Case studies: Location manager: Dee Gregson

Dee has a degree in film, TV and photography and after working her way up from a location assistant and unit manager she now works as a location manager on television, films and commercials. A member of the Guild of Location Managers, her credits include Bonekickers and Casualty for the BBC, as well as Tube Tales, a feature film for Sky TV.

While the photography side of my degree was very useful, the depth of technical knowledge wasn't necessary, especially these days when digital cameras do so much for you. The other part of the degree involved making programmes, editing, recording sound, directing, and I think helped to give a real overview of what making a programme or film entails and an understanding of the stresses and strains the other departments are under when filming. As a location manager my job impacts unusually much on every other department, even if only down to where they park their equipment vehicles or how many planes are flying overhead and disrupting sound!

My degree helped me get my first job as a receptionist and runner in a production company in Soho, but after that I think the work experience I received there and on freelance productions was most important. In a way I fell into being a location manager by accident, through becoming immersed in the film and TV world working as a runner and production assistant.

That's how I first became aware of the role of location manager existed. I began working as a freelance production assistant on mostly foreign films visiting London, and as the job was fairly flexible I was often asked to find locations to film at. A production manager I was working with said that he felt I would make a good location manager and that started me thinking about that as a career, as I enjoyed the scouting element.

The basic requirements would be the ability to use a camera and take good workman-like photographs of locations. You will also need a driving licence and the willingness to work long hours and persevere once you're hunting for a location. And not taking 'no' for an answer!

I got into the field by calling all the location managers in The Knowledge (an industry publication which lists all contact details of the various crew departments) and asking if they needed any help, if I could work for them, scout for them, be a location runner, anything. You need persistence.

The tasks I usually undertake include reading the script, identifying what locations are required, discussing them with the director and designer, then scouting around and finding several examples for each location which answers the brief as outlined by the director and designer. I then take photographs to show, visit a shortlist of those locations with the director and designer, whereupon we will hopefully decide on the chosen location.

Prior to the shoot we have a technical recce on a minibus with all the heads of department, visiting each location to decide what equipment is required at each, whether the road needs to be closed, how much space cleared for the action, etc. I then liaise with the location owner, agree a fee, communicate with the police and the council to sort out parking, permissions, etc. I letter-drop the nearby residents to let them know about the filming, arrange a unit base for parking of our facility vehicles (make-up, costume, caterers, etc.), arrange maps, directions and unit signage, and am present on site during filming in case of any problems. I am aided by the unit manager in the organisational details (letter-dropping, maps, waste collection etc).

It can be difficult when you are dealing with angry residents, trying to park a film unit where there are so many cars you can't squeeze in a Smart car, picking up polystyrene cups and water bottles at 9pm when the rest of the crew is in the pub. Also, it is hard being the polite, apologetic buffer between location owners and some difficult crew members who don't respect the location. In many places bringing a film unit in just adds to the chaos and disruption that certain places already have because of too many cars and people, so we are not always welcome.

However, I enjoy the scouting for locations, particularly interesting ones, I have filmed on the roof of St Pancras Hotel, scouted the sewers under the London Parks, driven a tube train on the Waterloo and City Line, worked in caves and on cliffs, beaches and boats, built roads on the Isle of Skye and visited places most people never get to see.