Your house made the cut. Now what?

So you want to get your house in pictures.

The process often begins with a knock on your door from a location scout armed with a camera. Later, the scouting shots will be scrutinized by the director and the production designer, who have final say. Unless you’ve listed your home with a location service, most of which take a commission, the scout is the first gatekeeper.

There are aesthetic factors, but your home needn’t look like Tara. “In a typical suburban house, if the rooms are too segmented, the feel is claustrophobic,” says location manager Ilt Jones. “I look for places with open floor plans so the camera can move gracefully from room to room.”

Homes that are not decorative showplaces can work. “I tend to avoid houses where the taste is too fussy,” says location scout Lori Balton (“Heat,” “Pearl Harbor,” “The Insider”). “Wallpaper is an anathema. Your home needs to be personal and yet neutral enough to allow directors to impose their own choices over the existing ones.”

“The details are what makes a scout stop, says Mac Gordon, a location manager for “CSI: Miami.” “A good hedge that screens another house; the fact that the place is on a corner or it has a front door with a small porch.”

Then there are logistical factors: whether the neighbors are film-friendly and the property is accessible; and whether parking, catering and holding areas can be found nearby. “If you see the script has night filming, with gunfire, squealing tires and helicopters, there are just certain neighborhoods you stay out of,” Jones says.

The hassles may be worth it. Besides earning extra money (you can rent your house tax free for 14 days a year), there are less tangible perks, including the peripheral association with glamour. For a school project, Alison Alanis’ 14-year-old son made a documentary about the filming of “Monster in Law” in his Pasadena home, and he is now aiming for a career in the film business.

James Fox, who owns a modern estate on 23 acres in Chatsworth (used in “Six Feet Under,” an Usher music video and “Bewitched” with Nicole Kidman), has negotiated to have a film company’s temporary addition remain. “They put in a zebra cork floor that cost about $40,000 or $50,000, and I said, ‘Do you mind laying that in permanently?’ ”

Location services can be found on the Internet or in studio directories, such as L.A. 411. Some charge listing fees for a new property (Universal Locations, which lists 5,000 properties, charges $175). The firms’ commissions range from 20% to 30%, depending on the size of the job and property.

Let’s assume that the film company loves your house, you’re thrilled with the financial arrangements, the neighbors are willing and large people bearing heavy equipment are showing up at dawn. Now what?

Preparation: This can include minor alterations, such as a repainted hallway, or major constructions, like a porch or a two-car garage. Or it may mean leaving everything as is. After the film work is complete, a crew will put the home back the way it was, a task that can be helped with Polaroid or digital “before” pictures.

Contract: If you do not trust the location manager, do not sign the contract. You will have to hand over your keys to this person, so make sure you feel comfortable. Call your city’s film office. Check the film company’s reputation and past credits.

Insurance: Make sure the company is insured -- ask to see the certificate of insurance. As an extra measure, ask for a deposit. Almost nothing focuses a production company more than the idea of losing money.

Add-ons: Set rules you feel comfortable with. You can stipulate that there be no eating, drinking or smoking inside the house.

Neighbors: Take care of them. Spread the wealth. Ask the film company to “buy” the neighbors’ driveways. Ask for off-site parking.

Damage control: Know there can be damage. Remove irreplaceable objects.

Finally, let go: Once you’ve signed the contract, get out of the way and let the crew do its job.