AI overview
The location manager's contribution to high-end television production is vital. Liaising with local people by gaining goodwill, undertaking detailed studies to establish the truth and mitigate production risks, or working collaboratively with a director to enable their vision. The relationships nurtured showcase the importance of human interaction in this role.
Alongside the many meaningful creative contributions, there are also labour-intensive tasks, some of which have the potential to be automated or eased with the introduction of assisting technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
So what is AI?
Put simply, AI is a goal. It’s an ambition to program machines and software to behave in a way that seems human-like or ‘intelligent’.
Rather than simply obeying instructions AI systems aim to reason, learn, communicate and make decisions – mimicking the kind of traits we associate with humans.
Before you read further, have a look at the ScreenSkills AI 101 page (also linked in the resources section below).
What are location managers starting to use AI for in 2025?
Script breakdowns and location matching
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- AI tools can break down a script scene by scene and create visual prompts or storyboards, then automatically search your existing files, or the internet for similar locations, bundling the results up neatly into a spreadsheet or table.
Tagging and organising the location library
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- Helps keep your location files searchable and tidy. AI can help you by adding tags to your content like “beach with road access” or “gothic archway”.
Drone and satellite analysis
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- You can convert drone footage into 3D scans (useful for recce planning or virtual scouting) and combine AI tools with satellite imagery to search for features like tree cover and type, coastline access, or nearby infrastructure.
Contact finding and document prep
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- Some AI tools can help dig up contact info for hard-to-reach locations, and draft templated or personalised letters for resident drops or early liaison. Good for when you’re flat out and the admin’s piling up.
Initial logistics and paperwork support
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- Helps template early versions of risk assessments, cost estimates or movement schedules. You can use AI tools to review documents you have made to check for errors or make suggestions for additional items you may have missed, a bit like a second opinion.
Creating visual materials for communication
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- AI can generate mock-ups, videos or immersive previews of key locations or convert sketch ideas into photo-realistic images, particularly helpful for communicating to production designers, directors or crew with concepts or creative ideas.
Data review and trend analysis
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- When reviewing contracts, lots of site visit notes, scouting data or large data sets from complex studies, AI can help you spot patterns, like common access issues or permissions bottlenecks and present them in a way that actually helps for next time
Communication and record keeping
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- Keeps track of conversations, to-do lists and meetings while you’re out on the road. Transcribes voice notes, tidies up emails, summarises action points and flags important things you might have missed.
Problem-solving and negotiation preparation
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- Useful for thinking through how to approach complex situations or residents, last-minute changes or curveball requests, whether that’s suggesting potential doubles or helping you stress-test a backup plan.
Virtual locations and VFX reference
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- Some locations might be used later for virtual production or VFX extensions. AI can support by turning physical scans or images into virtual equivalents, saving time on reshoots or second unit coverage.
“I’ve got ¾ of a million images… I’m never going to keyword all of those, but AI might be able to.”
How is AI limited in helping a locations manager?
Simply getting on well with people around a production and generating goodwill through interaction with others is invaluable, and some tasks will, perhaps forever, best be done by real people. Communication skills are key for meaningful discussions with a family that is worried about a high-end television production shooting near their house. Hands-on practical insight and skills are also often on show, for example, carrying out a detailed study to demonstrate how many bats are in a protected area.
These things are very difficult for an AI to manage. Crucially, the system often doesn’t have access to the important data right now, and secondly, the previous training data is very poor. Being able to respond when things don’t quite go to plan or when personalities are creating challenges means that many problems are going to be managed and solved by a human for quite some time.
Preparing for the future as a locations manager
AI is starting to offer new and faster ways of analysing data to assist the process of making complex decisions.
AI can also help to save time across repetitive or simple tasks, easing some of the data collection and labelling processes.
Getting familiar with the kinds of tools on offer now will stand you in great stead as they become more effective and powerful. Expect a lot of change and improvement quickly.
Freelance location managers can consider keeping abreast of development in virtual production and other similar location simulation tools. Understanding when and where these could be effective or efficient in a production could well prove important when achieving cost savings or quality improvements.
Training opportunities, such as those offered by ScreenSkills and other online learning platforms, can help provide essential knowledge on integrating AI into production workflows.
It is worth considering how you are storing, sharing and organising your own data, as this could help you. Imagine a custom AI assistant (that only you have access to) that knows all of your past choices and decisions, and can help you with admin and suggestions for new ideas and concepts. Keeping a private digital copy of your work with as much data attached to it as possible could prove very valuable in training an AI to do this.
Embracing AI in location management
AI introduces valuable tools for location managers, offering solutions that enhance efficiency, improve planning, and support sustainable practices. While AI assists with data-driven insights and logistical analysis, the role of a location manager remains a skill rooted in human expertise and communication. AI complements this role by reducing administrative work and analysis, allowing location managers to focus on creative problem-solving and on-the-ground coordination. Thoughtfully embracing AI can empower location managers to enhance their productivity while upholding the artistic and practical standards essential to successful film and TV production.
A few final thoughts from location managers
“We will do anything to find the best location, and this is just another tool to help us get there.”
Links to other ScreenSkills resources
Discover the locations manager job profiles in:
Explore more AI-related training, events and opportunities with ScreenSkills
Read AI 101, an overview of some aspects of AI in the UK film and TV industry