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SUMMER 2014 The Official Magazine of the Location Managers Guild of America

30% cash rebate on spend & up to 25% on wages. Plus, no sales tax on purchases! (up to 8%)

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SUMMER 2014 / IN THIS ISSUE Volume 2 / Issue 3 4 22 EDITORS’ DESK LOCOSOCIOLOGY The science of location scouting 6 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 8 CONTRIBUTORS Photo by Mark Indig by Photo

Employers can access the 12 30 most accurate TECH TALK KOKAYI AMPAH information Scouting A 37-year legacy in the on the web, workflow world of locations controlled 9 by you! MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY How to set up your profile 42 and maximize employment CATCH OF opportunities THE DAY 14 Hooked on reality career focus Ilt Jones: Small-town boy makes good! 36

SCOUTING SUMMER 2014 The Official Magazine of the Location Managers Guild of America The road less traveled

30% cash rebate on spend 10 & up to 25% on wages. IN THE NEWS Plus, no sales tax on purchases! (up to 8%) Ambassador Hotel hangs on Tech Talk at the Apple Store 18 803.737.0498 LMGA at the Hollywood IN MY CITY Museum NEW ORLEANS 50 ON THE COVER Thai International Film Fest Southern gothic charm MARTINI SHOT One county: 88 cities Portugal Fam Tour with John Jabaley 39°25'50"N / 82°32'20"W Photos by Mark Indig

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 3

FROM THE “Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to EDITORS’ do one thing only.” —Robert Shea

“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”  DESK  —Robert Frost  

Location professionals come from many walks of life. The successful ones all share defining characteristics and skills. Scouts and managers (sometimes called “fix- ers”) understand film and have the ability to get things done—pretty much anything that a crew needs to film on location. A seasoned location professional draws on a variety of disciplines; they are much more than someone simply taking pictures.

In this issue, we celebrate the alchemy of location work. Our cover story, Rebecca “Puck” Stair’s “Locosociology,” examines the cerebral nature of the scout. We are sociologists, archeologists, biologists: exploring culture, flora and fauna, architec-  ture, history … This wealth of knowledge accumulated over time is personified in trail— blazing Kokayi Ampah. Shannon Mullen profiles the talented Mr. Ampah in “A Rung for Others.” Fermín Dávalos’ “Scouting, the Road Less Trav- eled” is an honest account of what location scouts do every day on most projects— creatively solve problems with dogged persistence. An equally determined Jill Naumann takes us on a headlong journey across seven counties, with endless multi-jurisdiction film permits all in pursuit of wild fish in “Catch of the Day.”

Our departments continue to include “Tech Talk,” “Career Focus,” “In My City,” “In  the News” and the “Martini Shot.”  We welcome Ken Haber to the LMGA Compass as a co-editor. We are fortunate to have his as- tute eye and keen sense of humor joining us at the Editors’ Desk. Ken is pictured in the Douro region of Portugal, Compass in hand. We invite our members to send in pictures of the Compass travers-  ing the world. As always, we en-  courage your ideas for articles and  photography submissions.  With summer in full swing, we hope you enjoy this issue cel- ebrating the independent “can- do” spirit, curiosity and creative eye of our location community. Stay safe out there.

Always a pleasure, never too busy,

For rates and availability please call Angela at (805)579-8000 x4165 Marie, Stevie, Lori and Ken View over 250 pictures on our website at: 

4 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014

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LETTER C  MPASS Official Magazine of FROM THE Location Professionals Promoting Excellence PRESIDENT on Location Worldwide rsr

Dear Members, Editors Lori Balton The Location Managers Guild of America is a uniquely Marie Healy diverse and seasoned community of professionals whose strength comes from a broad range of experience and Stevie Nelson training. Unlike some occupations, there is no tried-and- Ken Haber true path to becoming a location professional. There are LMGA Officers no classes to take or books to follow that reveal the right moves to make, or knowledge to acquire in order to suc- Nancy Haecker, President ceed. Rather, the success of a location professional is Lori Balton, 1st Vice President acquired through wisdom derived from experience and a Ken Haber, 2nd Vice President plethora of skills. Eric Klosterman, Treasurer Sinclair Anderson, Secretary While standard methods and tools of the trade prove valuable to the locations community, it is the diversity of experiences, skills and knowledge accumulated by LMGA Administrative Director each individual that, when brought together, elevates the craft to new heights. As Marie Healy individuals, it is this diversity that imbues the creative vision of each member with LMGA Board of Directors a nuanced perspective that only she or he can bring to a project. It is as a col- Mike Fantasia lective, however, that this experience achieves its most critical potential; moving Kevin Funston forward together, the work of location managers and scouts has become integral to the process and overall project success. Welton Jones Jason Kaplon Some LMGA members worked their way through the industry to eventually set- JJ Levine tle in their niche as scouts and managers. Whether it’s accounting, photography, Alex Moreno production management or kayaking, every new role hones one’s intuitive under- Stevie Nelson standing of the moving parts and unique needs that each new job entails. Our Heather Ross background as a “jack of all trades” has led us to become a master of one: location Tony Salome scouting and management. Rebecca “Puck” Stair

Our skill set is enhanced in unforeseeable ways by our divergent backgrounds from LMGA Chairman Emeritus fields as wide ranging as teaching, project management, and govern- Orin Kennedy ment. It’s difficult to predict, for instance, when one’s past employment as a trek- king guide will turn out to be the crucial factor to moving a 100-person crew down the side of a mountain. When one volunteers as an emergency disaster relief aid, The LMGA Compass is published quarterly by it’s not career advancement that drives her or him. And yet, it is precisely this type the Location Managers Guild of America. of exposure and life experience that instills the cool-headed perspicacity required locationmanagers.org of a location manager to coordinate between scouts, production and community members on a busy shoot. Comments, editorial and photo submissions can be sent to: You never know what skills or experiences a location manager  or scout will need [email protected] to draw upon from day to day. The only way to prepare  for the unknown  is through an extensive and varied body of knowledge and practical experience. The explorers that comprise the LMGA infuse the locations profession with just that: resources Publisher TM of serendipitous provenance that transform the whole into more than merely the IngleDodd Media sum of its parts. As world travelers, our members possess knowledge of  archi-

Advertising Director tecture, geography, art, history, engineering, technology, climbing, diving or sail-

ing—to name only a few—that is invaluable to production. We are fortunate  to have Dan Dodd

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so many uniquely talented, worldly and accomplished crafts—people among our 310.207.4410 x236

ranks. And we proudly salute them in this summer issue of the LMGA Compass ! [email protected]

  Sincerely, 

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Nancy Haecker    6 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014  ADVERTISEMENT

