What do Brad Pitt, Madonna, Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Guy Ritchie and a galaxy of other film stars and directors all have in common? They have all filmed in our borough, of course.

But how…and why?

The West London Film Office (WLFO) has all the answers. You may not have heard of the WLFO before, but it is based at Ealing Council and, every month, handles hundreds of requests ranging from student filmmakers through to big TV commercials and dramas.

And, of course, there are the Hollywood blockbusters too.

You may well have read our Reel Life blog about the filming taking place locally? Well, that’s written by the 2-person WLFO team when they have a rare moment to themselves, in between helping to organise film locations, parking dispensations and much more besides.

They help to attract people to use our borough as a film set: from private houses to warehouses, and from pretty parks to car parks. And lots of shoots are very keen to make use of what is on offer here.

‘A breath of fresh air’

In addition to the popularity of the locations on offer locally, from open spaces to different types of homes and streetscapes, Acton is also home to lots of TV and film suppliers, from prop hire to lighting and cameras. And, of course, there is the world-famous Ealing Studios in central Ealing; not to mention Versa Studios, Black Island Studios and a host of others dotted across the borough.

“Moving to Ealing was like a breath of fresh air,” said Max Mir, a film director we spoke to last year. “Not only because of all the locations and everything that has to offer, but the people. To me, it’s the people always, because everybody’s so welcoming and receptive. Everybody’s very film oriented and arts oriented and knows that there’s lots of artists and filmmakers here.”

WLFO is central to all of this. It has helped Max to find locations for his films, as it does for lots of film and television projects every day.

“Working with the film office has been very, very straightforward,” Max told us. “They are very helpful. They are super supportive of up-and-coming filmmakers. For example, they helped co-ordinate with the police for a film involving a fake gun, making the process smooth and stress-free.”

‘A galaxy of stars’

Ewan and Darren are the dashing duo who are hard at work, running WLFO – sometimes even while we sleep.

“We’ve had a dazzling array of star actors, actresses and directors come here,” said Ewan. “From Riz Ahmed to Madonna.”

“Not to mention an absolute stack of TV commercials, selling every big brand you could think of,” added Darren. “That includes big high street names like Tesco, Dunelm, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Vodafone, Santander, McDonald’s, Waitrose, Lidl, John Lewis, and so many others. The borough seems to offer a visual backdrop to cover every area of modern life in the UK.”

Ewan continued: “There are all kinds of TV series that have made the borough their ‘home’ too, like Supacell that is shot in Acton and West Ealing; and Silent Witness, which has found film locations in most of Ealing’s 7 towns. Motherland shot loads of locations in Acton as well, with the main character’s house and the primary school both in that area.”

Darren said: “And it’s important that, when they are looking for locations, that we are welcoming and helpful to make them want to come here, and return.

“The borough has a rich and unique place in the history of filmmaking. And filming has generated billions of pounds in inward investment in London over the years, and the WLFO is proud to play our part in that.”

A day in the life…

What does a typical day in the office look like for Ewan and Darren?

Ewan explained: “No two days are ever the same. We handle enquiries covering ‘rom coms’ and TV comedies, to action feature films and gritty dramas.

“The office can get very busy with lots of emails and telephone enquiries. And, of course, sometimes we need to be on the film set ourselves to make sure filming goes to plan. This can mean working on weekends and bank holidays and even working into the early hours of the morning.

“Day to day, our main focus is on suggesting locations to productions that contact us, then preparing for their shoots if they decide to come to Ealing. We check shoots are done safely and considerately, looking at a lot of risk assessments and resident letters for good measure. The occasional drone flight plan too. We actively work with local community groups, resident and trading associations and the Met police’s film unit to ensure plans go as smoothly as possible.”

“When we’re not doing that,” added Darren, “we’re always on the lookout for new locations that crews might find useful. We sometimes drop in on Film London networking events and chat with location managers and other borough film offices.

“At other times, you can find us sending location mailouts or updating our social media – and we are always adding new locations to our website. We are usually one of the first ports of call for production companies and location scouts looking for the perfect setting for their filming. And, in fact, they sometimes surprise us with places we’ve never seen in the borough ourselves.

“Our own council buildings have featured in films and dramas as a secret agents’ research facility, to court houses and police stations. And, of course, private homes are on our locations list too, where members of the public have signed up.”

Fancy a piece of the action?

You can get involved too. Would you like the chance to have your house or flat in the next must-watch TV series and earn some money?

The West London Film Office is on the lookout for local properties that could be transformed by film and TV crews. Visit the WLFO website and email wlfo@ealing.gov.uk to find out more.