Scotland’s largest city holds two huge advantages over other areas of the UK when it comes to attracting major Hollywood films to shoot on its doorsteps.
Duncan Broadfoot was Supervising Location Manager on the soon-to-be released 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, which includes a large-scale scene shot in Glasgow.
Mr Broadfoot said that studios were attracted by two factors — Glasgow's striking resemblance to big American cities, and the willingness of the local authority to work with film crews.
These two factors make it a perfect location for film crews, who have been queing up in recent years to take advantage of the city’s ambience and welcoming policies.
Glasgow’s St Vincent Street and Cochrane Street stood in for New York in the film, with set dressers transporting familiar locations back to the 1960 to host a ticker-tape parade for astronauts returning from the moon.
The complicated scene, which was shot over several days in 2021, brought the city centre to a standstill and drew the attention of thousands of curious Glaswegians who lined the streets in the hope of seeing a star.
Mr Broadfoot said few other cities could have made the scene work, both in terms of standing in for US cities and the leeway given to the film crew to work unhindered.
He said: “Glasgow looks like a Victorian New York, Boston or San Francisco. The City centre primarily has Victorian architecture with red and blonde sandstone and the streets are laid out in a grid system which is very similar to most US cities. So asthetically it ticks most of the boxes.”
“Architectural styles aside, Glasgow City Council offer huge support for filming. There’s only a handful of cities in the UK which would enable the levels of control required for such a shoot.
“That as well, is a draw. But first and foremost it’s the architectural style.”
READ MORE: Glasgow in stitches after Jones set 'ruined' by '267 to Blantyre'
The Dial of Destiny sees Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for the fifth instalment of the iconic franchise.
Starring along Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies and Shaunette Renee, with James Mangold directing the blockbuster.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, James Mangold and Harrison Ford
While Ford was present in Glasgow, most of the shoot in the city involved his stunt double, with a large chase scene being filmed across several streets.
In the finished article, the streets and storefronts of Glasgow will be visible while skyscrapers and a traditional American city skyline will be added in digitally.
Mr Broadfoot, who comes from Glasgow, said that the sequence was one of the “most impressive” he had worked during his career, which has also included films such as the James Bond movie Spectre, the Mission Impossible franchise and Avengers: Infinity War.
READ MORE: 'Harrison Ford' spotted in Glasgow
He said: “It was the first time I’ve ever filmed in Glasgow as well. It was super exciting on many levels.”
“It went as we expected, if not better. Firstly we had a mini-heatwave during filming while we were there, which was exactly what we needed.
“We were kind of lucky with the weather. You know what it’s like in Glasgow – when the weather is sunny the mood just lifts and from a filming point of view it was a really positive experience.”
Mr Broadfoot added: “I think there was a real buzz around the city and while we were there. Certainly in the evenings when we finished filming and we re-opened the streets there were swathes of people who had come down to have a look at the set dressings and stuff like that.
“It felt like there was good interaction between the filming and the people of Glasgow.”
The Dial of destiny will appear in cinemas in the UK on 28th June, shortly before its release in the US.
It joins a long list of blockbusters filmed in Glasgow in recent years, including The Batman, World war Z and the ill-fated Batgirl – which was shot entirely in Scotland but ended up being cancelled despite being completed.
Mr Broadfoot said that the success of the Indiana Jones shoot could act as a further calling card for Glasgow, with director James Mangold among those interested in returning to film on the city’s streets.
He said he would “100 per cent” recommend the city as a location, adding: “I loved filming in Glasgow. Our director immediately asked me about (filming again).
“He had certain questions about Glasgow, and the feasibility of control, as he had something in mind for a future project.”
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