WHAT IS FAIRPLEX? AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE! By Melissa DeMonaco-Tapia Photo by Renee Hernandez

Film production in California has been a major driver to the Encompassing five million square feet, Fairplex’s state’s economy since the beginning of motion pictures and unobstructed parking lots are perfect for high-speed chases, television. While other states have tempted producers with stunts, set construction and long-term filming. Herbie the tax incentives to move their productions, the Love Bug drove on two-wheels during a street race scene area still remains the hub. The state is fortunate to have a for Herbie: Fully Loaded. For the final chase scene, Bruce diverse geographic range – no matter what you are looking Willis raced through the streets of Los Angeles, complete for to achieve a setting, you can find it. Fairplex, based in with helicopter, for Live Free or Die Hard. Fairplex Park the eastern end of Los Angeles County, offers the perfect doubled as Mexico’s Aguas Caliente race track for Academy diverse geography to fit many production backgrounds. Award best picture nominee Seabiscuit. An interior tree- lined corridor served as Kentucky’s second largest farmers Home of the L.A. County Fair, Fairplex, at nearly 500 acres, market, where Orlando Bloom went to search for love in is virtually a city within a city and provides film crews with a Elizabethtown. The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts is a private, atmosphere. There aren’t many locations in perfect setting for a museum or intimate restaurant scene. Southern California that offer not only a quarter-mile drag strip, but a 5/8-mile horse race track as well. Fairplex offers Fairplex tries to work with all budgets from photo shoots these unique elements and more: to feature films. Our on-site Sheraton Hotel offers special filming rates. The Fairplex staff is sensitive to the needs and • Art deco inspired 85,000 square foot conference timelines of large and small scale productions. Fairplex is center completed in 2012 well known as film-friendly – a reputation we pride ourselves on and strive to enhance. Fairplex offers simple film • Home to NHRA’s Auto Club Raceway complete with permitting through the L.A. County Fire Department. seating for 30,000 • Tree-lined streets, park-like settings and an infield Fairplex is proud to be a business member of the Location Managers Guild Association. They have sponsored the • 250,000 square feet of “sound stages” with ceilings as annual California On Location Awards since 2004, as well high as 50 feet as the California Only Locations reception and in 2014 they proudly support the 1st Annual LMGA Awards. Fairplex • A variety of barns, stables, and horse arenas as well as provides hospitality for film industry professionals including a working farm invitations to the L.A. County Fair. Full-size and miniature outdoor trains • In 2010, the 30 Mile Zone was expanded to include • An art gallery, the Wally Parks NHRA Automotive Fairplex. Enlarging the zone has made Fairplex even more Museum, a wine cellar desirable to Location Managers and Southern California production crews. • A fire station, police station and gas station For a private tour of Fairplex or more information, • Board rooms, conference rooms and offices contact Melissa DeMonaco-Tapia at 909-226-8813 or • Sports bar and private restaurant available for filming [email protected]. You can also visit its website at fairplex.com/filming. • On-site Sheraton Hotel offering special filming rates CONTRIBUTORS

Jill Naumann Fermín Dávalos Diane Friedman Ilt Jones Los Angeles native Jill Naumann Fermín Dávalos started his career With a background in art, British-born Ilt Jones has been considers filmmaking to be writing, producing, directing and photography and video art, Diane a location manager for 22 years. an integral part of her cultural editing commercials, industrial Friedman grew up in New York, Although primarily based in Los heritage. Training on the streets of videos and documentary and began her career in San Angeles, he works all over the LA during the ’90s filming boom, segments in the Kansas City area. Francisco as a producer, director US and many other countries Naumann worked with directors After moving to Los Angeles, he and editor for cable, PBS and including China, Egypt, the such as Ron Howard, Mick Jackson spent time directing live television broadcast television. She has been Bahamas and all over Europe. and William Friedkin. In 2003, before becoming a location a scout and location manager in Predominantly known for his she received a COLA Award for scout and manager. Credits Los Angeles for over 20 years. work on the Location Professional of the from his 20 years in locations Her credits include Star Trek: franchise, The X-Files, Inception Year-Television for 44 Minutes: include The Fosters, A Better Life, Generations, Pleasantville, Arliss, and The Dark Knight Rises, The North Hollywood Shoot- Easy A, Big Love, Transformers Entourage and both the original Jones won the inaugural LMGA Out. In 2013, she was honored and Spanglish. When he is not and reboot of the iconic television Award for Feature Film for his with a second COLA for the Best working in locations, he writes series 90210. A recipient of a work on Iron Man 3. He is an Reality series Top Hooker. Her and produces 3D animations 1998 COLA Award, Diane is proud enthusiastic supporter of the photography has been showcased and motion graphics for the to be a founding member of the LMGA and a proud member of in AFCI’s Locations Magazine and LMGA, other clients and his own LMGA. Teamsters Local 399. many California county brochures projects. He likes to see the distributed by tourism boards. On world for what it is, and what it her downtime, she enjoys using could be. multisport vacations to scout California’s small towns, and donates her time on the festival circuit to promote filming.

Rebecca “Puck” Stair Scott Allen Logan A native Washingtonian, Rebecca Logan is almost as well known for “Puck” Stair moved to New Mexico his passion of techno gadgets as his on purpose—to teach high school film credits. They include a English—but somehow wound up longtime collaboration with Marvel James Lin as a location manager and scout, on The Avengers, Iron Man Lin started his career on where she merrily samples other 1, 2 and 3, Thor, Captain America automotive ads from Road & Track people’s careers in lieu of choosing and The Incredible Hulk. Logan’s to commercials for BMW, Porsche, her own. A current member of the Shannon Mullen other credits include Fast Five, Shannon Mullen is a film Mercedes and Ford to name a LMGA and WIF (Women In Film), Austin Powers 1 & 2, and Meet the producer and journalist few. His transitioned from print she enjoys the challenges of filming Fockers. He has also made a name based in New . Her and commercials to features and in rural and urban locations all for himself as the location work airs regularly on public multimedia content. His credits over the country, and is currently manager for YouTube sensations— radio’s national business show include Red Dragon, Into the Blue, honored to serve on the Executive the action shorts: Gymkhana Five: Marketplace, as well as other XXX: State of the Union, Rush Board of IATSE Local 480. When Ultimate Urban Playground, San flagship programs such as Hour 3, Fast Five, Google Glass not filming, she can be found in Francisco and Gymkhana FOUR: NPR’s All Things Considered IO 2012 release and Captain the sky, paragliding. Puck’s credits The Hollywood Megamercial. He and Morning Edition. Shannon America: Winter Soldier. Lin’s include The Lone Ranger, 3:10 to was production supervisor on is also founder of Broad Reach degree in landscape architecture Yuma and No Country for Old Men. Unstoppable. A native of Productions. with a minor in architecture from UC Berkeley help him clearly Washington State, Scott now convey what he is asked to find resides in Santa Monica. as a location scout for his various projects.

