EVENT/CAREER DEVELOPMENT

As part of the event and to help us learn the importance of local organisations when it comes to planning a production, we were very lucky to get an interview with a wonderful lady called Maggie Ainley. Maggie worked for the Bath Film Office for ten years and as a result is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to filming in public spaces and the criteria that must be fulfilled before this can take place.

Maggie comes from a background in television working in such positions (amongst others) as a producer and PA and location manager. She started working for the Bat Film Office towards the end of the 90s and one of her first major projects was Chocolat starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.

Maggie explained that anyone who decides to film on the streets of Bath must first ideally get permission from the film office and fill out a brief form detailing their shoot. She explained that the film office maintained an important relationship with the local residents living at the various locations around Bath. She said that without there cooperation, filming would not be allowed to take place.

We filmed the interview and compiled it into a short film which we used during the event to highlight to the students the importance of organisation when planning to shoot. Meeting Maggie was a pleasure as she was really easy to talk to and knew everything there was to know about filming in Bath and obtaining permission from local authorities.