In short: A location manager finds real places that suit a script's look, negotiates costs and contracts with the owners, and manages each location during filming. They present their finds to the director, and they check access, safety and legal points such as public liability and highways. The usual start is ScreenSkills' Trainee Finder scheme, or a trainee or runner role.
A location manager finds the places a production will shoot, makes them practical to use, and returns them in good order afterwards. ScreenSkills says they ensure locations are accessible, safe and not too expensive to hire. They research sites, negotiate costs and contracts with the owners, and manage each location during filming.
What a location manager does on a shoot day
On a shoot day the location manager is the production's contact for the place it is using. They arrive before the crew to check access, parking and power, and they stay to deal with neighbours, the public and the owner. The unit manager is their representative on set for arrivals, departures, unit bases and clean-up. When a site changes on the day, the location manager is the person who brings the options to the director.
Before the day, most of the work is in the office and on the phone. They send out movement orders to the crew, write letters to local residents where needed, and keep the owner informed. ScreenSkills describes the assistant locations manager as the person who scouts and prepares those movement orders.
Who they work with
The location manager presents their findings to the director, who approves the sites. They also work with the production designer and the department heads, because a location has to suit the sets, the lighting and the kit. Assistant locations managers scout and prepare movement orders and write letters to residents. Unit managers act as the on-set representative. Locations trainees and runners assist the wider team, and marshals manage the public and residents and liaise with the film unit. Reporting lines vary, so check the structure on each production.
Kit and skills
A location manager needs a camera or a phone for photographs, and detailed notes on each site. ScreenSkills names sourcing locations, negotiation and organisation as core strengths. Others that help are:
- Finding locations that fit the script and the schedule.
- Photography and careful note-taking.
- Knowledge of the legal points that apply to a location, including public liability, trespass, highways and health and safety.
- Negotiation, with owners, councils and residents.
- Organisation and clear communication.
- Map reading, and a driving licence, which adds versatility.
How to become a location manager
ScreenSkills suggests the Trainee Finder scheme as the best starting point. Qualifications in subjects such as photography, geography or business help, and so does an apprenticeship, perhaps in events, before moving into drama. Volunteering at gigs, live events and festivals is another route in.
A degree is not required, though some people take one in geography or event management. Health and safety courses and ScreenSkills' free e-learning are worth doing early, and networking through film offices and online groups helps. Backgrounds in the army, logistics, festivals or live music are common, so a previous career can count. There is no set route, but people usually start as a locations trainee or runner and work up through unit manager and assistant locations manager roles to locations manager.
Bectu, the union for people working in screen, publishes rate cards for production roles, including a Location Branch rate document for film and scripted TV for 2026. Read it before you agree a rate, and consider joining once you are working, and see crew rates explained: reading a Bectu rate card for how to read one.
Do you need one on a small shoot?
It depends on where the shoot is. A studio day has a fixed base, so the location manager's work does not usually arise. A shoot outside, in a public place, at a neighbour's house or on a working site, does need someone who handles access, permissions and the people nearby. On a small job, that person may be the producer or the director, and the brief should name them.
For shooting in public places, see filming in public places: council permits and film offices, and for the local picture, filming around Chichester. This is general guidance. A competent person must assess the actual site before the shoot, including the access, the public and any risk to the crew.
A studio day at the barn has a fixed base with ground-level load-in and on-site parking, so the work of a location manager rarely arises. The film crew hire page covers crew who already know the building.
Related roles
- What does a producer do?
- What does a production manager do?
- What does a production coordinator do?
- What does a line producer do?
- What does a 1st assistant director do?
- What does a director of photography do?
Sources
- ScreenSkills, Locations manager in the film and TV drama industries, read 5 November 2026
- Bectu, Ratecards: find out the rates for the work you do, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
What does a location manager do?
They find and secure the places a production will shoot. They research sites, negotiate costs and contracts with owners, manage the location during filming, and return it in good condition afterwards.
How do you become a location manager in the UK?
ScreenSkills suggests the Trainee Finder scheme as a starting point, and people usually work up from trainee or runner through unit manager and assistant locations manager roles. Backgrounds in the army, logistics, festivals and live music are common.
Do I need a location manager on a studio shoot?
Usually not. Most of the work comes from shooting outside, in public places or in other people's buildings. A studio day has a fixed base, so a location manager is rarely needed for it.
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