Production Guild award for Lost in London team

Lost in London became an impressive technical achievement, shot in real time in a single take lasting more than 100 minutes across two dozen central London locations, and beamed live to hundreds of cinemas across the US, and to London’s Picturehouse Central.

Harrelson’s production team receive this year’s Production Guild Production Team of the Year Award, sponsored by Panavision, for their efforts on the movie.

Challenges on the film included facilitating an uninterrupted broadcast via an array of antennae that required line-of-sight contact with the transmission from the camera and were positioned across two square miles of central London rooftops.

“Six key locations and over 300 residents and businesses had to be consulted and informed,” says David Broder, the film’s supervising location manager. “Also, 12 rooftops were accessed for receiving antennas with six miles of cable in use. This was the largest outside broadcast of its type since the 2012 London Olympics.”

Harrelson’s team also had to consider last-minute location back-ups when the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb resulted in the closure of Waterloo Bridge just hours before the shoot was scheduled to start.

Andrew Warren, the film’s co-producer, reveals that the film would in fact have had to have had its ending changed to finish at an already-confirmed location if the bridge had not been reopened just in time.

“The Metropolitan Police Film Unit was key to the success of the shoot – they worked very closely with us,” says Broder.

“All seven officers were with us for the four days of rehearsals and shoot. We also worked with Transport for London, Westminster and Camden Film Offices.”

Harrelson’s crew comprised several Production Guild members including Warren, Broder and his location team colleagues, location manager Paul Tomlinson and location co-ordinator Jade Robertson.

Other Guild members who worked on the film included production co-ordinator Samantha Black, financial controller Ann Marie Fitzgerald, 1st assistant accountant Corrine Millson-Crane and 2nd assistant accountant Pollyanna Gill.

“I'm very proud of the movie and I don’t think the team could have done a better job,” says Harrelson. “They really exceeded my expectations and certainly those of the multitude of people who said it couldn't be done. So thank you all so much for being a part of that great experience and thank you to The Production Guild for proffering this award to these very first-rate artists.”

Also being recognised at this year’s Awards is 1st assistant director Gareth Tandy (pictured above), who receives The Production Guild Inspiration Award, sponsored by Kodak.

Assistant production accountant Ruby Avards receives The Production Guild Spotlight Award, sponsored by Pinewood MBS Lighting, and John and Marija Sargent of Sargent-Disc Ltd receive The Production Guild Contribution to the Industry Award sponsored by Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

The Production Guild of Great Britain Awards, in association with Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, was held on 22 September 2018 at The Grove in Hertfordshire.