As we are getting closer to the end of this exciting year, we just finished shooting After Chaos for DocLand Yard, a French production company who entrusted us with this project in London.
The project
After Chaos is a series of 4 historical documentaries (52 minutes each), about 4 cities destroyed by bombings during the Second World War and rebuilt in the decades after the war: London, Berlin, Warsaw and Le Havre. After Le Havre, Berlin and Warsaw, the next episode of the series takes place in London, and revisits the reconstruction of London after the Blitz. For this series, the director Quentin Domart goes back and forth between present and past to tell each city’s story. The main challenge is that we had to identify precise archive footage locations & film them as they look today, to recreate them in post-production. In the film, Quentin uses archive photographs and very minute filmings of the exact same frames as they look now to reconstruct a past/present overlap thanks to CGIs.
How did Myth-to-Measure help?
A month before the shooting, we had to start scouting for the exact location of these places in London. Thanks to our expertise, we were able to make reconstructions in Saint Paul, in the city of London, Whitehall, Trafalgar and so many other symbolic places during the period of the Second World War. It was very tricky because many buildings were completely destroyed and sometimes, we had to spot the smallest clues to find the exact frame.
For example, Saint Paul takes an important place in the documentary. We had to visit the cathedral beforehand to see if it was possible to recreate the conditions in which the picture Quentin wanted to use in the documentary had been taken. We had to go there twice & gain access to a side roof to test different frames and make sure the best conditions would be reunited on the day. None of this would have been possible without the amazing team at St Paul’s cathedral. Everyone was super attentive and helpful, and told us really interesting stories about the place! These are the locations fixers love to work with!
Filming permits
These reenactment locations are all over London and in order to film them properly on D-Day, the film crew needed filming permits. It was complicated for some to get filming permits because some of the locations were private, such as the Barbican and Saint Dunstan's Gardens. Nevertheless, Myth-to-Measure made sure that they had all the permits they needed to film, obtaining more than 10 filming permits for the crew. Filming in London isn’t easy, you need at least one permit per borough, and per private location!
Finding shooting locations to film
Finding locations for filming interviews according to the aesthetics of the documentary is not always easy. But thanks to our experience in fixing in London, Myth-to-Measure was able to create a wide range of contacts to find locations tailored to the film crew. We thank Georgian House , Citizenm , Studio Espero and Butchers’ Hall for hosting the film crew.
Assistance on the set
Finally, to make the shoot in London smooth and easy for the crew, our production coordinator Anne-Sarah was able to help the team with her experience as an assistant on set.
It is always inspiring to work with people who truly love what they do, and the professionals at Myth-to-Measure love supporting people with passion projects, like the After Chaos crew.
Need any help with an upcoming project in the UK, including Scotland, or in Ireland? Contact us on contact@mythtomeasure.co.uk