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To celebrate 100 years of movie magic at the UK’s most filmed heritage site, the Old Royal Naval College teamed up with Elstree Studios last weekend to host Celebrate Film 100. This spectacular event saw them become Guinness World Record holders, for the largest gathering of people dressed as film and TV characters.

Film London’s Winona Navin-Holder spoke to the team at Old Royal Naval College, as well as Location Managers, about what it’s like to shoot at the iconic venue, which has now played host to more than 200 film and TV productions over the last 100 years.

Winona Navin-Holder: Luke, you manage filming at Old Royal Naval College, could you tell us about one of the more recent productions you’ve had shoot with you?

Luke Flynn: ‘One of the more recent productions we’ve played host to, was 2025’s Jurassic World: Rebirth. Jurassic World filmed a pivotal early sequence at the Old Royal Naval College. The scene features mercenary Zora Bennet (Scarlett Johansson) and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), brought together by pharmaceutical representative Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend). This meeting sets the stage for the film’s central plot, as the characters outline their plan to encounter the three largest dinosaur species.

‘For this, our world-famous Painted Hall was transformed into the fictional ‘Natural History Museum of North America.’ The production team created a remarkably convincing display, complete with fossil replicas and labelled crates, all staged as if the collection was being packed away due to waning public interest in dinosaurs. It was fascinating to see the Hall reimagined as a modern American institution. This sequence was even chosen as the opening for the film’s first trailer, featuring the dramatic disassembly of a T. rex skeleton and a banner draped across the hall in a visual homage to the original Jurassic Park.’

WNH: How was the shoot achieved by you and your team?

LF: ‘Hosting a major franchise like Jurassic World always requires meticulous planning, but this shoot was particularly complex due to the scale of the props, the structures built on site, and the lighting setup.

‘We worked closely with the production’s art and location departments to ensure all equipment was installed safely and respectfully. The Painted Hall is a Grade I listed building, so every aspect had to be managed with extreme care to protect its historic features. This involved detailed risk assessments, protective measures, and a tightly coordinated schedule to minimise disruption to our daily operations and visitors, with conservation staff present throughout to monitor conditions.’

WNH: Did you have any personal highlights from the shoot?

LF: ‘There were plenty of memorable moments, but one that really stood out was seeing the Painted Hall completely transformed with towering dinosaur skeletons and museum-style installations. As someone who remembers watching Jurassic Park as a child on an early trip to the cinema, it felt surreal to be part of the franchise’s legacy. The attention to detail was remarkable. Every crate and display was labelled, and the set included in-universe histories about the creation of the dinosaurs and references to events from previous films. The production even used CGI to replace some of our baroque imagery on the Hall’s walls and ceiling with dinosaurs, blending the historic setting with the world of Jurassic World. Even though much of this detail might not be visible on screen, it added a sense of authenticity that really comes through when you watch the film.

‘I also heard the cast made good use of our Victorian skittle alley, which served as their green room. Between takes, they relaxed by playing a few rounds of skittles. It was great to know they enjoyed some of the more unexpected corners of the site.’

WNH: The Old Royal Naval College has hosted many high profile films and television series over the years, do you have a particular favourite?

‘One of my favourite scenes filmed here is from Patriot Games in 1991, where Harrison Ford (as Jack Ryan) intervenes in a terrorist kidnapping amid a hail of gunfire and an exploding car rigged by Sean Bean’s character. This moment sets the stage for the rest of the film.

‘Thor: The Dark World was also notable, not just for the extensive use of our site in the climactic battle between Thor and the Dark Elves, but because, for once, the Old Royal Naval College played itself instead of standing in for another location—despite the chaos and destruction on screen!

‘It’s always exciting to see our historic venue transformed on the big screen. Working on Napoleon and witnessing Ridley Scott direct Joaquin Phoenix was particularly rewarding as my first experience filming on site. As a fan of the likes of Gladiator and Blade Runner, it felt surreal to see one of Scott’s grand productions in person.’

WNH: Thanks for chatting with us Luke, and congratulations of becoming a Guinness World Record holder!

