We’ve had a bumper 2013 in which film days doubled to over 6,500 and our team of fixers tripled to meet the new demands.
With Islington, Lambeth, Kingston and Croydon joining FilmFixer this year, we have grown into the one-stop service for sourcing London locations and making sure filming across our boroughs is safe and well controlled.
In addition to this, most of London (and much of beyond) is now using our highly efficient software platform FilmApp to service permissions.
Our bumper year indicates the film industry is in fine fettle – which is good news for all in the capital. Due to the Olympic Games dominating the use of London last summer, a number of productions had been delayed to 2013. But new tax incentives for large-scale TV dramas unlocked a tranche of extra productions, and there was a hike in big budget movies shot.
Before going any further here, though, we would like to wish you all a fabulous festive season. And we look forward to another great year of fixing with you in 2014.
If we had to pick our highlights
It would be a difficult choice between:
London Fields, from the Martin Amis novel, filmed in October, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Cara Delevingne.
Guy Ritchie’s Man From U.N.C.L.E., that transformed Padfield Road, Lambeth into 1960s Berlin, or their shoot at Millennium Mills, where the stunts included boats, guns, and vehicles hurtling off jetties.
Then, there was the lovely Katy Perry video for her new single Unconditionally, filmed at Stratford Town Hall, with her dancers, greyhounds and owls – making faded grandeur look positively decadent. Take a look for yourself here.
We also enjoyed fixing the star-studded features Frankenstein, Rush, Imitation Game, Mortdecai, Secret Service, Angelica and Kick Ass 2.
TV dramas fixed by us this year included Elementary, Sherlock, Lucan, Legacy, Mr Selfridge, Worricker, Babylon and the new Kudos series Smoke – all great fun!
Londoners – meet London – introducing residents to the filming on their doorstep
Community engagement is one of our favourite parts of the job – opening sets to residents so they can see what’s being filmed in their neighbourhoods.
On the Paddington Bear shoot, we asked the filmmaker to set up a platform at the end of Chalcot Crescent, in Primrose Hill, giving residents a close up view.
We arranged set visits for local schools in East Ham, for the Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Kennington for Secret Service; Southwark for Pride; and Bromley for Rush.
Possibly our favourite producer on this front was Danny Boyle, working on the TV drama Babylon, who happily knocked on doors to meet residents during filming. And he’s agreed to speak at the Horniman Museum in Lewisham to share his experiences of last year’s Olympics.
Fixes of the year
Feature Fix: The new London Fields feature, which included a shoot at Crystal Palace Subway. This remarkable location had been closed for several months to filmmakers, so we were delighted when its full cinematic potential was returned to us. Opened in 1865, the Crystal Palace Subway connected a large rail terminus (demolished in the 1960s) to the Crystal Palace grounds.
Commercial Fix: The Moneysupermarket ad filmed in Croydon. This fun, fast-paced commercial saw thousands of loveable cats running through Surrey Market, Shirley Library and the bustling streets of Croydon.
Newham: the newest glamorous international destination
Increasingly we are asked to fix London to look like a foreign location. Notably, Millenium Mills, and a number of roads in Newham, were turned into a stunt-filled, pitch black Moscow night for Mortdecai.
We had a great time helping to turn Camden into New York for Kick Ass 2.And anyone walking around Loughborough Junction, Lambeth in September would have thought they were in 1960s Berlin – the The Man from U.N.C.L.E. parked a fleet of Trabants and other curious East German props in Padfield Road.
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About FilmFixer
FilmFixer is the one-stop service for location searches and permits. We manage filming access across the breadth of London’s settings – from iconic landmarks to cult gems. Our discretion, efficiency and integrity are our proudest assets.
FilmFixer’s committed, creative team negotiates across all control requirements on behalf of filmmakers, from parking, road and property access to resident outreach. We double revenues for client boroughs, whilst halving costs.
With our keen local knowledge, we are passionate advocates for London’s comprehensive locations portfolio. Drawn from the film industry, our team intuitively understands the needs of filmmakers. We also pride ourselves as good community members, enabling Londoners to enjoy the full advantage of filming in their neighbourhoods.
Twenty-two London boroughs also employ our popular film management software platform, FilmApp.
Find us online at www.filmfixer.co.uk and join us on Twitter @FilmFixerUK