How Scotland remained a haven for filming during pandemic

While on television, she’s found locations that have brought scripts to life, such as the stunning house on the edge of Loch Long which almost stole every scene in BBC One’s surrogacy thriller, The Nest.

Having put the nation’s scenery on the screen, Dunn – whose role will be showcased in a short film which will open the BAFTA Scotland Awards on Tuesday – admits there are challenges in finding unspoiled spots that haven’t been used before and, crucially, aren’t already occupied by campervans and tents.

“It’s not always easy to find new places,” says the Hamilton-based location expert. “But what is fascinating is no two scripts are alike.

“So, although we might have been to a certain house or place, one production will be distinct from the other.”

However, she adds, “a huge part of the location is dealing with the public.”

Such as on the Isle of Skye, where tourist numbers have shot through the roof meaning anyone trying to grab a perfect Instagram shot of the Fairy Pools, for example, will either have to rise at the crack of dawn or be content with having stray people photobomb their shot.

That can be tricky for anyone trying to capture Scotland’s wild beauty, never mind set up camp for a major production.

“Skye is an amazing island,” adds Dunn. “The people are fantastic. But the problem in Skye is that we can’t find accommodation.”

She will reveal how she finds the perfect location in a short film to be screened prior to the live-stream of the British Academy Scotland Awards, the annual celebration of the nation’s film, games and television industry.

EE Film Stories: BAFTA Scotland, will follow Oban-born Dunn, location scout Amelia Jacobsen, from Edinburgh, and location assistant Evie Harkins, from Glasgow, as they visit five locations and reveal how the latest network innovations enabled them to work through the pandemic.

It will also show how behind the scenes professionals like Dunn are vital to bringing a script and director’s vision to life.

Dunn’s credits include T2 Trainspotting, Sky Atlantic drama Patrick Melrose, Outlaw King, Stag, World War Z, The Jacket and Doomsday. As well as searching out the best location, she handles necessary permits for filming, liaises with authorities over road closures, works with residents and businesses and troubleshoots problems.

In the case of World War Z, it meant working around countless city shoppers and commuters as they transformed one of Glasgow’s busiest areas into Philadelphia.

“One of the issues with World War Z was that people take a train every day into Glasgow – how could we notify them in advance that they just can’t walk straight across George Square?,” she recalls.

“So, you have to get to know all the Glasgow streets in the area and tell people which roads they can go down instead.

“Then there are the tourists in Skye and Glencoe. There’s a lot of planning and we try to work as far in advance as possible.”

There have been times when she’s had to approach campers who pitched up in a remote spot unaware that it was planned for a shoot the next day and advising them that they might want to move or risk finding themselves surrounded by 20 trucks and a film crew.

Luckily, she has almost total recall for just about every part of Scotland, and an eye for knowing how subtle tricks might transform even unlikely spots to fit the script.

Such as turning Glasgow’s Barras into a New York meat market complete with carcasses and piles to rubbish for Sky Atlantic drama, Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

While George Square became Philadelphia for World War Z, a road in Grangemouth doubled as a US highway, bringing locals in droves to spot Brad Pitt racing past the pipes and chimneys of the local oil refinery.

For Netflix’s biopic about Robert the Bruce, Mugdock Country Park near Milngavie became the scene of the 1307 Battle of Loudoun Hill.

She’s currently working on finding suitable locations in Edinburgh for a film that will tell the story of how researcher Philippa Langley uncovered the final resting place of King Richard III underneath a Leicester car park.

Starring Steve Coogan as Langley’s husband, The Last King comes from the same award-winning team of Coogan, Stephen Frears and Jeff Pope who were behind 2013’s Philomena, which landed four Oscar nominations.

Despite the pressures placed on the most popular locations Dunn says there are still fantastic spots for professional and amateurs to explore in Scotland.

Some are closer to home than we might think.

“I have huge fondness for Perth, it has lovely architecture, rivers, castles, I love it,” she says. “And during lockdown I discovered one of my favourites places was right at home in Hamilton.

“I’d never entered Chatelherault Country Park from Barncluith. It was like something out of The Hobbit.”

Dunn says technology has transformed her job from early days of trawling through maps and knocking on doors in the hope of finding the right spot.

“2020 has been a tumultuous time for the industry and, of course, beyond. But I have been encouraged and inspired by the innovations that allow us to introduce colleagues from all over the world to the wonders of Scotland live and, in the moment, through the power of a 5G phone.

“It’s a long way from my first digital camera, that used a floppy disc for a memory card. I often couldn’t send photographs because there was no signal.

“I can’t imagine how we got things done before.”

The BAFTA Scotland Awards will take place on Tuesday 8 December and will be live-streamed from 7pm on BAFTA’s Facebook and YouTube channels, followed by a highlights show on BBC Scotland at 11pm

Seeking inspiration for your next film or photography project? Here are film location expert Lloret Dunn’s top places to explore.

Perth: On the banks of the silvery Tay with streets lined with independent shops, an abundance of striking architecture and stunning autumnal colours. “I love it,” she says.

The Bunnet Stane, Fife: A rock formation near Gateside in Fife, where a table of rock, around ten feet by 20 feet, is perched on a thin column of rock. “It’s an incredible rocky outcrop that looks like an old back cap. It’s almost prehistoric in its looks,” says Dunn. She’s also a fan of Auchtermuchty.

Auld Wife’s Lift, near Milngavie: Within the peat bog of Craigmaddie Muir are two huge boulders, with a third perched on top. “They look out over the hills, there’s something primeval about them,” says Dunn. “They are situated in a natural ampitheatre. I imagine the Picts gathering there, looking over the hills.”

Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton: Close to Dunn’s home, the park has been well-explored. Enter via Barncluith to find a picturesque bridge and lush greenery.

Loch Katrine: Dunn recommends visiting the opposite end from the visitor’s centre. “Take a single track towards a lovely little peninsula to Rob Roy McGregor’s family graveyard. It’s otherworldly.”

Easedale, Argyll: Dunn recommends Easedale, one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn. “It’s exceptional. There are beautiful cottages and pools that are shiny blue.”

Skye: Dunn’s top spot is Duirinish, a peninsula between Loch Dunvegan and Loch Bracadale. Look for Dunvegan Castle and the distinctive peaks known as MacLeod’s Tables.

Glasgow: Bridgeton has almost unique qualities, says Dunn. “The area has lots of red brick, it doesn’t feel like Scotland which is good when my job is trying to find places that we can make into somewhere else.” Glasgow overall gets a ‘thumbs up’.

Kyle of Lochalsh: Balmacara and, although a popular tourist spot, Eilean Donan Castle. “I once worked on a commercial for William Lawson whisky, in which we hoisted a cannon over the wall. It was hard work, but rewarding,” she adds.