Latest blockbuster to be shot in Edinburgh will bring acclaimed location manager back to Capital

Hollywood stars have flocked to Edinburgh in recent years, starring in blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War, Fast and Furious 9 and The Princess Switch. It seems movie producers just can't get enough of the Capital's majestic settings, historic closes and dramatic skyline.

Lloret MacKenna Dunn

Tom Hanks, Vanessa Hudgens and Julia Roberts are just some of the A-listers you may have spotted on the streets of the city in recent times... but did you?

Lloret MacKenna Dunn, one of Scotland's leading Supervising Location Managers has worked on numerous movies in the Capital and cautions that the star you spotted may not have been all they appeared.

She explains, "The time a star spends on set varies because today a lot of doubles are used. On the film World War Z, for example, we had great fun because Brad Pitt had five or six doubles. Someone would come into the office and say, 'I think I have just seen the real Brad Pitt,' then someone else would say, 'No, he's shorter...' So even we had fun trying to spot the real Brad, but it was just thrilling seeing a double."

Over the years, MacKenna Dunn, who boasts more than 25 years in the movie business, has become more than familiar with the vagaries of the city having worked on titles like T2 Trainspotting, Outlaw King, Eurovision and Hallam Foe. Next year, she will return to Edinburgh to work on the new Stephen Frears movie, The Lost King, written by Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan.

"Much of the script is set in Edinburgh where Philippa Langley, the main character lives," says MacKenna Dunn. It's an incredibly important production for Edinburgh."

The Lost King is inspired by the 2012 true story of the discovery of King Richard III's remains under a car park, and will co-star Coogan as Langley's husband.

She adds, "It won't shoot until the summer and will be shot in Edinburgh, Glasgow and other yet to be discovered locations."

Simon (Jonny Lee Miller), Renton (Ewan McGregor) and Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova) drinking in Simon's flat T2 Trainspotting

Finding those other locations is part of MacKenna Dunn’s job, for the uninitiated she talks us through the almost endless responsibilities of a Supervising Location Manager.

"Basically I am in charge of all the location elements of a production, supervising other location managers on larger productions. Take T2 Trainspotting, for example, not the largest production, but we had location managers here in Edinburgh, over in Glasgow and a couple in Central Scotland - I was running around making sure I was across everything while they were drilling down into the detail of it."

The locations department work with every department of the crew from finding locations to liaising with the cameraman, chief electrician and costume, although, that’s not the half of it.

"We liaise with the public, we might need to change all the traffic lights in their road or ask them if we can change the curtains in their windows," MacKenna Dunn continues, "If we are closing a road, we liaise with the Council on those permissions and we are perpetually liaising with the public. I'm sure people in Edinburgh have seen it many times; you turn a corner and there’s somebody in a high visibility jacket saying, 'Hello, just to let you know we’re doing a bit of filming, could you take an alternative route?'

Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce in Outlaw King

"Security is also a huge part of our remit as is ensuring vehicles are serviced and fueled... it's a very immersive role."

At this year's BAFTA Scotland Awards on Tuesday, December 8, the location manager will get a taste of life on the other side of the camera when she stars in EE Film Stories, a short film revealing how EE’s latest network innovations will impact on film making. The film will open the live stream of the 2020 Awards.

"2020 has been a tumultuous time for the industry and, of course, beyond,” she says. “But I have been encouraged and inspired by the innovations that allow us to introduce colleagues from all over the world to the wonders of Scotland live and, in the moment, through the power of a 5G phone.

“Previously, it could be a lengthy process sharing location images, now with reliable, near-instant network connection, I use high-quality video calls and images to recce with my team remotely and make decisions quickly.”

Netflx production Eurovision filmed in various parts of Edinburgh

All of which will become ever more vital as the Capital continues to grow in popularity with international movie producers, something we have to look forward too.

"Film making in Scotland has been on the increase over the last few years and the reputation Scottish crews have internationally set Scotland in good stead for productions to come here,” reveals MacKenna Dunn, adding, “and yes, we are hindered by not having our own studio, however, we do have our exciting new development in Leith. It's incredible. It further introduces us to international interest.

"It's now commonplace for my colleagues to work with international crews and that's just a fantastic situation to be in, especially now when we look at Leith and the studio there; it's very busy, there's a lot of crew working there just now with Netflix on The Princess Switch."

Another production MacKenna Dunn worked on in the Capital was last year's Eurovision, starring Will Ferrell. "That was a remarkable production for many reasons, not least because we closed down the Old Town for night filming with fast cars and the need to fly drones at low height," she recalls.

The Chris Pine movie Outlaw King, some of which was filmed on location at Craigmillar Castle, also kept her busy. "That was a big job, moving everything in for the shoot, but what is great is that the blank canvas of the shell of Craigmillar Castle is a very creative element. In the film it became a totally different location.”

Lloret MacKenna Dunn stars in EE Film Stories: BAFTA Scotland, which will open the livestream of the British Academy Scotland Awards, December 8, 7pm

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