August 19th 2026
How many of you jump out of your seats and exit the cinema when
the credits start to roll? Not me! I sit it out to the very end, and so often
marvel at how many people it takes to get a feature film together. Crew by the
gazillion, job descriptions I've never imagined (or understood), all part of
the intricate dance (and sometimes years of work) that goes into getting a
movie onto the big screen.
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| Site of locally shot scenes |
When a letter appears in my box announcing scenes from a major feature film would be shot in a house diagonally opposite my home, I decide to find out a little more - from the horse's mouth. So I head over to the fabulous six-bedroom architect-designed home, with its blend of early 1950s modernity and art deco charm, all with a generous helping of Hollywood style glamour.
How on earth was this particular chosen? Location scout Marcia tells me scouts have a list of hundreds of possible homes, often photographed in passing, and then if the place is suitable, and matches the script, the owners are approached. After saying an enthusiastic yes, apparently my neighbours had to move everything out from the house into the garage, so that new interiors could be created. Now that's a labor of love, in the cause of movie-making.
I first bail up Phoebe, who tells me her company, Set Piece
Catering, works providing catering solely to film and TV companies. On a shoot like
this anything from 120-200 people are fed and watered each day. Food is mostly
prepared offsite and trucked in, laid out buffet style. In fact nearby
Dendy Park Brighton is the unit base, where costumes, makeup, and much of the
food preparation is handled.
Julian Bungate runs Location Support Pty Ltd, (https://locationsupport.com.au/) a
company dedicated to managing all the logistics involved, from choosing
locations, to budgeting, safety, rules, truck parking, permits, neighbourhood
liaison and much more. I speak to the man himself, who gives me a privileged
peek into the long and arduous process.
“First I read the script sent from the producer. Then I head about to find the sort of locations they might want. Of course Non-Disclosure Agreements must be signed.”
Julian is a dab-hand at his trade. He confesses to starting
off in the humble job of a car cleaner on film sets at Warner Brothers Studios
on the Gold Coast. There he met Brian Burgess, who had been production manager
for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1972 film Frenzy. Burgess taught Julian all he knew about
production, and Julian went on from there to get into location management,
having all the knowledge of production under his belt, and thoroughly
understanding the critical interconnection between production and location
management.
This particular film has scenes shot in East Brighton,
Footscray, Belgrave, Flinders and much more. For every location used, local
councils must be involved, granting permits. Traffic management plans must be
made when filming on local streets. And then all the nearby neighbours must be
letter-dropped to tell them what’s happening.
Sometimes huge numbers of locations must be used for one
film or series. The award-winning mini-series Apple Cider Vinegar, for which Julian was also location manager,
saw shooting over 65 days in Victoria, using 112 locations. Now that’s a
schedule! Just the thought of overseeing and wrangling all the moving parts
needed to make things run smoothly overwhelms my brain.
Making sure a site is totally ready for filming is critical.
On this shoot, one site involves a disused hospital, and has seen Julian and
his team discovering piles of unused medical supplies which they sent over to
Africa.
Julian and I round off our insightful conversation with a brief mention of AI, CGI, blue screen and the like. He is emphatic about authenticity: “My job is to give texture – fabric, bricks, landscapes – real things.”
Once the location is up and running, Julian sends in a freelance
set location manager who is in charge, overseeing that everything runs to
schedule and continuing smooth liaison with neighbours. I ask this manager, who doesn’t want to be
named, if he ever runs into obstreperous neighbours. He tells me that some
object to filming in their street, but when he asks them if they watch TV at
night, and they say yes, he asks "Well, just how do you think these things
actually get made, without the cooperation of people living in the
location."
He loves his job and moves constantly from one film
production to another. I wonder if he ever gets attached to a particular film,
but the answer is no. Not so young Bella, location assistant, starting out in
the field. When she works on a small production she tells me she gets very
attached to the other crew members.
I wonder if the crew ever get to meet “the stars”. Apparently, seldom. Actors may wish to remain in character, so it is very important that they get a break, time to themselves, and not risk being disturbed by anyone asking questions, or bringing them out of their characters.
Filming is about to start, so for me it’s been a mere
glimpse into one part of the process. But what a critical part it is, and how
marvellous it is that the enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication of these people
lays the groundwork for an experience that will ultimately enthral us on the
big screen.
And so, what is this film being kept tightly under wraps? Facebook reports:
Sony Pictures has set Skeletons, a new horror thriller
starring Brie Larson and John Goodman in their first film together since 2017.
Directed by JT Mollner and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, the film is
based on Philip Fracassi’s Fail-Safe, with a release date yet to be
announced.
