Spotlight on Mike Mawbey, Portfolio Risk Manager
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Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard star in the latest big screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy ‘Macbeth’, which is released in cinemas nation-wide today.
Directed by Justin Kurzel, this version of The Bard’s powerful story of love, ambition and murder shot some of its exterior locations at Sligachan on the Isle of Skye and at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. However, audiences will be surprised to discover that part of filming took place far further South of the border at Hankley Common in Surrey.
Hankley Common, an operational Ministry of Defence (MOD) site in Surrey, provided the setting for the Scottish village featured in the film. The rugged heathland terrain, whilst a perfect double for the Scottish landscape, is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and required assistance from national bodies such as Natural England and permission from the local planning office at Waverley Borough Council.
Our Production Services Team were on hand to facilitate filming and ensure the production experienced a smooth shoot. Rebecca Snook, Production Liaison Manager (South), was contacted to assist with the complex planning process that was required to build a temporary Medieval Village film set at Hankley Common. Our Production Services team have over 290 Regional Film Friendly Partnerships via local authority networks and these relationships are pivotal in ensuring productions get the right permissions for their shoot. To find out more, visit our Film Partnerships page.
Eugene Strange, Location Manager, See Saw Films who worked on ‘Macbeth’ said:
“Creative England used their local knowledge and contacts to help us secure one of our main locations. They were an important ally at a difficult time. Their help was hugely appreciated both by me and the production company”.
Eugene Strange, Location Manager, See Saw Films who worked on ‘Macbeth’ said:
“Creative England used their local knowledge and contacts to help us secure one of our main locations. They were an important ally at a difficult time. Their help was hugely appreciated both by me and the production company”.
Hankley Common is managed by Landmarc Support Services, the MOD’s commercial partner who manage all the UK training estate. The MOD is one of the UK’s largest landowners with some 600,000 acres, consisting of some 4000 built and rural sites. There are more than 45,000 buildings (excluding housing), including barracks, bunkers, naval bases, historic buildings, hangars and warehouses. The rural estate includes areas of outstanding natural beauty such as woods, plains and lakes, many of which are untouched by modern buildings or features.
The estate has provided locations for filming a wide range of productions including popular series such as ‘EastEnders’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Top Gear’ and ‘Doctor Who’, factual programmes such as ‘Coast’ and ‘Countryfile’, drama including ‘Silent Witness’, ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Sherlock’, ’24: Live Another Day’, ‘The Tunnel’, ‘Poirot’ and ‘Miss Marple’, feature films such as ‘Skyfall’, ‘Anna Karenina’, ‘Les Miserables’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, ‘The World is not Enough’, ‘The Monuments Men’ and ‘The Man from UNCLE’.
‘Macbeth’ also filmed at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire using the cathedral’s Lady Chapel to film banquet scenes. Local residents were also given the chance to be extras in the film which added extra excitement over the filming. The beautiful Ely Cathedral’s film credits include ‘Jupiter Ascending’, ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’ & ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’.
For more information on filming in the South or becoming a Film Friendly Partner, visit our Production Services page. To keep up to date with all the latest Production Services news sign up to the newsletter.
