Major new Amazon drama The Power filmed key scenes in Bawdsey, Suffolk, during the summer of 2021, as part of a complex international shoot. 
 

Starring Toni Collette and John Leguizamo, The Power is based on the bestselling novel by Naomi Alderman, in which women develop the power to generate electricity which can kill with only one touch.  
 

Screen Suffolk managed the filming in Bawdsey, where a huge convent was built as a key part of the story.

Rachel Aldridge from Screen Suffolk explained: ‘We were contacted by Sister Pictures who were looking for a coastal location for an ambitious set build.  
 

“We manage filming for several landowners in East Suffolk and we took the location manager and art director to one of our favorite spots in Bawdsey.  They loved it!  It was all hands to the pump after that as there were four short weeks until the production moved in.
 

Screen Suffolk engaged with East Suffolk Council and Bawdsey Parish Council as the location for the set build was in a field situated down a lane in the village.
 

Jim Horsfield from Screen Suffolk provided details on the next stage: “The set was built off site and then brought in sections that needed to be put together on set. The build itself took two months and we worked really closely with the location manager and parish council to make sure the large trucks that delivered the set didn’t cause too much disruption.  
 

“All the houses were sent letters keeping them informed and the production had to work around school drop-off times when moving the trucks.”
 

Once the set was built there were three weeks of intense filming with some night shoots, with the 300 crew members were bussed in from a nearby former RAF base.  Local businesses provided the many necessary services such as catering tents, waste disposal, power and storage units while they were on site, including Vivo Clean and Hero Site Solutions. 

Hero’s Mike Bolton talked about how the contract came about: “We received a phone call from one of the Sister Pictures site production directors and he asked if we could assist in providing welfare facilities and source reliable waste disposal services for The Power film set at Bawdsey. 
 

“This included VIP toilet trailers, wheelie bins and ad-hoc servicing and waste collection. Servicing was sometimes impulsive and quick but we soon learned how to work alongside the film crew and producers.”
 

The Power also utilised many local supporting artists and crew. The financial impact on the area was hefty, with more than 10,000 hotel nights were booked in Ipswich. Creative England’s rate card for a production of this size is an estimated daily spend of around £35,000. 

In February this year, Screen Suffolk extended its tenure as the county’s film office for another five years.  

Images: Toni Collette in The Power, via Amazon and Sister, and local supporting artist Ryan Adams on set in Bawdsey.