8 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Members—Update Your Profile on our Website www.locationmanagers.org

We welcome contributions to Employers the Compass. can access the most accurate Your story ideas, information articles and on the web, photography UPLOAD YOUR PICTURE belong on these controlled pages and on our by you! website. PUT A FACE WITH YOUR NAME

Articles focus on aspects of loca- tion management WHERE and scouting. HAVE YOU SCOUTED? Photographs for the EMPLOYERS “Martini Shot” CAN SEARCH are exemplary BY AREAS location shots, with an evocative, artistic component that take it up a notch … a hero shot in a ver- tical orientation.

Please send submissions to: UPLOAD YOUR CURRENT RESUME compass@ locationmanagers.org ADD LANGUAGES AND SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 9 IN THE we can all relate to these CA Location incredible pictures!” Conference at Business agent Ed Duffy NEWS was on hand to guide the Hollywood the installation crew of Museum The Teamster & LMGA members, including Nancy Haecker, Leo Fialho: LMGA members were Ambassador Eric Klosterman, Billy Fox, in full force June 28 at John Grant, Jaqueline Tech Talk Live the California Location Hotel Hangs On English & Diane Friedman Conference, sponsored by the By Diane Friedman (who spearheaded the at the Apple California Film Commission original event with Kristi Store and FLICS. David Doumeng Selected photos from the Frankenheimer and Lisa moderated the panel LMGA photo & student Blok-Linson). “I was getting Back in February, LMGA discussion on “Commercial mentoring project Last tired of looking at these bare member Don Mann Production.” Mark Indig was a Looks: The Ambassador walls,” commented Duffy, connected us with the panelist on “Cost vs Value,” a Hotel are once again on “so when Diane called about Apple Business Team to discussion about the benefits display, this time at the hanging the Ambassador discuss how Apple and the of filming in California and offices of Teamsters Local photos in the classroom, we LMGA might partner on Mike Fantasia joined the an event. The “Tech Talk” “Safety on Location” panel. workshop at the Grove store The LMGA booth, located on April 27 was the outcome among the museum’s from the series of meetings Hollywood memorabilia, was spearheaded by member Kim managed by Eric Klosterman, Crabb. JJ Levine, Nancy Haecker, Lori Balton and Michael Kicking off the series was Burmeister. a presentation by location pro Leo Fialho on how to Celebrities Danny DeVito, streamline your workflow Matthew Modine and Sharon using existing apps and Lawrence lent their support software solutions. in the keynote address and discussion on California Left to right: Eric Klosterman, Ed Duffy, Billy Fox and Diane Friedman in front of Peter Orth’s Ambassador shot. “The crux of the location filming incentives. profession for me, both as 399 in North Hollywood, were very receptive. Thanks a scout and a manager, The Conference ended on a CA. Gracing the once- to the LMGA and everyone is adaptability. Change is high note as all the California bare walls of the union involved. It is truly inspiring the only constant in the film offices brought samples classroom, these iconic for all of us who work here and entertainment industry. of wine from their areas and images captured by location it certainly will be for all the Therefore, I apply that belief raffled off impressive trips professionals and students members using the classroom to my digital tools. The and regional prizes. from Jefferson High School every week. It’s a great fit!” quicker I adapt and Academy of Film and change, the smoother Theatre Arts, document this the other non- historic and often-filmed technological changes location just weeks before will be.” its demolition in 2005. “It’s so great to have these Leo’s workflow photographs,” said Teamster suggestions can be Secretary-Treasurer Steve found on the LMGA Dayan. “It’s a location that is Haber Ken by Photo website at www very special to both location 399 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Left to right: Janice Arrington, Dayan and business agent Ed .locationmanagers.org Amy Lemisch and Danny DeVito. managers and drivers, Duffy

10 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 winds through the endless Obrigado vineyards. We continued south to Lisbon, including 2014 Portugal the Venice of Portugal, and By James Lin the storybook town of Sintra, summer home to Portuguese Election This past June, fellow LMGA royalty. The country offers members Lori Balton, Ken a staggering variety of WELCOME Haber, Kent Matsuoka European looks from and I were invited by the amazing mountain vistas, 2014-15

Photo by Paul Spurries Paul by Photo Portuguese production to medieval castles, twisting BOARD MEMBERS! service company, Ready roads, sophisticated modern LIGHTS to Shoot, to tour their architecture, fascistic plazas, country. CEO Margarida wild graffiti, alluring beaches, OFFICERS CAMERA Adonis and one of their top charming villages and so Nancy Haecker President scouts, Joao Alves, showed much more. ACTION Lori Balton us unparalleled views of 1st VP LMGA member Chris Baugh Portugal. We landed in Porto, You can see the travelers’ Ken Haber 2nd VP recently walked the red carpet the second largest city in photographs of Portugal and Portugal. After exploring learn more about our trip at: Sinclair Anderson in Bangkok, participating in Secretary the Thai International Film the picturesque city and locationmanagers.org. You (Acumen Locations) Festival. Location manager its surroundings, we drove can track our travels with Eric Klosterman for Argo, Transcendence and inland to the Douro region, a nifty interactive link from Treasurer Angels & Demons, Baugh named for Rio Douro, Ready to Shoot, also at our DIRECTORS was invited by the Thai the “River of Gold,” that website. Mike Fantasia Ministry of Tourism to give Kevin Funston an intensive workshop for Welton Jones location managers. He spoke Jason Kaplon about ethics and the creative JJ Levine process. Baugh’s seminar Alex Moreno focused on maintaining (Creative Handbook) professionalism abroad, Stevie Nelson vis-à-vis the nerve Heather Ross shredding, unsung role (The Location Portal) of a location manager. Tony Salome Rebecca “Puck” Stair “It was an all-day event, part Thank you to the lecture, part field exercise,” 2013-14 explains Baugh. “I sent Left to right: Ken Haber, Lori Balton, Joao Alves, Margarida Adonis, Kent Matsuoka and James Lin under the compass in Lisbon’s harbor board members out nine vans of location area. Below: Aviero, little Venice of Portugal. whose service has been managers to solve a tricky critical to the growth and scouting exercise. It was a success of the organization: fantastic experience. I truly Chris Baugh appreciate any opportunity Michael Burmeister to compare notes on our Chris Fuentes challenging field of work with David Lyons location professionals from Carole Segal around the world.”

