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Welcome To The Town Of Dennis, MA Film Webpage

We are confident that Dennis, MA offers all that you'll need in a film location. We are here to assist you with all of your needs including:

  • A big hearty welcome to Dennis!
  • Assistance in the permitting process
  • Assistance in working with our public service personnel if the need arises
  • Site Assistance; we are confident that our impressive selection of sites will suit your location needs

View Dennis, MA photos

About Dennis

Dennis is considered the "Heart of Cape Cod", and is blessed with beautiful beaches, rivers, ponds, hiking and biking trails, and bucolic vistas. Framed by Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay, Dennis is comprised of five distinct villages: Dennis Village, East Dennis, South Dennis, Dennisport, and West Dennis. The arts and culture environment is prominent and world-renowned and includes the famed Cape Playhouse, Cape Cod Museum of Art, and the beautiful Cape Cinema. The Cape Playhouse is the oldest summer theater in America and has attracted top Hollywood and Broadway talents such as Julie Harris, Humphrey Bogart, Betty Davis, Art Carney, Hume Cronyn, and others.

Located on beautiful Cape Cod, MA, Dennis is one of New England's most sparkling coastal communities. Located smack in the middle of Cape Cod, Dennis is less than a two-hour drive to international airports in Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. The Town of Dennis is blessed with a wide range of seascapes, landscapes, streetscapes, buildings, and character for a variety of film genres.

The Town's coastal climate tends to be more moderate than inland locations with extreme heat or cold being rare. In the winter, the first freezing temperatures usually occur in early December, but the temperature is modified considerably by the nearness of the relatively warm ocean. Colder weather usually fades out by early March. Although it can get quite warm in the summer, the hot afternoons frequently are tempered by the ocean breezes from the waters surrounding Dennis. September and October are simply glorious.

Amenities

Cape Cinema

In June 1930, just three years after successfully launching the Cape Playhouse for legitimate stage productions, young Raymond Moore opened the Cape Cinema, "a new miniature talking picture theater deluxe." Designed by Alfred Easton Poor, to Moore's specifications that it is "intelligent and artistic," the Cinema's facade is modeled on the Congregational Church in Centerville, Mass., with sides that give the appearance of a cow barn.

The Cape Cinema is not only an architectural gem on the outside, its interior is spacious and comfortable. The Cinema's crowning glory though is the mammoth ceiling mural, designed and executed by Rockwell Kent, one of America's most original and controversial artists.

In his lifetime Kent did only five murals of which three are still in existence: two for government buildings in Washington (the post office and the Marine Bureau of Fisheries) and the one in the Cape Cinema in Dennis. The Cape Cinema would be the perfect theater to premiere your film, especially one that was made in Dennis!

For other amenities, attractions, and resources, please get in touch with the Dennis Chamber of Commerce.

Permitting Process

Film production permits for the Town of Dennis are currently issued with a $200 fee. Authorization is granted by the Dennis Select Board, after review of the completed Permit Application (PDF).

  • The permit procedure should begin as soon as a location has been chosen.
  • A permit is not required if filming on private property only although all production companies are requested to notify the Town of Dennis Board of Selectmen regarding their intentions, whether on private or public property.
  • If the production company desires to film in or on public property (i.e. park, beach, town-building or structure, public land, etc.) or on a public way (i.e. street, sidewalk, bike path, etc.) the Town may require a current certificate of insurance indemnifying the municipality for a minimum of $1 million.

Permits will not be issued with less than 48 hours notice for any film production. It is advisable to provide at least two weeks' notice when the request includes closing a street or any public way. The Dennis Select Board may require production companies to hire police details to ensure public safety, traffic, and spectator control.

For planning purposes, adjacent, businesses and/or residents should be contacted in person by the film production company and receive a written letter or flyer relating to the extent of the project as it may impact their ability to conduct business as usual.

If production requires filming on the waters of Dennis, the Town of Dennis Harbormaster must be notified in writing of a request to film, detailing the activity and timeframe. This request must be received at least two weeks before filming.

For access to any facilities, roads, parks, or other potential locations that are owned or controlled by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, inquiries should be made directly to the Massachusetts Film Office. This would include the use of state roads and bridges within Barnstable County (Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Highway Office) and public safety (Massachusetts State Police). Email the Massachusetts Film Office, call 617-423-1155, or send a fax to 617-423-1158.

Download the Town of Dennis Permit (PDF). Attach additional pages if necessary and submit an application to:

Kelly Race
Town of Dennis Selectmen's Office
685 Route 134
South Dennis, MA 02660
Phone: 508-760-6148
Fax: 508-394-8309

Casting/Union Information

Need talent? Massachusetts is loaded with it! View a list of a few local talent agencies in Boston and the surrounding communities.