Traffic management sounds like a potential
nightmare for producers out on location.
But even complex shoots can run smoothly
if they are planned carefully and well in
advance.
The first step, always, is to contact the
relevant film authority to discuss the
feasibility of stopping or restricting traffic
for the purpose of filming. In London, for
example, this would be one of the city’s 32
London Boroughs or the City of London
Corporation. In a city such as Liverpool, it
would be the relevant council department.
Once this initial contact is made, the
discussion will widen to include the relevant
highways agency.
At this point, the producer needs to appoint
a specialist traffic management company
which will work with them right through
the planning and operational phases of the
shoot. The best way to get a feel for these
companies’ capabilities is to check their
credits and check for endorsements. Make
sure you get a quote and explore the range
of services the company is able to provide.
Calling in the experts
The importance of these location support
firms to the smooth running of a shoot
is summed up by Big Talk Productions
location manager Andrew Dalmahoy, who
booked a traffic management firm for a
shoot in Essex. It involved a period comedy
filmed over five days in the centre of a
village, which meant he had to put in place
four sets of Stop/Go boards for all five
days and also regulate the traffic once it
was released. “The entire production team
was extremely nervous about how much
could be shot during each hold and there
was also the impact on local residents and
through-traffic to consider. During the shoot
we didn’t have one complaint; the director
filmed everything he needed to and Essex
Highways were delighted with the way the
traffic management system operated. There
were some very busy periods of traffic but
they handled everything with great calm
and competence.”
Every traffic management company will
visit the proposed filming site and work out
the best way to achieve the production’s
goals with a minimum of disruption.
Minimal disruption is key, because the local
authority has a legislative duty to keep
traffic moving. The City of Westminster’s
advice on this Is: “You will need to produce
a traffic management plan that clearly
shows control points, diversions and
locations of the signs to be used, as well
as locations of any personnel that you will
assign to traffic control. We will need to see
a full method statement and evidence of
the traffic management company’s public
liability insurance.”
Expecting a crowd?
Special arrangements also need to be
made if the shoot is going to involve
stewards - for example if Mr Clooney is
attracting a load of female fans. If this is
the case, a stewarding plan will need to be
overlaid with any traffic management plan.
It’s also important to note that all stewards
and security staff will need to hold a valid
Security Industry Authority Licence.
If they haven’t done so already, the film
authority may suggest alternative locations
at this point to minimise impact on traffic
(and pedestrian) flow.
And there are factors that could come into
play. For example, some locations tend
to get overused and need to be rested to
avoid having undue impact on residents
or businesses. Others might come with
particular challenges. For example, if they
are near sensitive sites, the shoot might
require a police presence that could push
up costs. But fear not when this happens -
your local filming authority might know of a
similar site that is about to be closed off for
another reason, such as road repairs.
Communication is key
When it comes to the day itself, On Set
Traffic Management founder Bill Stanley
provides some very useful insights into
the logistics. Key points include the need
for good communication between the
production and the traffic teams. “The
lead traffic management operative should
have communication with the 1st AD to
discuss matters such as traffic control
point numbers and procedures in the event
of an emergency,” says Stanley. “Once
this is established, the 1st AD can relay
information to the rest of the crew.” Radios
are the best mode of communication,
but mobile contact numbers should be
available as back up.
Producers need to be clear about their
responsibilities and those of the traffic
TrafficManagement:
howtokeep it Simple
Since we started making feature films, road scenes have always been a major ingredient. Think about James
Bond cruising in his Aston Martin, Sandra Bullock hanging from a driving bus in Speed, or how about the latest
additions to the popular Fast & Furious series? All rely on one thing: good traffic management.
management team, adds Stanley. For
example, team members on the logistics
side cannot be expected to step in as
substitute security. In addition, producers
need to make sure high visibility jackets
are provided to the traffic management
team and suitable lighting is available when
filming at night, to ensure Stop/Go points
are visible.
Some help from the Men in Black
A question arising from the above is what
scenarios require a police presence.
Picking up this piece of the story is PC
James Waller of the Metropolitan Police
Service Film Unit who says: “The MPS Film
Unit only really gets involved in a couple
of situations. One is complex commercial
filming, such as action sequences.”
Complex filming scenarios within London
have included Fast & Furious 6, which
brought some high octane stunts to
Lambeth Bridge and Piccadilly; Skyfall,
which took over part of Vauxhall Bridge;
and Edge of Tomorrow, which saw Tom
Cruise land a helicopter in Trafalgar
Square.
“The latter was a multi-agency involving
the likes of Westminster, Transport for
London, The Greater London Authority,
the MPS Film Unit and the RAF (owner of
the helicopter). It was all a nicely joined up
process involving organisations that have a
lot of experience in production.”
Another area where the police invariably
get involved is filming on the move. There
are various rules and recommendations
regarding how production vehicles are
fitted out, what speed they can travel at
and when they need a police escort. If
in any doubt, says PC Waller, it’s always
worth checking with the Film Unit at the
outset.
A key area of expertise is in what Waller
calls “rolling road” production. “This is
where the producer wants a driving scene
but doesn’t want to have to shut the road.
We provide outriders in front and behind
so that the filming can take place on the
move without any risk to the film crew, the
public and other road users. It’s a very
efficient way of filming a scene,”PC Waller
says. “We completed rolling road filming a
few weeks ago for a car commercial. The
production was filming with a Russian Arm
(a remote-controlled, vehicle-mounted
crane) and needed the ability to film the
hero cars on the move through Central
London and into Docklands. Without the
ability to film in this way, the production
would have had to close all the roads on
the route between Westminster and Tower
Hamlets - which would obviously not have
been possible.”
In terms of availability to support
production, he says the MPS Film Unit has
a large pool of police officer volunteers
who get involved with production on
their day off (ie they are not a drain on
the service’s resources). “Altogether we
provide officers for approximately 650
filming days per annum.”
For the most part, he says the relationship
with producers is good: “85-90% of the
time it is excellent. I’d say the only issues
we have are, firstly, with producers that
aren’t used to the culture in the UK and
don’t necessarily understand the nature of
the relationship between the police and the
public; and, secondly, with producers from
a guerilla filmmaking culture.”
As a final observation, it’s worth saying that
producers should probably put in a call to
the police early on, even if police presence
isn’t likely to be required - but nobody likes
to find out on the day of the shoot.
by Andy Fry
Complex filming scenarios in London have included
Edge of Tomorrow, which saw Tom Cruise land
a helicopter in Trafalgar Square
Photo courtesy of Met Police Film Unit:
Filming on Location
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The Knowledge - Support