Following the Film Festival, Baugh traveled through Thailand and Cambodia. You can see his photography at locationmanagers.org Lin James by Photos

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 11 TECH Topic: My Scouting TALK Photography Workflow SCOTT ALLEN LOGAN SCOTT

I shoot with both a Canon or my external GPS unit, always ready at a moment’s system, you always have 5D MKIII and a 6D. I unless I’ve already sent the notice to head out and my the most current software sometimes use one or addresses to my car from car and gear is always ready. and the low monthly fee both, depending on what my computer to arrange is a simple tax deductible I’m after, but I always my day. I like to alternate Once I’m back home, or in amount. Previously, it was a carry both with me at all between the two units, a hotel if traveling, I put the few thousand dollars every times. I would never go so there is no fumbling batteries on chargers and couple of years to upgrade scouting without a second from location to location, cards into the card readers and often meant you would body on hand. I start out especially if I have someone and begin downloading. put it off too long. I use by removing the spent with me or following me. I Since my cameras are Adobe Bridge to view and rechargeable batteries from then head out and start my all GPS–equipped and manage everything and my home charger that I day. therefore, accurately Adobe Photoshop RAW used the previous day and timecoded, I can dump image editor to process. left charging overnight. I I like to process my photos from both cameras at the I almost never send out a always start out the day at the end of the day, but I same time and never lose photo I haven’t corrected with fresh batteries and will always take my laptop shooting order. This is a first. Once you get the flow a sack of fresh batteries with me in case someone nice time to get a cocktail down, it all goes pretty go with me as well as suddenly needs their photos ready and fire up something quick. Adobe Bridge is also multiple car chargers. I right away. If they do, I completely mindless on the an amazing tool for showing have a system with two can simply pull over and TV for background while I photos in a group setting different colored bags that process what I need and process images. When I’m on external monitors. I use I keep them in, so I know send them out via Wi-Fi working at home in Los Adobe Lightroom for my which ones have been hotspot. The Canon 5D Angeles, old episodes of The personal photography, but charged and which ones MKIII allows for use of two Rockford Files are excellent prefer to keep things in are spent. I usually put separate media cards to background for a location folder format for work, so I my external GPS unit onto record simultaneously, so scout to catch what has separate them and stay out whichever body I’m using I use one for RAW images changed since 1977 and of Lightroom for work. and that gets a fresh new and the other for jpegs, what still looks the same disposable battery each in case I have to send (not much). I have my Adobe Bridge and every day as well. The something quick. It’s also set up to automatically put 6D has built-in GPS, but a nice redundant on-board I have spent many everything in folders by date the external unit gives more backup system. thousands of dollars trying shot as they are imported detailed information. I then out nearly every offering from the card. This way, check my media cards and At the end of the day, I stop of image editor, browser in case I do fail on re- always begin the day by and gas up my car and or version of processing formatting a card, I’m not formatting the cards in the get rid of all the wrappers, photos, and I’ve come to the confronted with a previous camera. This step is never cans, bottles and evidence conclusion that the Adobe day’s work to wade through missed. I follow this step of a day spent consuming Creative Cloud subscription- to get to today. I just go to with a quick shot of my things in my vehicle. My based suite of tools is the today and begin creating odometer with my iPhone gas station is a couple best thing for me. With two folders for each location before I head out. This step blocks from my house, so their subscription-based I visited, with one of them makes it much easier to this is where I take another keep track of mileage and picture of the odometer works as excellent proof if with my iPhone and then you ever need it. The shot zero out the trip counter. from the iPhone is time, I also gather my battery date and GPS–stamped, bags and media cards and so there is zero confusion. put my cameras back into After all of those steps, cases and generally prep I enter in addresses into my gear and car for the either my built-in GPS next day. This way, I’m

12 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 reserved for the original eventually batch rename the All of this is really well I try to multi-task with all RAW photos and the other whole mess. automated within Adobe of these processes and I can for jpegs of approximately Bridge. While these are get a good rhythm going 2MB–4MB each to This is when I select all of processing, I move on to with uploading while I’m upload and keep ready for the photos in this group the next location and each organizing and editing, so presentation. I find this is and open them up in Adobe successive location until my that I’m never waiting for about the right size, as pixel RAW Image Editor. I then work is complete. one thing to complete to depth on monitors gets apply batch settings on all move on. On particularly greater and greater with of the images, including This is when I decide which heavy days, I split the work “Retina” displays making lens correction and a bit locations I keep the original up onto two computers smaller photos look way too of sharpness. I may also RAW files for, which is and have them both going small. My website is set up batch adjust white balance, usually most of them, and at one time. I’m doing this to resize them anyway, so it exposure or many other those get dragged off onto less and less with faster doesn’t matter how big they things if it applies to the a network storage drive and processors and more are when they go up. entire group. Next, I hit deleted from my computer. RAM, so this is becoming each photo individually If I’m traveling, I carry a an unneeded step. I’m All folders are left empty at and take care of any minor Drobo Mini Raid drive that uploading to my website, this point. I then begin the adjustments, including fill gets the originals. This is dragging off RAW folders, process of dragging photos light, contrast, etc. I can a fairly compact unit that renaming and organizing from the first location into get through this pretty contains four separate the website through an the proper folder and then quick. I may also dump a drives and any of them FTP client all at one time. I do a rough scan of each few more during this closer can fail and I still have the Once the website has been image and dump anything I inspection. Finally, I select data. I have a much bigger arranged into my liking, don’t like or find redundant. all of the photos again and system at home. More I send password emails If I have a photo deep in the crush them into jpegs and on storage and backup to clients and my day is pile that I know I’ll want at batch rename them all at in another issue, but it’s complete. the top as the first image, once. I do a pretty extensive something that usually I rename this file with a file naming, including requires a massive failure simple number one and it region, name, date, my before people get a good goes to the top of the list initials and a file number. backup regimen set up and and will stay put when I it can be painful.      CAREER    TM

Ilt Jones  

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Small-Town Boy Makes Good! 

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FOCUS

When I was a boy, the BBC used to air a Western every Saturday evening.

