Over the years, Wiltshire has been used as the backdrop for a number of big budget movies, lavish TV dramas and star studded comedies.

From Chocolat to Pride and Prejudice and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to Harry Potter the rolling Wiltshire countryside, ancient villages and stately homes are proving far from camera shy.

Randall and Hopkirk deceased being filmed at Lacock

But why Wiltshire?

According to location finder, Sarah Eastel, Wiltshire is more then just a pretty face:

"It’s also at a pace that London types enjoy. It’s got a slightly cosmopolitan feel it’s not too far away.

"They can still picture in their eye where the M25 is."

With more then 80% of filming going on within the M25, Wiltshire has more then it's fair share of the remaining business.

For Sarah, who set up her own business in the area six years ago, it is all good news.

She has a string of big name productions such as Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and Notting Hill to her name and manages all the location shoots for the National Trust, English Nature and English Heritage.

A patch of grass and a Turkish village

With nearly 500 properties, in this area alone, on her books she can find a match for most film makers requirements ­ whether they need a Georgian mansion, a windmill, a staircase ­ or even a certain type of grass.

Creating snow for the wedding scene in Pride and Prejudice

Which is exactly what she was asked to find by a London based location manager a few years ago. He wanted the right type of grass for a French mobile phone campaign:

"I looked around outside the office," she says "saw a nice bit of grass and said 'Yeah, OK.'

"They drove down from London, to do the recce, and then came back and did it."

Some requests, however, are not so easy:

"A Turkish or Egyptian village - we’ve been asked for both, in England of course. Well we asked if they had tried Turkey…"

"I didn’t find it, so if anyone knows...."

Sarah also represents Lacock abbey and the entire village of Lacock.

The medieval village has racked up enough TV and film appearances to be the envy of most Hollywood stars.

Credits include Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Moll Flanders and most recently Harry Potter.

Harry Potter

Sarah began negotiations with Warner Brothers, in May last year, for the Harry Potter locations.

Filming Harry Potter in Lacock

"They wanted to go and see the Abbey and I asked them to drive through the village to get to the Abbey.

"I knew the director was American and would fall in love with the village if he caught sight of it and he did."

Working within the National Trust's stringent guidelines, to ensure the fabric of the building was protected, Warner Brothers spent weeks preparing the set.

"Apart from the one night of the village scene all the action was up at the Abbey so it was kept away.

"All the residents were able to park their cars in the usual places, they weren’t actually affected when they were filming up in the Abbey."

And her claim to fame:

"I have had a cup of tea with Valdemort. Which made me the coolest mother with my nine-year-old son."

But it's not just big budget productions that need to get permission to film a location:

"Any commercial use of a camera - we see that as fair game.

"In fact very little commercial filming goes on in an area with out us knowing about it.

"We’ve got people very well trained. Wardens and people who look after the properties get on to the phone to us - we do a lot of negotiating there and then."

So you want your home in movies

With more than 700 productions being set up each year Sarah is always on the lookout for a potential movie home or garden.

Large, modern family homes with lots of parking, away from loud traffic noises and low flying aircraft are particularly in demand.

"We don't charge people to go on the books we only take a commission on a successful contract."

However don't get star struck - Sarah is only interested in your property:

"Lots of houses send us pictures of their family.

"You’ll have great big close ups of grandchildren and pets."

As they say in the movie world 'We'll call you.'