale does not provide free parking, but street parking is available in New Haven. Other options include parking in designated Yale visitor parking lots. Visit the Yale Campus Map for more information when planning a visit to Yale.