My dad and I used to watch these together in our small provincial British

   

town. I remember remarking how cool it must be to work on a film in the    extraordinary desert scenery featured in the movie. This somewhat random notion passed quickly. Little did I realize that 40 years later, I would find myself getting paid to take photographs of that very scenery as I did last year on Transformers 4. although she had a sound call from the aforementioned I’ve heard it said business idea, she couldn’t CEO who begged me to fly to that if you lined organize the seating plan on LA to see if I could turn around up a 100 location a commode. I rearranged her the fledgling but foundering managers, you MO and the company started company. I told him I would would get 100 making money and picking off be traveling to LA after camp, different stories of profitable clients from bigger albeit by a meandering route how that came to messenger companies. My so that I could explore the be, and I am no revolution brought me to the U.S. He said that whenever exception. I left attention of the CEO of one I got there, I had a job. On school in the last such company who offered me October 23, 1988, I took century without a job running the messenger up residence in Los Angeles knowing that such company he was about to and have been delighted to a job title even open in LA. But I turned him call it home ever since. I ran existed! down because I had already the messenger company for accepted a job teaching water about four years whereupon it Ilt Jones on The Great Wall. Photo by Danny Wolf As is apparently skiing at a camp in Maine. was sold for a tidy profit and so often the case, I received several months of I got into “the business” the middle of an olive grove I headed to Maine in the early paid vacation. completely by accident ... or and it was paradise on earth. summer of 1988. Once more rather, a circuitous series of I found myself in an idyllic I was home in Manhattan happy accidents. I spent the After a year in Greece, I setting. During that sublime Beach when a TV production bulk of the ’80s in banking returned to London. Hell was summer, I received a phone manager friend called and finance in London. I going to freeze over before loved living in London, but I took another office job found Thatcher politically and so I took work as a bicycle philosophically abhorrent. messenger in order to stay I had an interesting job in fit and have time to ponder investment analysis but I was my future. My folks were a square peg in a round hole. appalled because span Wearing a suit and working in of a London bike messenger an office became increasingly duking it out with London unappealing—it feels like a traffic is roughly the same different life, especially given as a fruit fly. The owner of my standard garb these days the messenger company of shorts and hiking boots! I found out that I had a finance left to live in the Greek Islands, background, and I was hauled where I taught water skiing into the office to look at the and ran a beach. I lived with books. It took me about three Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Ilt Jones and Michael Bay. my girlfriend in a cottage in nanoseconds to see that, Photo by Michael Kase

14 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 and said: “You’re a decent signs and, um, permits. We  photographer. Can you find bumbled our way through     and photograph examples of the first morning until things   some locations we need for a settled down but in the early   TV movie to be shot in London afternoon I received a visit TM and LA?” Although I hadn’t from a less-than-thrilled

  actually delivered packages, Permit Office official, Michael

the messenger business Bobenko. He took pity at the  

  meant that I knew Los Angeles sight of my pathetic hangdog

 

very well. I duly took some expression and invited me to

photos and the director (Paul join him after wrap so that I

 Greengrass, later to become a might learn what a responsible

 big-time director) liked them  location manager is supposed  

and asked if I could be the to do. He patiently ran me     location manager for the LA through the basic tenets of segment. I said, “Er, it may location management and have escaped your attention helped me plan out the Jones on location in Petra, Jordan. Photo by Ian Bryce but I have never done anything remainder of the two-week like this before!”—my friend shoot. As he spoke, I feverishly skill set was reasonably well the members of a production basically said, “pish posh, scribbled notes on a yellow suited to that required of a crew, it makes more sense. details shmetails—it’s just legal pad which I still have decent location manager—and common sense—you’ll be —a treasured possession and it was generally enormous fun! I blasted quickly through the fine!” reminder of my humble, make 300 days one is required that embarrassing, foray into I got a lucky break when to work as an assistant In many respects, Allison was the wonderful world of location Peter Novak, one of the best before moving up to location correct. Whilst film school may management. Since then I location managers in the manager. That time was not well equip some people with have shot at three wonders business, hired me and got without incident: the wherewithal to succeed, of the world, over 20 World me in the union. He took my I was rescued by helicopter much of what has stood Heritage Sites, Kennedy Space skill level up many notches from the Santa Monica me in good stead I learned Center, countless national and inculcated the need for Mountains after getting lost in seemingly disassociated parks and military bases. tenacity. I owe him big time for and then falling off a ledge and industries: e.g., teamwork, During my thus far 21-year shaping my approach to the narrowly escaping continuing perseverance in the face of career, I have picked up many mechanics of our craft. the rest of the way down a adversity, quick thinking and tricks of the trade but most 500-foot cliff. even things as mundane (but of what has stood me in My last show as a nonunion nonetheless important) as good stead during that time manager was for German TV I was dramatically thrown out writing correspondence and I learned in that meeting the and I made about $2,500/ of a building after asking if budgeting. evening of my inaugural day! week. When I joined the we could feature it in a scene union, assistant rates were a about an abortion clinic with a My very first job was as a Having been bitten by the LOT lower. My first Local 399 siege outside. I couldn’t work low-budget, nonunion location film bug on that first show, I job paid the princely sum out why they had got so hot manager. I knew NOTHING. wasn’t sure how to proceed of $719/week plus $150/ under the collar until I learned Allison also asked me to drive so I took work as a site rep week for my car. But I also got from their neighbors that I had the show’s star, I said, “Uh— for a location service. I would fringe benefits: pension and approached the California HQ OK. I guess so.” So I found make myself useful wherever welfare, and the ability to work of the Pro-Life movement. locations and on the first shoot I could—carrying all manner on more established films. day, I picked up the star and of equipment, taping layout However, my then girlfriend I fell headfirst into a pond after drove him to the set arriving board, etc. Looking back, was less than amused that I kneeling down on the pavers at crew call. I strolled onto even though I was just trying was suddenly bringing home surrounding it only to learn set greeting everyone warmly to help out, I was a walking less than a third from one that they were jutting out over but that quickly gave way to union violation! However, my week to the next. She was the edge of the pond and not horror and embarrassment enthusiasm on Pulp Fiction almost convinced that I had cemented down. when one crew member after impressed the location run away and joined a cult, the other sputtered variations manager, Bob Craft, enough which in a way, I suppose I I almost poisoned a barking on a theme of “where the that he kindly passed a had. It often baffles people dog in the garden next to the f%$k have you been?” In my succession of nonunion jobs outside our industry when I house we were filming at. I complete ignorance, I hadn’t onto me. tell them what my day-to- used the old peanut butter arranged little things like, day work life is like but when trick once an hour all night ooh, crew parking, truck As the days and months went I explain the camaraderie until wrap. This was on a parking, catering area, maps, by, I realized that my personal that grows so quickly among Friday night and apparently

