Day in the life

A day in the life : Location Manager

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08:00
Arrive at the drama location, 2hrs before shooting is due to start. Check that all the facilities are in place. Loos, catering vans, make up and costume caravans and the mobile homes for the cast.

09:00
Run around and trouble-shoot a few things that aren’t as they should be. The scaffolding hasn’t been finished, the catering van is in the wrong place (it’ll be in shot!)

10:00
phew! shooting starts as if nothing had happened. I grab a late breakfast and leg it up the hill to check we have the crane and set dressing in place for the next set-ups. It’s a lot more peaceful up here

12:00
Meet up with the designer to double check props arriving and leaving the location. I work very closely with the designer – we are always talking about the design requirements ahead of time

13:00
lunch .. a sandwich in the car as I’m off to pick up some diesel for the Land Rovers

14:00
Resolve a dispute with the landowner, take him to the pub. We’ll be OK for an extra day here now.

16:00
Organise the repositioning of some of the trucks to another location for the late afternoon shots. A beautiful scenic location… but we need clear skies. I’m sorry but I can’t organise the weather!

17:00
Make a load of calls to get a few things sorted for tomorrow, try and keep my head down, … its going surprisingly well today, I can keep out of the way. If the location logistics run well I’ve done a decent job.

18:00
We’ve wrapped, the weather held, we’re on schedule and off to the restaurant.

Career details: Location Manager

What you do: The range of the job.

Working closely with the production manager, you will remove many of the logistical burdens of a shoot from the director. You’ll assist the director, (usually in a drama) to find, set up and ‘manage’ locations for the programme. You’ll have to try and interpret what the director has in his/her mind and find a location that comes close. Then check out access, parking, power availability and safety considerations. You will arrive at the location first on the day of the shoot make sure all the facilities are in place to ensure a smooth running day.

Qualities: What you need to be able to do the job

They have to be highly practical, organised and reliable, as the whole shoot will depend on their planning, along with the production manager. Also interpersonal, visual skills and stamina. The job involves a lot of travelling and early starts.

Career path: How you start and where you can go with it.

Probably start as a runner or AFM. A location manager will probably progress to production manager and possibly director or producer. You may go on to assistant director in drama.

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