The actors are the one who protagonizes the story of a film, the directors are the one who tell the story of the film, the vfx artists are the one who give the magic touches to the film, and many of them are the one who people recognizes the most. But there are another heros who are the part of this equation that doesn’t get much credit for it, the one responsibles for scouting the cinematic and outstanding places that makes the film look the way it is, the location managers.
The primary job of a location manager is to research and secure the perfect location to film a movie or a TV series. Location managers handle the creative side of finding appropiate locations, and also, they handle the logistics needed to get the location. Some of the activities that location managers handle are paying the property owners, securing the permits necessary, and alerting the neighbors about the film shoot.
Scouting and securing locations
This is the obvious role of the location managers. The have to findthe perfect settling for each scene in the film, weather it’s a desertic landscape that looks like mars, a specific city street, or a specific building in a certain country. Once they indentify the locations desired and they had been approved by the director, they must secure the necessary permits and contracts to use the space for the filming.
Managing logistics
Locations managers must coordinate transportation, parking, and security for the crew and equipment, as well as managing any necessary changes to the location (if it is needed). For instance, if the scene requieres a specific type of lighting, the location managers are the ones responsibles for ensuring these elements are in place at the time of the filming. They also, must be able to troubleshoot any prroblems that arise, whether it’s dealing with unexpected ceather conditions or managing complains from nearby residents.
Wrapping up
When the filming is finished, they must ensure to return the location to its original state, cleaning up equipment, and ensuring all the permits and contracts have been properly closed out.
Overall, the role of a location manager in a film production is overlooked, but is an essential part of the filmmaking process.
The blog of Logistics at MGEPS at UPV 