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 15 the dog’s owners were away at such a pace without the all weekend. On Monday entire production being at morning, I received a call from the top of its game. The the poor mutt’s master yelling X-Files’ charismatic creator so loud I had to hold the and , Chris phone a foot from my ear. As Carter, set a wonderfully a result of my actions, the dog benign tone, which permeated suffered explosive diarrhea the production from top to over a number of valuable bottom. He is a true creative Persian rugs. $11,000 worth genius as is evidenced by of dry cleaning costs later, the mesmerizing variety of Ilt Jones of courtesy Photo the threat of legal action story lines and topics covered I have encountered very must have been a location against me and the production throughout the nine seasons. little of that. In fact, I have manager when he said, “That abated but, needless to say, been on the receiving end which doesn’t kill us makes us my production manager was From X-Files to Inception, to of staggering kindness stronger!” underwhelmed. Iron Man, to the Transformers and friendship, which has franchise, not only do I have contributed significantly to The best advice I have The most pivotal period of my one of the most interesting my quality of life personally received came from, ironically, career was the four seasons I jobs, but I have also been as well as professionally. another Welsh location spent on The X-Files. I did 90 fortunate to work with a Last but by no means least, manager working in LA, Huw episodes and it was basically lot of wonderful people. I I have enjoyed the ultimate Davies. He said that to be like doing feature films at hear horror stories about good fortune to have had a great location manager high speed. It was by turns assistants working for lazy, a long line of amazing you had to “be like a duck— terrifying and exhilarating uncaring managers—I had the people working for me down swimming serenely across and those years flew by in the opposite experience. There the years. High-quality the surface of the pond while company of surely one of the are legion tales of location individuals who would grace kicking like hell underneath to best crews ever assembled. managers working for abusive, any industry and many of keep moving forward.” I have There was no way of delivering unscrupulous producers whom I am glad to count as tried to adhere to that adage. I such a high-quality product and production managers. lifelong friends. haven’t always succeeded, but I have given it a bloody good I sometimes wonder whether go and things haven’t turned there is an unhealthy out so badly! Never in my existential linkage between wildest dreams could I have me and my job —I was going imagined that I would find to say “chosen career” but myself posing for a photograph it kind of chose me rather (while at work!) in front of the than the other way around! kind of Western desert scenery In many respects, the line that had piqued my interest all between my personal and those years ago. professional lives is blurred. But all in all, I wouldn’t have Editor’s note: Ilt Jones missed it for the world. accumulated a trove of Even the more stressful or hilarious production tales over unhappy times have been the years … continue reading teachable moments. I have about his storied career in heard it said on more than the unabridged version at one occasion that Nietzsche locationmanagers.org Photo by Zach Quemore Zach by Photo

Monument Valley—the extraordinary desert that lured Jones.

16 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Onset Security Services C R E A T E D B Y L O C A T I O N M A N A G E R S F O R L O C A T I O N M A N A G E R S

NEED A FILM-FRIENDLY VENUE? VPAC PERFORMS!

No City Permit Is Required For On-Campus Filming!

University Licensing (818) 677-2628 www.csun.edu/licensing IN MY CITY: NEW ORLEANS Q&A with John Jabaley

29° 57' 13"N / 90° 4' 39"W

18 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 New Orleans location manager and LMGA member John Jabaley welcomes us to the southern gothic charm of New Orleans, .

By Stevie Nelson Photo by Liz King by Photo

Stevie: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING IN LOCATIONS? them to be closer to my parents and their cousins, and it just HOW DID YOU START & WHAT DO YOU PRIMARILY WORK ON? seemed like the right time.

John Jabaley: I’ve been doing locations since about 1995. I left Stevie: A LOT SEEMS TO BE SHOT IN AND AROUND NEW ORLEANS. Mississippi for Los Angeles to go to CalArts and get an MFA in WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S SUCH A POPULAR AREA IN THE STATE? acting. Despite some modest success, it became apparent to me that I wasn’t going to make a living as an . I started JJ: It’s a versatile town. I’ve used New Orleans as 1980s working as a laborer in the art department on a low-budget Queens, New York, in Empire State. For Abraham Lincoln: Vam- TNT TV series called L.A. Heat. The show basically existed to pire Hunter, New Orleans became 1840s Springfield, Illinois. re-use stunt sequences clips from action movies, so every I’ve used it as Manhattan, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and many week we would take a big explosion or car chase and build a other places. And ultimately, I think people want to come story around it. After a while, I became a carpenter and then I here on location. New Orleans has a romance about it, it has moved into props. One day as I was showing the director five world-class restaurants and there’s music everywhere. And or six pistols that the villain of the week could carry and what I we do throw the occasional festival. thought each one might say about his character, the line pro- ducer looked at me and asked, “how would you like to be a lo- Stevie: WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTIONS FILM IN LOUISIANA? cation manager?” I said, “What’s a location manager?” So we got in the car and began to drive around, and he said, “Okay, JJ: Everything from tent-pole movies down to independent say the script says ‘hotel.’ Go into that hotel and ask them if features, reality shows, TV series—the whole gamut. they’ll take $500 for us to film there for a day, and then call the E.I.D.C., and get a film permit.” And that, more or less, Stevie: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES TO FILMING IN is how I became a location manager. I’ve learned a lot since NEW ORLEANS? then! I’ve done a little network television, but mostly I work on feature films. I really enjoy helping to find a world for a film. JJ: One of the biggest challenges we face is that once you get off pavement, you often find yourself having to build a road. Stevie: AFTER WORKING IN LOS ANGELES FOR YEARS, YOU RELOCATED The water table is never far below, so we always try to couple TO NEW ORLEANS IN 2010. WHY? rural locations with existing pavement. Shooting woods near an incomplete subdivision is my favorite way to get around JJ: I grew up not far from here in Mississippi, and have fam- this problem. As far as shooting in town goes, we’ve had re- ily here and all over the south. My first memories of being cord-breaking production levels for the last few years. There somewhere other than home are from a trip we made to New are areas that are starting to get overshot, which is putting Orleans when I was maybe 5, of playing with matchbox cars some stress on the local businesses. Streets in the French under a table in the courtyard of the Olivier Guest House, Quarter are old and narrow and not built for modern equip- and later looking in the windows of the Toy Soldier Shop. I’ve ment vehicles so crews have to park offsite and stakebed the wanted to live here ever since. As my kids got older, I wanted equipment in.

| • Photos by LMGA members. Top: Richard Klotz, bottom right: John Jabaley, John Jabaley, right: bottom Klotz, Richard Top: members. LMGA by Photos left and middle: John Hutchinson. bottom LMGA COMPASS Summer 2014 19 IN MY CITY: NEW ORLEANS

