When the Hollywood film After the Hunt - starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield - hit cinemas recently, few would have guessed that part of its Ivy League setting was actually filmed in the heart of Cambridge. But what happens behind the scenes when a College becomes a movie location?
Freya Vaughan, Conference Manager at Newnham College shares how she and her team prepared for this Cambridge College's starring role...
In April 2024, I received an exciting enquiry from a freelance location scout seeking a UK location to replicate Yale University for a major Hollywood feature film. With the filming scheduled for July - August 2024, I knew we needed to act fast.
The task was to identify potential filming locations that could mimic Yale’s architecture, and Newnham College was a strong contender. We quickly arranged a site visit, showing the scout our meeting rooms, dining spaces, and the beautiful grounds. Shortly after, I received confirmation that the film's director and team were interested in visiting the College—a promising step, but also a reminder of the challenges ahead.
Summer is the busiest season for external events at the Cambridge Colleges, and Newnham was nearly at capacity for conferences, summer schools, and weddings. This made the logistics of fitting in a film crew complex. Coordinating the College's schedules and the production team’s requirements was going to be crucial, but the prospect of hosting a high-profile film was well worth the effort. The senior team at Newnham could see what a coup this could be and were keen to collaborate with the film crew.
A significant boost came when the location scout expressed particular interest in the Jane Harrison Room. Located in an area of the College not often used for external events, this room, however, posed its own challenges - it’s our primary wedding venue, typically booked well in advance. Additionally, the surrounding building had been contracted to a summer school in a new venture for the College, adding further layers of complexity.
Despite the hurdles, the opportunity to showcase Newnham’s beautiful grounds and stunning architecture presented both practical and rewarding prospects, making it a sound decision. Once I learned the director was Oscar-winner Luca Guadagnino, I recognised what an incredible opportunity this was and knew it deserved the utmost care. The Conference team at Newnham is small, with only three members, so managing this project alongside our usual summer events would demand careful planning and coordination across departments.
During a subsequent visit, the production team expressed interest in making alterations to the Jane Harrison Room, including repainting, installing false walls, and modifying light fittings. While this raised new logistical issues - such as removing artwork and coordinating with our Curator for its safe relocation - it also signalled their serious intent. We managed to schedule the work during a narrow window between weddings and summer school arrivals, a testament to the flexibility and collaboration of the College’s various departments.
As the planning progressed, the scope of the production’s use of Newnham expanded. In addition to the Jane Harrison Room, they requested bedrooms for green rooms, storage areas, crew catering space, and parking arrangements. This introduced more moving parts to an already complex arrangement but working closely with the friendly and professional production team made it a rewarding challenge. Each new request was met with creative solutions, all while ensuring minimal disruption to the College’s other activities.
By June, just a month before filming, much of the preparation was still based on trust. Open and honest communication was key to building confidence on both sides and I reassured my colleagues that all the groundwork would pay off. That said, moving forwards with film production events, we will be requesting deposits much earlier in the process to reflect the amount of work that happened behind the scenes before finalising contracts.
Finally, in July, the transformation of the Jane Harrison Room began. After our 
second wedding of the season left the room to go to their reception on a nearby lawn, the production crew moved in to transform the room into a Yale University classroom. By Monday morning, the room was unrecognisable, complete with new paint, temporary walls, and period-appropriate decorations. The crew’s flexibility allowed our usual operations - such as delivery of twin beds for the incoming summer school - to continue smoothly around the film's schedule.
Filming days saw part of the College closed off, but I was able to monitor the progress, even catching a glimpse of the film’s lead actor heading to her next take. The crew remained professional throughout, ensuring that everything was approved with me before making any changes (and in good time for me to discuss requests with relevant College staff). Thanks to the excellent cooperation between Newnham staff and the film crew, the entire process went off without a hitch.
The key takeaways from this experience are:
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Rapid response to enquiry: Hollywood feature film request received in April 2024 for July-August filming, requiring quick action.
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Location scouting: There were many site visits/recces and a considerable amount of communication in the enquiry process, requiring a lot of unexpected work in the Conference team. The return on this investment must be worthwhile, whether it be financial or reputational.
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Summer scheduling conflict: Filming dates coincided with the busiest season for College events, including summer schools, conferences, and weddings, requiring careful coordination, communication and collaboration.
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Capacity considerations: The surrounding building had been contracted to a summer school client and the filming location to a wedding, adding complexity to room availability and capacity management.
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Scheduling logistics: Filming was scheduled within a 7-day gap between weddings and the arrival of summer school guests. Being able to ‘hold your nerve’ and trust the experts that the time-frames were accurate and reasonable was key.
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Production requests: The crew requested significant alterations to the Jane Harrison Room, including repainting, false walls, light fitting changes, and artwork removal. I had to strategically present these factors to the College, which has listed buildings and valuable artworks.
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Collaborative planning: Multiple departments, including Maintenance, the Art Curator, and the Domestic Bursar, were involved to ensure approvals and preparations.
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Expanding requirements: Additional College facilities were requested by the production team, including bedrooms for green rooms, storage, parking for catering, and crew toilet access. This made for a higher return but created additional work.
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Short lead time: Contracts and deposits were delayed due to the tight timeline, requiring mutual trust between Newnham College and the production team.
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Positive outcome: The film production was a success, demonstrating the importance of adaptability, clear communication, and cross-departmental collaboration
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Key learning: Ask for a contact for PR activities while the activity is happening as it's very hard to get hold of people once everything has completed.
Reflecting on the experience, this project highlighted the importance of adaptability, clear communication, and trust when managing a high-profile, fast-moving event alongside everyday operations. The successful partnership between Newnham College and the film production team was a testament to everyone’s willingness to collaborate and find solutions, making this a truly memorable and rewarding venture for the College.
Whether you’re planning a meeting, conference, celebration - or even a Hollywood blockbuster - Meet Cambridge can help you find the perfect venue. Make an enquiry here.
Extra Resource:
- Read our guide to Filming and Photography in Cambridge