Application for Filming Information

Information for Commercial Photo Shoots at VanDusen Botanical Garden

Open 12 months a year

  1. VanDusen is jointly run by two partners, The Vancouver Park Board and the VanDusen Botanical Garden Association. All commercial photo shoot permitting is done through VanDusen Garden administration (Corinne Johnston, Rentals Coordinator, 604.257.8661 or Corinne.johnston@vancouver.ca). Please contact Corinne to receive an Application for Commercial Photography form.
  2. Fees:
    1. $1,000.00 deposit cheque (payable to Vancouver Park Board, GST # R121 361 042) must be attached to your Application Form and delivered with the Application Form and copy of Insurance (see below) to Corinne Johnston at VanDusen’s administration office. The deposit cheque will not be cashed, it will be returned to you upon payment of your invoice following completion of your shoot.
    2. the rental fee for shooting in the Garden is $600 per 3-hour shoot for Level 1 commercial photo shoots and $1,000 per calendar day or portion thereof for Level 2 commercial photo shoots.
      • Level 1
        No on-site vehicles, no props, no light stands or tripods, hand-held equipment only. Maximum three people including photographer. Maximum shoot time: 3 hours.
      • Level 2
        Allows props, lighting stands and equipment, tripods, more than 3 people including photographer. No maximum or minimum shoot times.
    3. $150/hour for supervision if filming takes place before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday, or anytime on Saturdays, Sundays and Statutory holidays.
    4. $1,000 cancellation fee plus any scheduled supervisory charges if filming is cancelled for any reason without 24 hours advance notice (weather conditions excepted).
  3. The City of Vancouver requirement for insurance must be met and a copy of the insurance policy must be attached to the Application for Photography when it is submitted.
  4. Application & Contract Process:
    • Tentative bookings are not accepted.
    • PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATION UNTIL YOU HAVE FINALIZED ALL YOUR LOCATIONS, DATES AND TIMES. The Application for Photography form must be submitted with a map of the Garden indicating the requested locations and detailing all days required, a copy of your insurance and the damage deposit cheque for $5,000 made out to Vancouver Park Board. Please deliver the complete package to Corinne Johnston.
    • If your application is approved, VanDusen Garden will draw up a Contract based on the information provided in the Application Form.  Two copies of this Contract will be sent to you for signature.  We must receive back a signed copy no later than 48 hours prior to commencement of the photo shoot.  No photography can take place until we have received the signed contract. Delays can occur when contracts must be sent to legal departments for review, please allow enough time for this process.
    • Following the shoot, you will be invoiced for your rental fee plus any damage and supervision charges (as outlined above). When you drop off the cheque in payment of this invoice, your damage deposit cheque will be returned to you.
  5. There are three areas in which photography is not allowed at all:
    • Meditation Garden in the Sino-Himalayan Area
    • The stand of old-growth Douglas Firs on the south west side of Heron Lake
    • Inside planted beds

Conditions of use:

  1. Vehicles of any kind are not permitted in the Garden.
  2. No one (photographer or models) is allowed to enter plant beds. No exceptions. Even if a bed looks ‘empty’ you do not know what is lying dormant beneath the surface. Standing on a bed compacts the soil and could kill or seriously damage dormant plant life.
  3. Equipment of any kind (stands, tripods etc) are not allowed in plant beds and must remain on pathways or lawn areas. No exceptions. Even if a bed looks ‘empty’ you do not know what is lying dormant beneath the surface. Standing on a bed compacts the soil and could kill or seriously damage dormant plant life.
  4. Do not remove any silver plant tags which are wired on.  Black plant labels may only be removed with the permission and under the supervision of the Garden Foreman or Garden Liaison.
  5. There is to be NO digging in the Garden and equipment on stakes are also not allowed. They may  damage our extensive underground irrigation system.
  6. No plants will be pruned, trimmed or removed without permission and under the supervision of the Garden Foreman.
  7. The Garden Foreman or Garden Liaison must be present during all photo shoots.

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