I need to do a shoot in a public washroom

[TriggerLoft]

Should I just put a sign on the door saying "Out of Order"? Or is there a better way?

 

[AKUK]

I'd look into the potential legal aspects of this first, particularly if this public washroom is in a busy location. Putting a sign up saying "Out of Order" could see you wind up in trouble if a city worker investigates. Add to that, if someone walks into the washroom whilst you're shooting, I dare say a police report would be filed and you could end up with a visit from the RCMP.

 

[Gary A.]

Wellllll ... The proper way is to contact the government jurisdiction who is responsible for the restroom and make arrangements for them to put an Out of Order sign up.

Why 'must' you shoot in a public restroom? If these is a for profit shoot, then you should rent the restroom for the day. If this is for a school assignment, make arrangements with the school to use one of their restrooms.

 

[Gary A.]

I'd look into the potential legal aspects of this first, particularly if this public washroom is in a busy location. Putting a sign up saying "Out of Order" could see you wind up in trouble if a city worker investigates. Add to that, if someone walks into the washroom whilst you're shooting, I dare say a police report would be filed and you could end up with a visit from the RCMP.

Annnnnnd nobody wants a surprise visit by the RCMP.

 

[TriggerLoft]

I'd look into the potential legal aspects of this first, particularly if this public washroom is in a busy location. Putting a sign up saying "Out of Order" could see you wind up in trouble if a city worker investigates. Add to that, if someone walks into the washroom whilst you're shooting, I dare say a police report would be filed and you could end up with a visit from the RCMP.

Annnnnnd nobody wants a surprise visit by the RCMP.

Imagine that on the news

 

[AKUK]

I'm sure it would be a head-liner on CTV! lol.

 

[tirediron]

I'd look into the potential legal aspects of this first, particularly if this public washroom is in a busy location. Putting a sign up saying "Out of Order" could see you wind up in trouble if a city worker investigates. Add to that, if someone walks into the washroom whilst you're shooting, I dare say a police report would be filed and you could end up with a visit from the RCMP.

Annnnnnd nobody wants a surprise visit by the RCMP.

That's the least of one's worries. They might be able to surprise a day old doughnut at Tim Horton's, but that's about it. They're as subtle as a kick in the ****.

 

[tirediron]

What AKUK and Gary said. There's huge potential for this to go sideways. I too am curious about why you "need" this location. I can think of a lot of down sides, not the least of which is the sanitation issue.

 

[TriggerLoft]

What AKUK and Gary said. There's huge potential for this to go sideways. I too am curious about why you "need" this location. I can think of a lot of down sides, not the least of which is the sanitation issue.

Its for a scene in a video. Though we could have chosen a better location but I feel like it would be the funniest and most appropriate location for this scene.

 

[Designer]

Its for a scene in a video. Though we could have chosen a better location but I feel like it would be the funniest and most appropriate location for this scene.

Talk to the management. If you get permission, than talk to the maintenance person, and have him clean it and close it. Be sure to tip the cleaner.

 

[KmH]

Should I just put a sign on the door saying "Out of Order"? Or is there a better way?

Can you afford the time, aggravation, and expense if you're arrested/cited/sued for not first getting appropriate permissions from the applicable authorities?
If not, the better way is to first get the appropriate permission(s) from the applicable authorities.