Stevie: WHAT ARE A LOCATION MANAGER’S FAVORITE “LOOKS” OR New York. That’s not the case anymore. People don’t have to LOCATIONS IN NEW ORLEANS? WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES move away to dream. & WHY? Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR TOOLS OF THE TRADE? JJ: I like it when New Orleans gets to play New Orleans. Streetcars running under oak trees, cobblestone streets on a JJ: I shoot with a Canon SLR and a Sony NEX, which I use for foggy night, ships gliding by over your head. Old apartments pans. It stitches them in camera and saves me a couple of above shops with 16-foot ceilings and plaster walls from the hours a night. It also lets me shoot pans on a 35, which some 1830s, where the owner points to a spot in front of the fire- other auto-stitching cameras won’t do. place and says, “my grandmother was born right there.” Stevie: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE JOB? There are some on Magazine Street that haven’t been touched since the ’30s, and they have long narrow halls with high ceil- JJ: I love late-night brainstorming with other location people ings, giant bare bulbs on wires and light struggling through about where to look for things, that moment when you find painted windows. something that isn’t at all what you’re looking for but you just know right away will work for something else, and learning the I enjoy shooting in Audubon Park which is named after artist stories behind buildings and places. and naturalist John James Audubon. The park has lagoons, oak trees and green space with a 1.8-mile paved loop for Stevie: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE LMGA & HOW LONG joggers and cyclists. It also encompasses the Audubon Trail HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER? Golf Course and Audubon Zoo. The filming location fees go to a good cause, and I can walk to work. JJ: I was impressed by the people I knew who had already joined, and it was obvious that the LMGA could fill a niche that I also like the neighborhood of Algiers Point on the west bank. unions couldn’t. Since we’re represented by different unions It’s full of tree-lined streets with old Victorians and is home to in different parts of the county and the world, the LMGA pro- the Old Point Bar that may be the most-shot location in New vides a common denominator for location people wherever Orleans. There is also a decommissioned Naval facility called they work. I’ve been a member since 2007. Federal City that has several pre-war buildings as well as a lot of mid-century barracks.

Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES OR MOST MEMORABLE FILMING EXPERIENCES?

JJ: I was lucky enough to work on Into the Wild for about nine months with Nancy Haecker. I got to handle Alaska and South Dakota, which meant I got to live and work in Cantwell, Alas- ka, and Carthage, South Dakota, for months on end. From the time I first rode out to the real bus on a dog sled at 20 below, to when we closed down the production office in the cabin behind the Lazy J Hotel with termination dust on the hills, from building a bridge out of an 80’ railroad car to the best Fourth of July party I’ve ever attended, it was just a fantastic experience. Part of the lure of show business is the way crews knit into families, and that was a special one. A couple of us from the Wild crew live in New Orleans now, too.

Stevie: DOES LOUISIANA OFFER ANY INCENTIVES TO HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS?

JJ: Louisiana incentives are generous and have been very successful. We continue to build infrastructure because of them. There are several thousand people working here on a daily basis, paying taxes, buying homes and helping the city grow in many ways. The incentives create jobs here and those jobs create others in turn. It’s made it possible for people like me to come home. When I was growing up, if you wanted to work in the film business, you had to move to California or

20 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 LMGA John Hutchison, by Photo John’s Private Tour Photo by Richard Klotz, LMGA Klotz, Richard by Photo

“Must See” Place: Place to See by Night: Favorite Neighborhood: Best Place to Hear Music: You can’t really see New Not so much a place as an I’m partial to Carrollton, The Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Orleans without seeing the event. There’s nothing like where I live. It’s part of Up- Street is a great local music heart of the original settle- flambeaux men leading a town New Orleans’ farthest club and bar. And you have to ment, the French Quarter. night parade during Mardi upriver from the French go to the legendary Tipitinas. The state museum at the Gras, like muses or Orpheus Quarter and it has an historic Cabildo is a good place to … last year I saw Theresa district. We’ve got about 30 Best Vantage Point/Scenic View: start. If you visit in October, Andersson singing her way restaurants and bars within Probably the ferry from Canal Patio Planters has an annual down Magazine Street on walking distance, a library, to Algiers and back, it gives tour that opens courtyards the back of a giant anima- two bookstores, a shoe store, you a nice view of the city. most people never get to see. tronic swan, surrounded by drugstore, you name it—really Taking a boat through the The Quarter is surrounded by a brass band wearing 3D the only thing we can’t walk surge protection barrier is neighborhoods that are great replicas of local landmarks to is the post office. Plus the pretty neat, too—it’s like The to explore, particularly Treme, on their heads. There are streetcar runs by, so out-of- Great Wall of China has been and downriver in the Marigny even a group of guys who town guests can get around built southeast of town, with and the Bywater. motorized La-Z-Boy reclin- without a car. massive gates that let the ers and put lights on them. tide in and out. Favorite Shop: They ride down the middle of Favorite Local Artist: ______A friend of ours owns a small St. Charles Avenue, listening I got the chance to scout used bookstore on Oak Street to lounge music and drink- Amanda Talley’s gallery and John Jabaley grew up in within walking distance of ing martinis. Where else does workshop a while back, and I Jackson, Mississippi, where our house. It’s called Blue that happen? really like her work. She was he fell in love with the theater Cypress Books, and it’s just starting to experiment with while at Millsaps College. Af- a nice place to go and pick Best Day Trip: gold leaf at the time, and in ter receiving his MFA in act- through the stacks. My kids You can drive down to the an odd way it made me think ing from CalArts, he stayed have accounts there and it’s oyster docks a couple of of medieval wood block. in Los Angeles for almost almost like a library for them. hours south and west of I’m also a big fan of Walter 20 years, eventually work- town, and buy a giant burlap Anderson, who was from New ing around the country as Favorite Restaurant: bag full of oysters right off Orleans but lived and worked a location manager on films Dick & Jenny’s on Tchoupi- the boat. Eat some raw and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. like Into the Wild, Broken toulas Street for great grill the rest, invite your City, Empire State, A Single southern soul food or neighbors, it’s a nice way to Best Bar/Club: Man and Abraham Lincoln: Casamento’s for oysters on pass the time. We also like to Frenchmen Street in the Vampire Hunter. Since 2010, Magazine Street. Or Mosca’s go to the north shore of Lake Faubourg Marigny is home to he has lived and worked on the west bank for home- Pontchartrain in the spring six or seven places, they’re all in New Orleans, where he style Italian food. If you go to and pick blueberries. There pretty good. The Marigny is raises chickens, tends his Mosca’s, try to take a lot of are self-pick farms and we’ll the next neighborhood down- garden and gets to coach his people and eat family-style. come home with 10 gallons river from the French Quarter, kids’ soccer teams. or so to put in the freezer. and it’s where the locals go to dine and bar-hop while listening to great live music.

