In the early days of television, much of production took place in a studio where everything could be kept under reasonable control. Recording on location involved carrying around heavy equipment, dealing with the vagaries of changing light conditions and curious onlookers, and coping with extraneous noise, which made clear audio difficult to obtain. Now cameras are light and portable. One can be embedded in a cricket stump. An acceptable image can be recorded in remarkably low light conditions and ride high contrasts in lighting levels. If the audio recorder cannot exclude unwanted noise on location, there is a second opportunity in post-production. The increasing capacity for effective recording in the real world has driven a change in audience taste over the years. The authenticity of location is generally preferred to the artificiality of studio.

For the most part, locations aren't just there for the taking. Someone or some organisation owns them, or administers or occupies them. When a production finds a location that suits its purposes, it must negotiate permission with the owner, occupant or administrator to enter the location with all the regalia of production, often disrupting whatever activities would normally be going on. For a documentary this isn't such a problem. Documentary moves from location to location much more rapidly than drama and, in any case, there's often a connection between subject matter and location. An agreement to participate in a documentary production will usually embrace agreement to allow access to a relevant location.