Putney BridgeHammersmith BridgeThe rowers. This is some of London’s busiest rowing water. Crews train here most mornings and weekends, so we keep our speed and our wash down, and time any tracking runs around them.
The speed limit. Above Wandsworth Bridge the limit is 8 knots, and the high-speed exemption that covers the reaches below does not apply. That suits rowing and walking-pace tracking. For faster action we look downriver.
The tide. At low water the river narrows and the foreshore shows along the Embankment, which changes the look of the shot and where a boat can safely go.
The Boat Race. The Boat Race runs from Putney to Mortlake each spring, and the river is closed while it does. On any other day the same course is open water for a recreation or a sports shoot.
On the water. Commercial filming on the tidal Thames needs permission from the Port of London Authority, and we apply for it as part of the job.
In the air. Putney Bridge and the river around it sit inside the London Heliport’s flight restriction zone, so drone flights here need the heliport’s permission, and we check the exact position of every shot before the day.
On land. The Embankment, the boathouses and the parks have different owners and managers. Filming from the bank or a boathouse needs their permission, separate from the river.
Yes. We track crews at their pace with a skipper who knows the rowing water, keeping our wash down and staying clear of crews we are not filming.
The river is closed to other traffic during the race, so filming from the water on the day is limited to the boats the organisers allow. On other days we can stage shots on the course.
The limit above Wandsworth Bridge is 8 knots, which suits rowing pace. For faster tracking shots we move downriver, where our film boat’s high-speed exemption applies.
At a point that suits the tide and the shoot, which we confirm with the call sheet.
