The UK production team behind Woody Harrelson’s ambitious directorial debut Lost in London, receive The Production Guild Production Team of the Year Award sponsored by Panavision.
Woody Harrelson, Director/Producer said “I want to congratulate everyone who worked on Lost in London on this Production Guild Award. There were so many obstacles that seemed almost insurmountable. The concept of shooting in real time was crazy enough but to live broadcast as we shot it; well, some people called it insane and I did think the same myself on a number of occasions! I'm very proud of the movie and I don’t think the team could have done a better job. 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.”
The first film ever to be broadcast live, Lost in London was shot in a single take with one camera over 100 minutes and starred Harrelson, Owen Wilson and Willie Nelson. Featuring a cast of 30, more than 250 supporting artists and 260 crew, filming began in London at 2am on 20 January 2017 and was broadcast live across more than 550 US cinemas and one UK screen.
The predominantly British crew comprised a number of Production Guild members including Co-Producer Andrew Warren, Production Coordinator Samantha Black, Supervising Location Manager David Broder, Location Manager Paul Tomlinson, Location Coordinator Jade Robertson, Financial Controller Ann Marie Fitzgerald, 1st Assistant Accountant Corrine Millson-Crane and 2nd Assistant Accountant Pollyanna Gill. With no room for error, the team found solutions to a host of technical challenges, placing antennae across two square miles of London to ensure signal was unbroken and using more than 150 microphones to pick up dialogue. Continuous filming across 24 locations presented its own difficulties, as action moved from West End theatre to nightclub, restaurant and police cell settings, before ending on Waterloo Bridge – which unexpectedly closed just hours before filming was due to begin following discovery of a WW2 bomb in the Thames. The bridge fortunately reopened in time but not before the team had to think fast to create alternative plans.
From production management and locations to planning and budgeting, Lost in London pushed the boundaries of what is considered possible in filmmaking. Demonstrating impressive resourcefulness and professionalism, the production team broke new ground, creating a film that has been applauded for its remarkable achievements, particularly in camera, lighting and sound.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, Justine Simons said: "Lost in London was an incredibly ambitious film project and bringing it to life required innovation and support from a range of agencies including Film London, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police Film Unit. The Mayor has pledged to make London the most film-friendly city in the world and works hard to attract investment so it’s fantastic to see the efforts of the Lost in London team celebrated with this Production Guild Award. Our city is a global capital for film and television and we want production teams of all kinds to know that London is open to them.”