Tony Hood, Supervising Location Manager – Bridgerton

‘Whilst working within the world of Bridgerton (Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte), we have visited ORNC on many an occasion as we are tied to the exterior of Rangers House, which is used as the exterior of Bridgerton House. We have used ORNC for a variety of locations which have included the Kings Funeral in the main square, various markets and promenading in the columned avenues as well as a Bridgerton wedding in the beautiful Chapel. However, we are yet to use the Painted Hall, so I am keen to get this into the next season or so!

A Bridgerton shoot usually requires a lot of planning, as we are generally shooting big scenes with lots of supporting artistes. This means the need to feed and hold the crowd, when not on set, is considerable. Luckily ORNC has plenty of room to pitch big marquees, where we can feed and keep dry this small army. Which is no mean feat. The reason ORNC works so well overall, is the dedicated team within the College which knows the Bridgerton team well, and knows the general requirements of our visits. It is this team, and their experience within location filming, that makes it such a good experience.

I cannot think of a single negative experience whilst working with ORNC, they’re always very understanding of our projects.

Christian McWilliams, Supervising Location Manager and Assistant Location Manager on Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

‘What are my fondest memories of the shoot? Let’s see…filming the wedding scene in the Chapel, and Rowan Atkinson as the vicar making all the crew die laughing would be one. We actually chose the Chapel after looking at 140 other London churches. Or Andie MacDowell being photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue in a wedding dress which was just so beautiful. When we set all the fire alarms off and 22 fire engines arrived! There are a lot of great memories from that shoot. It was just me, a Location Manager, a few security men and 400 extras. We were doing very long days, but it was great fun. Even when one of our catering tents blew into the river! I remember Hugh Grant used to call me his “Brick” as he was always running out of cigarettes.’

Pat Karam – Supervising Location Manager on TheCrown (2019) and Location Manager on Colditz (2005)

‘I’ve worked at ORNC for The Crown on multiple occasions, and it’s always gone off without a hitch!

‘I also shot the ITV show Colditz there in 2005 (a remake of the 1970s show). We had to portray Whitehall during The Blitz, and built a huge piece of set across the Park Row end of the site that resembled a large building on Whitehall. SFX basically rigged up a massive gas tank behind the set so that we could have flames coming out of the windows as if it had been bombed.

‘We had similar SFX in the central part of the site, as well as flags that were about 100 feet high. Of course we told the fire brigade and police etc. and letter-dropped both sides of the river in a massive way to let people know what would be happening.

‘I did tell the producers that, even with all these preparations, if a member of the public called the fire brigade they would have to respond and we would need to stop filming while the fire brigade investigated. The shoot was scheduled for a full night and on the night in question we began and set the SFX fire off. Huge flames emerged which looked amazing but must have looked very scary to anyone on the other side of the river who had not received one of our letters.

‘I fully expected that someone would call and say that one of the country’s premier architectural sites was on fire. To my amazement, no one batted an eyelid, and we managed to film all night with huge flame effects, which no one seemed to be at all worried about.

I expect Sir Christopher Wren was turning in his grave though…’

Camilla Stephenson – Supervising Location Manager, LesMisérables (2012)

‘We used The Old Royal Naval College for some key moments in LesMisérables, namely the funeral scene and the finale barricade moment. It was quite a challenge. We were filming during the university Easter break and it meant a very fast change over from the funeral to the barricade. Something that should have taken weeks to change had to be done in a couple of days and logistically was quite a head scratch, but we pulled it off. The barricade was constructed on top of long trailers, which were escorted through London by the Police. Once they were in place, set dressing was added around and on top of the trailers to create the mountain that the barricade became in shot. Hidden steps were also built inside, so that extras could climb up it to stand and sing.

‘Most people will recall the elephant…it was a replica of the only partly-finished ‘Elephant of the Bastille’ which had stood in Paris as part of the Napoleonic victory, but was never actually completed. In the novel Les Misérables, Victor Hugo describes street children, including the character Gavroche living in the elephant, so we put some of our extras in there and it forms part of the opening of a song. The elephant was built in situ, and then Cameron Macintosh (Theatrical Producer) asked for it to be transported to his property in the home counties. That was quite a sight.

