This month we speak to Cornwall-based location managers Johnny Bamford (credits include Doc Martin, Delicious and Saving Grace) and Carn Burton (credits include The Trouble with Maggie Cole, The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Kid Who Would Be King).
Much of Johnny Bamford’s job revolves around “the understated movement of hands”, he tells me. “If you want somebody to stop driving down a street in Cornwall, you don’t put your hand up. You put your hand down.”
Of course, it’s not just hand movements that make Johnny Bamford and Carn Burton two of the county’s most in-demand location managers. Neither are their successes solely thanks to their knowledge of Cornwall’s most photogenic hidden gems.
As the person responsible for the liaison between a production and the public, the location manager must be personable and persuasive. Sometimes that means knowing just what to say to encourage a landowner to let you film; sometimes it means knowing which hand gesture is most likely to stop someone driving towards your camera equipment. It also helps to know a good chunk of the Cornish population personally. “I went to school with them!” Johnny tells me. But above all, he says, his job is all about having the right temperament. “The location manager must never lose their cool.”
Thankfully, Johnny’s ability to keep his cool wasn’t put to the test on Sky One drama Delicious. The series was shot predominantly in South East Cornwall, and residents of Launceston and Calstock welcomed them with open arms. Johnny sees several reasons for this. Firstly, these beautiful locations haven't hosted many productions in the past, so having the crew around was a unique experience for residents. Secondly, like everything in this line of work it seems, success hinged on communication and a good understanding of people and relationships — “There was an understanding that local people would have a say”. It doubtless didn’t hurt that the production was led by locals, including producer Phillippa Giles and line producer Mike O’Regan.
Carn’s recent work includes ITV’s The Trouble with Maggie Cole. Production took place on both sides of the Tamar and, with no established studio spaces within easy striking distance, Carn explains how he drew on local connections to establish a pop-up solution. “A farmer friend pointed me in the direction of another farmer who had a large grain store on an isolated farm between Liskeard and Saltash. It was in a quiet location, and it had good access for articulated trucks. We had to adapt, but this process was made easy by the farmers’ help and a ‘can do' attitude."
Projects like Delicious and The Trouble with Maggie Cole were born and bred in the region, but many travel down from elsewhere. What is it that draws productions to Cornwall? “The sea”, says Johnny. Thankfully he dignifies my silly question by expanding. “There’s so much variety along the coastline, which means Cornwall can accommodate the needs of any scale of production, across any genre.”
Johnny recently worked on Netflix production The Cursed, in which Cornwall plays host to a Viking invasion. The main appeal in this instance was “a coastline that’s not dotted with holiday houses”. With countless coastal locations around Cornwall comparatively unblemished by development, period settings can be achieved without incurring VFX costs. “In the producer’s mind, it’s got to be authentic. Everyone wants authenticity. So while you could go to Camber Sands and spend the rest of your time masking out the groynes and the houses, you’d rather allocate budget to achieve authenticity.”
Carn adds that Charlestown Harbour is the location that “has probably brought more filming to Cornwall than any other”. Again, this is thanks to its range. “Charlestown can double for harbours through the ages and all over the world. With all the expertise and vessels available there, it’s an extremely versatile location.”
Working near the water is not without its challenges, of course. “The safety of all involved is paramount and trumps everything else”, Carn says. Productions visiting Cornwall are in safe hands. “We have perhaps the best marine expertise and water safety teams in the country, if not the world.” Furthermore, collaborating with the sea is “not an exact science”, and Johnny recounts at least one discussion with a director in which he’s had to explain that the level of the impending tide can only be predicted in approximate terms. “You can’t put tape down exactly where it’ll be. It depends on the air pressure. It depends on what happens in Bermuda…”
For Carn (a surfer) and Johnny (who used to own a surf shop), navigating these challenges so that productions can take advantage of Cornwall’s stunning coastal locations is all in a day’s work. “It’s a big part of our role, and we like it!”
Finally, I ask these two location managers which Cornish locations they are most pleased to have helped bring to the screen? For Carn, there are "too many to chose from” (a response that brings to mind the old saying, ‘a true magician never reveal his secrets’)! One that stands out for Johnny is the St Tudy manor house that starred in Saving Grace, because the location’s reality bore such strong parallels with the events of the film. “When I went to the house, the table was covered with bank demands and I was met at the door with a pitchfork.” I’m not sure whether the pitchfork in this anecdote was real or metaphorical, but either way, it’s abundantly clear that the life of a location manager is never dull.
At the very end of our conversation, Johnny casually remembers to mention that he chose Port Isaac as the home of Doc Martin — originally conceived as a spin-off from Saving Grace — and he’s pretty pleased with how that turned out. Given that the show has run for nine series and counting, I’d say that pride is plenty justified.
Written by Alex MJ Smith, with thanks to Johnny Bamford and Carn Burton.
