Location manager: Job description

Location managers are responsible for making all the practical arrangements for film or photographic shoots taking place outside the studio. Productions are made in a wide range of places and location managers need to research, identify and organise access to appropriate sites.

As well as arranging and negotiating site use, the role usually includes managing sites throughout the shooting process. This involves working to strict budgetary and time limits and maintaining a high standard of health and safety and security. The demands of organising crews and dealing with a range of people make this an intense and varied role.

Typical work activities

A location manager's role follows a sequence of activities from pre-planning to the completion stages of a production. Typical activities include:

• assessing scripts or story boards and scheduling them according to location;
• meeting with the director and designer to discuss projects and working to their creative vision;
• collating ideas and undertaking research using resources such as the internet, specialist location libraries, local and regional film commissions and agencies;
• visiting and photographing locations appropriate to budget in order to assess suitability;
• making preliminary enquiries regarding access, parking and location use;
• liaising with the director to discuss and show ideas and photographs;
• collating practical information on potential locations, such as hotels for accommodating the crew and cast, and, in the case of photography shoots, often booking the hotel and making travel arrangements;
• liaising with key members of the production team to assess visual and technical specifications;
• researching locations thoroughly to ensure no disruptive noises or events are likely to occur during the shoot;
• negotiating access and drawing up a contract with location owners;
• organising permissions for access, for example, with local authorities and the police;
• scheduling crew arrival dates and times and keeping all parties informed on site;
• ensuring the technical specifications for equipment, power sources and crew accommodation on site are met;
• ensuring compliance with health and safety and security requirements and undertaking risk assessments;
• distributing maps, directions, parking plans and all relevant support information to all services and crew;
• arranging schedules for the day with the assistant director to ensure continuity;
• managing the location on the day and resolving practical or people-related problems as they arise;
• supervising location support staff throughout the process;
• dealing with members of the public who may intrude upon a shooting location;
• ensuring the final clearing up ('the wrap') runs smoothly and thanking site owners.

For an overview of typical work activities and some of the challenges a location manager may encounter see Location Works - How to Become a Location Manager .