For the funeral scene we had 40 characters, all either on horseback or pulling carriages. Which meant a lot of horses that needed stabling. We were able to achieve this at one side of the grounds, which although quite a smelly affair, attracted a lot of interest from tourists. Also in this scene were over 500 extras all in elaborate period costumes with lots of props. We erected large marquees on the grounds of ORNC, to get everyone ready, fed, and kept warm and dry.’

Georgette Turner, Production Manager and Assistant Location Manager on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

‘I worked as the Assistant Location Manager on Stranger Tides, under the wonderful Sue Quinn and the late Michael Harm. We shot around ORNC for four weeks in June 2010, having already done three months of set-up at the site, building 66 stables for horses and transforming the streets into period London.

‘To say it was a tricky shoot to achieve would be an understatement. We filmed a scene in the courtyard for the opening of the movie, with 500 background characters all dressed in period costumes, re-enacting a live hanging. We then see Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escaping on a horse-driven cart with hot coals in the back, which required SFX pyrotechnics, fire and live stunts. Jack then steals the Crown Jewels, by swinging from a flag, and escaping a chase by the royal guard. This is all after he swings from the chandelier in the Painted Hall!

‘It was a very ambitious shoot, but the team at ORNC have always been very hands on and welcoming. We knew we needed an iconic historic location, but also the scale of what we were looking to achieve ruled out many other locations due to the complexities of the filming. Greenwich has a long legacy of fantastic film officers, and the team at ORNC really care about protecting the colleges’ history and integrity without compromising the filming value. Nothing is ever as valuable as filming on location, as opposed to say green screen, and ORNC always delivers, it’s why so many films use it.

In terms of favourite memories from the shoot, one thing does stand out in particular…Rob Marshall (Director) who I have now worked on three movies with, asked for a ‘wet down’ in the Painted Hall. This is where you make a location look like it’s just rained or flooded. I kept getting urgent calls on the radio with him insisting it had to happen. I was quite junior at the time, and a bit out of my depth, until he fell about laughing and I realised the cast and crew were all in on it (including Johnny) and were having a joke at my expense! It was a great moment, and one of the best films I’ve ever worked on.’

Steve Mortimore, Supervising Location Manager – Napoleon (2023)

‘The Old Royal Naval College was one of our major London locations. We really did take over the entire site while shooting there, capturing some of the films key scenes, over a seventeen day production period. The iconic Painted Hall was standing in for the magnificent Chateau De Saint-Cloud and the upper grand square transformed into a bustling Parisian Street, complete with citizens enduring cannon bombardment. We also meticulously recreated key historical events, such as the infamous failed assassination attempt on Napoleon near the opera house.

‘I have filmed with ORNC a few times over the years, but never quite on the scale that we did for Napoleon. The beauty of filming there is that the scale of the site itself, allows for extremely ambitious levels of production design, and logistically complex shoots. Although of course this can only be achieved with the expertise of all the stakeholders involved.

‘The Old Royal Naval College really is a classic filming location, there is nothing quite like it in Central London or even the UK overall. The 18th century Baroque architecture was the perfect backdrop for depicting period France. With the buildings natural aged patina, there were just a handful of modern signs to remove, and once you cover the ground with gravel it becomes a Director’s playground. I think you can see in the final product how authentic it looks to that period. I really think that Ridley had a lot of fun there shooting the scenes that we did. It was a real dream come true for me and the team, to get to scout and manage a film of this scale, that was shot entirely, 100% on location, it was unprecedented. We filmed back to back, for 16 weeks, over 35 locations. As well as for Ridley, I think it must have really helped Joaquin too, for him to turn up to these magnificent locations for real, and see them dressed in all their glory, with hundreds of background artists and dozens of horses. It really must do its part in helping to create movie magic for everyone involved.

Filming at the Old Royal Naval College is always a great experience for me and the crew as a whole. Luke and his team just seem to find a way to make it work, whatever the ask, which is really important for a locations team.’

Thanks to Luke at the Old Royal Naval College and all of the Location Managers mentioned for sharing their experiences with us.

You can find out more about the Guinness World Record attempt here, and more about filming at Old Royal Naval College here.

Interviews by Winona Navin-Holder