You can make a film in various locations, from deserts to forests and studios. Not only does the location manager find these places, but they ensure that they are safe and within budget.
This career is a good match for someone who enjoys working outdoors, interacting with people, and has an eye for detail. If you’re interested in learning more, keep reading as we discuss how to become a location manager, the job’s duties, required skills, pay expectations, and more.
What Is a Location Manager?
The location manager researches and secures the best locations for a movie. It’s a head of department job that has a big impact on the film’s overall look and feel.
They work with various film crew such as the director and production designer. It’s not only a leadership role, but a highly strategic and creative one.
A location must be practical, within budget, and match the director’s vision. It also needs to have a power source, room for car parking, and trailers. In addition, the site needs to be quiet, especially if the scene has dialogue.
Prior to filming, the location manager reads the script, notes locations, and searches for available sites. They also consider the art design, storyboards, and the director’s wishes before they rent the property or location and get signed permission to use it from the owner.
Then they perform a location recce. This is when the crew visits a site to see if it is a good fit for the film. There are many recces throughout pre-production, including a tech recce with the director of photography and key grip.
During filming, the location manager watches over the location. They ensure that it’s well looked after, clean, and safe. In addition, they find alternate solutions if there are any location problems.
What Does a Location Manager Do?
| Pre-production | – Do script breakdowns – Attend meetings with visual departments – Find locations and conduct recces – Secure sites with the location owner |
| Production | – Lead the location team – Look after the locations during filming – Monitor health and safety of crew – Keep location owners and the public happy |
| Post-production | – Clean up and leave the site in its original condition |
How to Become a Location Manager
Essential location manager skills:
- Photography
- Research and planning
- Detail-oriented
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Written and verbal communication
- Negotiation
- Safety-minded
There’s no location management degree needed for this job. However, it would be extremely valuable to complete courses that cover the basics of film production.
To become a location manager, you’ll need a valid driver’s license to start as you’ll be doing lots of driving before and during the shoot. You’ll also need a good mix of strategic and creative skills like research and planning, photography, and negotiation.
Perhaps more important than a formal education or informal online training is real work experience. It’s important to learn what makes a good location for filming and how to secure it legally, and that’s something you’ll learn from hands-on experience.
Finding Location Manager Jobs
Like all department heads, it takes time to get onto major film sets within this job role. This is why many location managers start their careers as location scouts, assistant location managers, or production assistants.
There’s a lot of important stuff to learn for this job, like filming law and safety practices. So while you could look for location manager jobs on low-budget film sets, you’ll want to be sure you have these skill sets and know-how under your belt first.
When you’re ready to start looking for work, film job websites are going to be a great resource. In addition to finding entry-level jobs in the field there, you might also find other relevant positions like location trainee and location team driver.
How Much Money Do Location Managers Make?
Minimum pay rate for location managers: $53/hour
Production crew rates are usually determined by a number of factors. For starters, if you’re part of a union like the Location Managers Guild International, you’ll likely make more than your non-union counterparts. Other factors include the production type, budget size, as well as your level of experience.
