About the Liverpool Film Liaison Officers

KEVIN, 29, started work at the Liverpool Film Office in May 2002, originally on a three-month post-graduate training scheme. But he loved it so much, he stayed!

“My background is photography, which I studied at art college and university. When it came to starting my career, I really wanted to move away from photography, but remain in the arts sector,” explains Kevin.

“When I was offered a permanent job in the Film Office it seemed ideal, as I was able to draw on all those skills, although I admit I didn’t really know much about the media when I first came to the Film Office.”

Today, though, all that has changed, and Kevin is very highly regarded in the industry for his amazing Liverpool locations knowledge.

“From a locations point of view my photography background was ideal, and although I’d never even been on a set and didn’t really have any technical knowledge, I was able to pick things up as I went along, so my confidence in the role soon grew,” he says.

“Location managers would take me on the set and worked with me, so I learnt a lot from the clients I worked with. I’m constantly learning something new because my work changes as trends change. The focus is always new.

“I suppose you could call me a jack-of-all trades, master of none, but that’s the way you have to be in this job,” he adds.

From logistics to events, office management to communications, a Locations or Film Liaison Officer needs a grounded knowledge in all those areas. “The week is never typical because it’s an untypical type of job,” explains Tracy, who has worked at the Liverpool Film Office for nine years.

“Usually, I check the emails first thing, in case any urgent requests have come in over night, particularly from abroad. Then if there’s something shooting in Liverpool that day, Kevin or I call the production unit and make sure everything is OK,” she adds.

“Often I speak to location managers about particular scenes, and they tell me about anything we need to tie down, so I can advise them on which permits they’ll needed, and so on. I also do technical reccies with producers to find out what they want, and when,” explains Kevin.

“At the technical reccie we ask questions like, do we need control of the road before we shoot that scene, where will the lights go, will a street have to be closed, that sort of thing. It’s my job to make sure that everything they want doing, can be done. I work very closely with the council highways and Merseyside Police when it comes to things like road closures.”

Kevin and Tracy also have to find time to answer the other everyday requests they receive. “We get calls from members of the public wanting to know about being extras, and crew call asking about what productions are coming up because they’re looking for work,” explains Kevin.

And the work doesn’t stop there. “I’m always on the lookout for new locations, and I spend time talking to our partners, and departments such as parks and estates, who are often asked to get involved in filming.”

There’s no doubting Kevin and Tracy’s commitment to their jobs, and their love of the work – and Merseyside - is obvious.

“When it comes to filming, Liverpool and Merseyside has everything you need. We call Liverpool a world in one city – and I really believe it is. From hills and lakes in Knowsley Hall Estate, to St Helens which is known as one of most rural borough’s in the UK, and we’ve also got the gritty, urban landscapes producers’ love,” says Tracy.

“I always tell location managers, if we haven’t got it in Liverpool, then we’ll have it within a half hour’s drive, because I know I can always call on Vision and Media’s other four Film Liaison Officers to help out,” adds Kevin.

“The other day, for example, I had a request from Disney, looking for locations. All five Film Offices worked together to get our proposal to them by the end if the day – offering them everything from a gothic castle to international airports.

“They were doing a UK-wide search, so we were competing with the other regional screen agencies, but we always do out best to show them what the Northwest – and in my case, Liverpool and Merseyside, can offer.”

Nothing, it seems, is a problem for Kevin or Tracy. Even last-minute, OTT requests can usually be accommodated – given time. “Occasionally I might get a call saying, can we close down the city centre tonight because we want to do an action shot. Liverpool always likes to try and assist its film crews, so my reply would be… maybe, I’ll look into it, but if not then probably next week,” laughs Kevin.

Once the filming is over, Kevin might be expected to sit back and – quite literally – enjoy watching the fruits of his labour. But it never works out that way. “I can’t enjoy a film or TV programme properly when I know it’s been filmed in Liverpool, because I’m too busy watching it and pointing out where they filmed that, or what part of the city doubled for that, so I miss a lot of the story.

“But I always feel so proud when a production company commits to filming here. That’s the best part of the job,” he says. It’s even better when the production company turn up as planned, but are so impressed with what they find, they stay even longer.

Across the Universe is a Beatles musical which shot in Liverpool in 2005 and was released in September 2007. “Originally they were only going to film a couple of shots in Liverpool, maybe one or two days of second unit filming, but in the end they stayed here for seven days because they were so impressed with what Liverpool had to offer,” says Kevin.

“That was great news for us because the inward investment to the city was bigger than the money Miss Potter brought to Cumbria as they had over 300 extras, and the infrastructure to go with that.”

Inward investment is a crucial part of the plan when it comes to Liverpool Film Offices’ activities. Last year, the Film Office recorded an 80% increase in the number of filming days in the city, with 219 productions shot in Liverpool and Merseyside during 2006.

“The city is only going to grow in film terms, and I think it will become a more recognisable location on a European scale because of that,” says Tracy. “There’s never been a better time to film here.”

Contact Kevin and Tracy

Liverpool Film Office