What is a fixer?
Fixers are people who are based in a location and understand how to get film and tv productions done in a local area.
They do everything from location recce’s, finding equipment, help find talented local crew, working with local councils for permissions, catering and more.
Cornwall’s seen a boom in demand for tv productions to be shot and all of them work with a fixer.
As a leading video production company in Cornwall we know the area intimately including local laws, rules and the general way of getting anything done.
In this blog we will cover the different aspects of productions we can help with as a fixer in Cornwall.
What’s in this blog?
1. Location scouting & reccing
2. Catering in Cornwall
3. Crewing for Cornish Productions
4. Equipment Hire in Cornwall
5. Permissions in Cornwall
6. Logistics
1. Location Recce & Scouting
One of the main reasons people come to Cornwall to film is for it’s Beautiful locations!
Finding the best places is no easy task, for one, there’s the red tape getting in the way of filming just here, there and anywhere.
There are also the issues of inaccessibility, locals not liking big production crews on their doorstep and Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty to name just a few of the challenges.
As a fixer in Cornwall we are able suggest potential locations you may not have thought of and we can help you navigate locations you’re currently considering.
We do this ourselves for the work we do as a local video production company in Cornwall and we do it for international and local crews who are new to the area.
2. Catering
Armies don’t march on empty stomachs and the same is true of film crews.
We help productions of all shapes and sizes organise catering for their productions including ongoing catering support or just one of day shoots.
For international clients it’s important to understand that under UK rules crew are entitled to a breakfast break when working an early start and must have lunch at a reasonable time.
Not adhering to this will lead to extra added on charges at the end of the shoot.
These are things we can help guide you through as a fixer and production assistant in cornwall.
3. Crewing in Cornwall
Local crew are often the best crew to use for productions being shot in Cornwall.
Local crew don’t come with expensive accommodation costs, they know the local area and plus, it’s generally important to support the local area when you are filming there.
We have a roster of highly talented local crew from production assistants, gaffers, sparks and DOP’s, to drone operators, underwater film makers and hair and make up artists.
We can help with any sized crew requirement from one member to the entire team.
4. Film Equipment Hire In Cornwall
Having a way to source quality film equipment locally is a must when working somewhere as remote as Cornwall.
With Bristol (the nearest major city) over 3 hours away from most locations in Cornwall it’s simply not cost effective to drive up and down over again.
We have a list of trusted local suppliers that we work with as a video production company in Cornwall.
If you wanted an in depth dive on this you can read our complete guide on where to hire film and camera equipment in Cornwall.
5. Permissions For Filming in Cornwall
Cornwall is THE WORST place we’ve worked in for getting permissions.
There is a litany of different reasons why you can not film in certain places.
There’s wildlife, historic, traffic blocking, access for lifeboats, National Trust (is everywhere), no fly zones and more.
We’ve learnt the hard way that there is no way to ‘get away with it’, by simply having a national trust monument in the background of your film you can see hefty fines.
Permissions for film work in Cornwall require months of run in and it helps to have access to the right people.
We’ve got a brilliant network of people and great relationships with key decision maker to help us push through your applications as quickly as possible.
We’re also registered drone pilots and are able to fill in complete risk assessments, and flight permissions for all drone activities.
6. Logistics
Finding the logistics of getting your crew to locations, or moving equipment to the right place, or knowing where to put the catering van?
We help crews of all shapes and sizes with logistics in all forms.
We can organise transport for the duration of a production and often blend seamlessly as a production assistant on set.