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
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524995
24 • LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2024 IN MY CITY: 's-HERTOGENBOSCH Not far from the city is the Brabanthallen, which is the third- largest event complex in the Netherlands. It could act as an ideal unit base. In short, there is a wide variety of potential film locations, and the city is based very strategically. From Den Bosch, major cities such as Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam are less than an hour's drive away. It is also only a few hours' drive to parts of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg or France. Stevie: WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTIONS FILM IN DEN BOSCH? BH: The city has served as a backdrop for domestic productions, including the period dramas The Resistance Banker and The Gang of Oss. International productions have yet to find their way to Den Bosch. Stevie: WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE IN YOUR JOB? BH: The volume of film production in the Netherlands has increased significantly in recent years. But the Netherlands is small and there are regular returns to already-known film locations. This puts pressure on over-filmed neighborhoods. The location manager, therefore, has more responsibility than ever, because—in addition to scouting and managing the film location—he must also ensure that the community is left satisfied afterward. We also often have to deal with a short time frame in which we have to operate. The time from receiving a script to the first day of filming is getting shorter, while the crew's wishes and general scope of productions continue to increase. In my opinion, the combination of these elements creates one of the greatest challenges we face today. Den Bosch does not have a film office or film commissioner due to the relatively low number of film shoots that take place in the city. The location manager has to find his way within the various departments in the municipality like traffic, parking, marketing, etc., and it takes extra time. However, the city cooperates particularly well with film crews, and the processing is relatively quick for an experienced location manager despite the lack of a film office. Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES OR MOST MEMORABLE FILMING EXPERIENCES? BH: The shooting of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk was very memorable to me. We filmed almost all scenes that take place in the water or in the air in the Netherlands. I will not soon forget that I flew over the (lake) IJsselmeer in a helicopter, where the size of the film set and the number of boats and planes briefly gave me the oppressive feeling of having returned to wartime. Our unit base was located in Urk, a former island known for being a very conservative and religious municipality. I expected to end up in a very closed community, but nothing turned out to be further from the truth. We were welcomed with open arms. After the last day of filming, the local pub even organized a wrap party for us. It really surprised me! Stevie: DOES DEN BOSCH OR THE NETHERLANDS OFFER ANY INCENTIVES TO HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS? BH: Certainly! The Film Fund operates a cash rebate incentive of 35% on qualifying production costs spent on parties