The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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From top: St Agnes and Chapel Porth, Cornwall; filming Suffragette; the interiors of Hatfield House. Harry Potter and even Paddington have strolled. "It's horses for courses," says Jane. "If you want something that's really historic, you need to go to Hatfield." Unlike a Trust or Heritage property, this Jacobean residence is privately owned. Lord and Lady Salisbury live in the east wing, sharing the property with the 15th- century "Old Palace," where Henry VIII's children once cavorted. Location manager Adam Richards, LMGI had already used Hatfield for Sherlock Holmes (2011) and Anna Karenina (2012) when he brought director Yorgos Lanthimos there for The Favourite. "There are a finite amount of locations that would have suited this production," says Adam, "of which Hatfield is a fine example." Just 21 miles north of London, the house and its expansive, well- lit rooms perfectly suited the director's penchant for wide shots and natural lighting. "It sparked his imagination and proved ideal for the film." Adam's location team and the crew "were absolutely phenomenal," says Sarah Cardall-Spawforth, senior operations manager at Hatfield House. "The detail that they went into and the care that they took in looking after all of the historical items was out of this world." Hatfield generally closes in September and reopens in April. In the case of The Favourite, which began filming in February, "we delayed opening for a few weeks to enable them to finish." Nevertheless, the public "expects us to be there," says Sarah. Hatfield is typically open Wednesday through Sunday, so there were a few weeks when the crew would prep on Sunday and strike on Tuesday to have the house open by Wednesday. Filming wrapped in May with reshoots in August. "It was probably the longest production we had in a continual cycle," Sarah calculates, and involved a flying squad of furniture movers. "It was a big jigsaw puzzle. We didn't want to take everything out of the house if we could help it, and then it's a battle to get everything reinstated so we can actually be open to the public." "The house was a key player in the film," adds Adam. "But when filming in any historic property, protecting the fabric of the building is uppermost in your mind. A lot of paintings had to be removed or covered, and rooms emptied of furniture, which was a logistical headache. It was a case of moving furniture from one room to another as we progressed through the house, generally shooting in one room at a time." "The great thing about The Favourite," remembers Sarah, "was that they asked before they did anything, and if they weren't sure, they asked again. I've worked with several productions where questions weren't asked, and then I hop around the corner for a cup of tea and come back and—What are you doing? We want to see Hatfield House standing for hundreds of years to come." But for locations within or near the production hub of London, convenience can have its downside. Red tape, for one. "We've got 20 burroughs," says Pat, "and they've all got their own film officer and their own individual rules." Cost, for another. "Hatfield House is about 15,000 pounds (roughly $20k) a day now to shoot. But if you go outside that region—within a 100 miles—you can halve that cost or quarter it with a house that hasn't been used before." And that is often the Holy Grail of location managers. The new. Undiscovered. Unseen. "It could be that little house you pass on the green," suggests Tom, "and you stop and think, 'That would make a lovely cottage for the shepherd—we just need to get rid of that garden and the Photos by (from top) ©National Trust Images, John Millar; Harriet Lawrence/LMGI; Courtesy of Hatfield House