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Birch Aquarium at Scripps

Commercial Filming Guidelines

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Birch Aquarium at Scripps considers requests for commercial filming, including movies, television shows, music videos, commercials, and advertisements. Please review these Filming Guidelines. Our contact information is below.

Background:

Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego in La Jolla, California. The aquarium sits atop a bluff overlooking the institution and the dazzling Pacific coast.

Filming Sites:

  • more than 60 marine tanks, including a 70,000-gallon kelp forest
  • outdoor tide-pool plaza with coastal and ocean views
  • interactive ocean and earth-sciences museum
  • bookshop with educational materials and gifts
  • interior galleria with glass windows and ocean views
  • exterior balcony overlooking the tide-pool plaza and the coast
  • two-lane road descending to the aquarium that provides breathtaking views of natural landscapes and the ocean (Additional approvals are required for road use).

Locations Fees:

Fees depend upon a number of factors, including the nature of the project, the intended market, the promotional value to the aquarium, and the potential disruption to the aquarium and its staff.

Standard fee: $5,000 daily or any part thereof
Additional fees for staff time, parking, and/or damage may apply

Restrictions:

  • Content must not conflict with the mission of Birch Aquarium at Scripps: to provide ocean science education, to interpret Scripps Institution of Oceanography research, and to promote ocean conservation.
  • Filming may not be possible at Birch Aquarium at Scripps during open hours (9-5 daily) if the project could inhibit or impede with our visitors experience.
  • All filming must meet with the requirements of the animal husbandry staff.
  • As a general rule, Birch Aquarium does not allow non-diving staff inside the tanks. Exceptions can be made with approval from the animal husbandry staff and dive safety officer.
  • Birch Aquarium at Scripps prohibits amplified sound.
  • The aquarium prohibits the use of lights outdoors and prohibits excessive interior and exterior noise after 10 p.m.
  • The aquarium does not allow anything to be attached to interior walls, tanks, or exhibits
  • Birch Aquarium at Scripps reserves the right to cancel filming at any time.

Scheduling:

*At least one-week notice to the Scripps Communications Office is required for any on-site filming project request.
*Production company representative must sign Scripps liability release form before filming can begin.
*Production company must provide copy of insurance coverage form before filming can begin.
* Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Not all requests are granted.

Payment:

Check for full payment payable to U.C. Regents must be provided to the Scripps Communications Office prior to filming.

Business Hours:

Birch Aquarium at Scripps: Daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
--Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day

Contacts:


Primary Contact:

Jessica Crawford
Scripps Communications Office
Phone: 858-534-8555
E-mail: jzcrawford@ucsd.edu

Alternate Contact:

Scripps Communications Office
Phone: 858-534-3624
E-mail: scrippsnews@ucsd.edu

Updated 7/2008
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