A production does not arrive in Dublin on one date and leave on another. Neither does its accommodation brief. The people needed for prep may arrive weeks before the main crew. Cast may travel for individual shooting blocks. And when filming finishes, a smaller team may still have work to do.
For the person organising those stays, a single headcount and a single departure date rarely tell the whole story. At EirStay, the useful starting point is the shape of your production: who needs to be here, when they need to arrive and which dates are still provisional. From there, we can check suitable apartments and put together accommodation options for the stays we can cover.
Prep: start with the people arriving first
Before the first shooting day, there may already be a team in Dublin handling planning, location visits and production logistics. Their accommodation requirements can be different from those of the larger crew arriving later.
For someone spending several weeks away, a kitchen, laundry facilities and room to settle into a routine can matter as much as the bedroom. If they will be working from the apartment between visits, include workspace and Wi-Fi requirements in the brief. An apartment should not be assumed to double as a production office or meeting venue; tell us about any intended work use so we can check suitability.
Send the prep dates separately from the filming dates. Where someone is staying through both phases, flag that continuity early. It gives us a better chance of finding a suitable stay without a mid-production move, rather than treating prep and filming as unrelated bookings.
Shoot: plan for staggered arrivals, not just the peak headcount
Principal photography may bring the largest accommodation requirement, but that does not mean everyone needs the same arrival date, departure date or type of apartment.
A useful rooming brief separates the total number of people from the number of bedrooms and apartments needed. Four people travelling together might need four separate bedrooms, two shared apartments or four individual stays. Those are very different searches.
- Group arrivals by date. Show which people or departments arrive together and which join later.
- State bedroom requirements. Do not leave sharing arrangements to be inferred from the guest count.
- Identify location priorities. Include the main work locations and how the team expects to travel.
- Flag individual needs. Privacy, accessibility, parking or a quieter setting may affect which property is suitable.
Location should follow the actual working day. A central address may suit one team, while another needs a base that works better with its transport arrangements and filming locations. Share that context before choosing an apartment solely from its postcode.
When the schedule changes, separate a possible extension from a confirmed stay
A weather delay, an additional filming day or a revised arrival can change the accommodation brief. The most useful preparation is to identify uncertain dates before they become urgent.
For example, tell us that a team has confirmed dates through Friday but may need to stay into the following week. We can check the position and explain the available options. A possible extension is not a reserved extension: additional nights and apartments depend on availability, and changes need to be agreed against the booking terms.
For each provisional stay, keep a decision date alongside it. Knowing when the production expects to confirm an extension is more useful than leaving a booking marked “possibly longer” with no next step.
It also helps to nominate one accommodation contact within the production. A single, current rooming list reduces the risk of an arrival change being sent by one department while the original dates remain with another.
Wrap: the last shooting day may not be the last accommodation night
Accommodation requirements often reduce in stages. Some people leave after their final scene or shift; others remain for returns, administration or the work needed to close out the production. If post-production staff will also be based in Dublin, set out those stays separately rather than assuming they match the filming schedule.
Review departures by person or apartment, not just against the headline wrap date. Where several people share a property, one person's departure does not necessarily mean the apartment is ready to be released.
Before the final week, confirm the expected checkout dates and any outstanding extension requests. Early departures, shortened bookings and refunds are subject to the agreed terms; they should not be assumed from a change to the shooting schedule.
A simple accommodation brief for all three stages
You do not need a finished call sheet to start a conversation. A clear first brief can be as simple as:
- Prep: arrival dates, expected departure dates and who may stay into filming.
- Shoot: guest numbers, separate bedrooms required and each arrival group.
- Wrap: planned departures and any smaller team staying on.
- Practical details: work locations, transport plans, property requirements and accommodation budget.
- Unconfirmed items: possible extra nights or people, with expected decision dates.
Mark what is confirmed and what is still being worked out. We would rather understand the uncertainties at the start than have you wait until every date is fixed before checking accommodation.
Planning a production stay in Dublin?
Our serviced apartments are available for stays from fourteen nights, subject to property availability and booking terms. Send us your prep, shoot and wrap dates—even if parts of the schedule are provisional—along with the guest and bedroom requirements. We will review the brief and come back with the options we can offer.
Send EirStay your production accommodation brief, or explore our film and TV production accommodation service. For the wider planning questions, our production office accommodation guide covers the practical considerations for a longer Dublin stay.