What does Recce mean?
Recce is British English for reconnaissance — used in film and television production to describe a location scouting visit in which the director, cinematographer, production designer, and other key creative personnel visit a potential filming location to evaluate its suitability and begin planning how scenes will be shot there. A technical recce typically follows the initial location scout, involving a larger team of department heads who assess the practical requirements of filming at the location and begin making logistical decisions about camera positions, lighting approaches, and production design modifications.
Example:The director and director of photography conducted a recce of the five potential filming locations before making their final selection — walking each space with the script in hand, discussing how the camera would move through the environment and what modifications would be needed.
Example: The technical recce brought fifteen department heads to the selected school location two weeks before filming began — each assessing their specific requirements, from the electrical department’s power access to the art department’s planned set modifications to the location manager’s parking and access logistics.
Did you know?
The word ‘recce’ comes from military terminology, where reconnaissance refers to a preliminary survey of enemy territory. Its adoption into film production vocabulary reflects the British film industry’s significant influence on global production language — many terms used universally in professional filmmaking have British origins. American productions typically use ‘scout’ or ‘location scout’ for the same activity, while British and European productions consistently use ‘recce.’ On international co-productions, both terms are often used interchangeably.
You can also find “Recce” and related terms in this category: Filming and Production.
