A location manager’s role is primarily to find locations the fit the director’s vision for a scene, and to ensure the suitability of that location for the specific shoot. This will include a great deal of research and presentation skills to make the findings of the location team easily digestible for the director.
Whereas a location scout may find and photograph apparently perfect locations for shooting, it is the location manager who will decide whether it is logistically and practically possible to use that location. For example, the actors may not be able to travel a certain distance on a certain day due to time constraints, or the cost of moving the entire crew to a so called ‘perfect’ location may be prohibitive; in this case the location managers role will be to identify an alternative shooting location.
In this sense the locations managers role overlaps with the directors and producers roles as it is his responsibility to ultimately determine if their requirements are met by a location that has been optioned. This goes beyond the on camera requirements; although a director will wish to prioritise a location in terms of its suitability for a shot or scene, the location manager must also take into account budget, access, parking, location use restrictions and network with local film agencies. An additional necessity of the job, although not legally required, is to inform local residents and police of any disruption, find ways to keep disruption to a minimum (e.g. by parking crew trucks further away from a shoot but keeping public access open), and to ensure a site is left in the condition it was found. Although not legally required, the friction that can be caused by the arrival of a film crew may have knock on effects for the future of shooting in that area; this alone is reason enough to be diplomatic in handling on location shoots, not to mention general consideration for others.
Once a location has been agreed, the location manager will be expected to organise access routes and maps (particularly for larger crew and equipment trucks that may not be able to easily access a given site), find power sources and crew accommodation, comply with health and safety requirements (e.g. by completing risk assessments), arranging schedules and arrival times for the day, and ensuring a location has been researched thoroughly to prevent unexpected disturbances (e.g. noise from a nearby train line).
On the day of the shoot, the location manager continues to fulfil a vital role; liaising with location support staff, heads of production sub groups, local residents and site owners to ensure the smooth running of the shoot. The location managers role is largely diplomatic then; problems must be resolved with the crew and also with local residents or those affected by filming, and particularly with those allowing/permitting the shoot.
Many of the additional skills beyond these required of a location manager are hard to quantify, hence the emphasis, as with many other jobs in the industry, on prior experience.
These could include good geographical knowledge, (particularly if a film is being filmed e.g. in a specific city), knowledge of architecture for period pieces, local government procedures for permissions, and excellent negation skills.
Most advice pages on the job however, including the three listed below, suggest that more than any of these things patience and stamina are the qualities that will be most valuable in a locations manager.
FURTHER READING:
http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/locations/article_3882_1.asp
http://www.locationworks.com/howto/
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/location_manager_job_description.jsp
(All accessed on 21/10/09)