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 21 Locosociology by Rebecca “Puck” Stair

Finding perfect locations social class does she belong? Locosociology then continues with is a combination of local research. If Susie is young, rich and sassy, what neighborhood knowledge, research, in- would she live in? Scouts use a combination of their own history tuition, ground-pounding and education, local knowledge and cartography to pinpoint and luck. To earn their possible location opportunities. For instance, recognizing our keep, scouts must con- cultural shift toward online shopping, a good scout understands stantly observe the hu- that empty malls may provide interesting and receptive location man landscape and reg- possibilities. ister cultural trends. Who lives where? What chang- Out scouting, locosociology shifts heavily toward psychology. es are happening to neigh- A successful scout must quickly adapt to any cultural environ- borhoods (gentrification, ment. When a scout has found a promising exterior and knocks decay, industrialization)? on the door, the first human-to-human contact commences. I term this constantly The scout has only seconds to put the homeowner at ease and evolving knowledge “lo- make a pitch that will get the homeowner to say “Yes, total cosociology.” stranger, come in and take photos of my home.” Locosociologist Mark Indig Since films frequently depict the criminal underworld, for bet- We begin with old-fashioned literary analysis. To find, for exam- ter or worse, we become criminologists, developing knowledge ple, “Susie’s Bedroom,” a scout needs to understand who Susie of gang activity, colors, signs and—importantly—how to show is. Rich or poor? Young or old? Nervous or confident? To what respect and stay safe while scouting such neighborhoods. At other turns, scouts become botanists, archaeologists or even A good locosociologist is a well-rounded scout. One who is in- biologists, finding stunning sites that satisfy the director and terested in humanity’s exterior/material and internal/visceral the logistic needs of physical production, while not intruding environments alike. One who likes to keep exploring… on habitats of endangered species (the sclerocactus wrighti- ae, in New Mexico’s deserts), or sacred water rites in Hawaii. MARK INDIG: EXPLORING HUMAN TRIBES We are expected to know flora, fauna and architecture around the world so our locations seamlessly stand in for scripted Mark Indig was born in and lives in Los Angeles. sites. He spent 40 years in the motion picture industry, most recent- ly as a studio executive, producer and unit production man- Seasoned scout Lori Balton sums up this kaleidoscope of ager for Disney, Miramax, Universal and DreamWorks. He has knowledge. “[Scouts] are cerebral. There is a whole world of worked on films such as Body Heat, The Big Chill, Titanic and varied disciplines that comes into play when we go out to The Lone Ranger. But it was his 15 years as a location manager scout … and it is this knowledge that makes us great scouts, that gave him a love of photography and a unique perspective as opposed to someone that just goes out with a camera to on the urban landscape. He wishes every photograph could be shoot a picture.” beautiful AND interesting, but if he had to choose, interesting wins. Locosociology provides an alternative to today’s negativity in the news. Because we are out every Indig: When people think of Los Angeles County, they think of cit- day interacting with the real world, scouts often ies like Hollywood or Venice. These are not actually separate cit- glean a deeper understanding of the underpin- ies; they are, in fact, neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles. nings of our world. I have yet to experience any- thing but kindness and organic human honesty Los Angeles County is unique in many ways—home to the sec- while scouting. Despite the media portrayal oth- ond largest city in the ; containing mountains, erwise, most people are nice, and welcome being deserts and ocean, even including an island city. With nearly part of the process. 10 million people, it is the most heavily populated and diverse Photos by Mark Indig except where indicated where Mark Indig except by Photos

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 23 county in the United States. According to the Census Bureau, Stair: What criteria did you use in selecting these pho- Los Angeles County has 7 million minority residents—71 per- tos to represent the 88 cities? Which photos stand out cent of its population and one of every 14 minority residents in for you and why? the nation. That’s more people than the total population of the second biggest U.S. county which includes Chicago. This diver- Indig: I used the same skills I learned as a location manager— sity can be misleading as the County is becoming balkanized how to tell a story about a place in just a few images. But in this into separate racial, ethnic and economic enclaves. The County case, I drilled it down to just one image. That was the hardest has 88 separate cities, each with autonomous governments; cit- part. The months of investigating, driving, walking, discovering ies many of us never have been to like Cudahy, Temple City and shooting were a joy. and Vernon. They are terra incognita to those who don’t live or work nearby. The demographic differences between these cit- Stair: How did you find your locations? ies can be staggering, even in ones that share borders. Indig: Again, my training as a location manager was crucial, My project takes a visual look at LA County and the racial and but more about the cities I didn’t know than the ones I did. I economic politics that affect population distribution. There are approached each place with a fresh eye and without fear of get- forces causing ethnic groups to coalesce into their own political ting lost or of the scope of the ground to cover. I usually started boundaries even as we seem to make significant progress toward out at each City Hall to get a sense of what the city thought of equality. As I toured all 88 cities, I felt like I was watching the so- itself and then gradually worked my way outward to include lar dust cloud accrete into separate planets at the formation of the main retail and commercial districts, parks, schools and the solar system. There appears to be a slow motion, determined recreation facilities, business and industrial areas, houses of and seemingly voluntary march toward separation as distinct ra- worship and any iconic facilities like Santa Anita Park in Arca- cial and ethnic groups take over city governments. Is the human dia. And then I would return, perhaps weeks later. race inevitably tribal? What does this say about our future? Stair: Are humans inherently tribal? These images represent my search for a “slice of life” in each city conjoined with key objective demographic data, giving Indig: I think the history of human beings makes that an easy both a personal and detached snapshot of each. Combined, question to answer and one my project addresses. In my opin- they demonstrate racial, ethnic and economic patterns. I found ion, the answer is yes, although perhaps what is seen as prog- my subjects by concentrating on the places where people gath- ress is more a reshuffling of the deck as to what constitutes a er to work, worship, eat, play, shop, learn and govern in each tribe. city; focusing on culture, history, recreation, architecture, pub- lic art, signage, geography and commerce. Stair: Are people inherently friendly or fearful?

24 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014

Indig: My experience is that people want to be helpful, but dustry, he taught school on the Navajo reservation and con- that doesn’t mean their fears always allow them to be. ducted outdoor education wilderness trips for Navajo and Hopi students. A graduate of Northern Arizona with degrees Stair: What are your predictions for the socioeconom- in education and meteorology, Connolly was also a Grand Can- ic makeup of Los Angeles County? yon River guide for 10 years. He makes his home in Flagstaff, Arizona, near the four corners of the United States. Connolly’s Indig: It almost seems LA the County has become the Newto- credits include the feature films The Lone Ranger, John Carter, nian equal reaction to the gentrification of LA the City. I think Due Date, Into the Wild, Planet of the Apes, , the TV this trend will continue, as this is not a new process and aligns series Parks and Recreation, American Idol, the Nik Wallenda with my observations about tribal behavior. People tend to like two-hour live show Grand Canyon Walk and numerous commer- to live with people that are like themselves. People tend to vote cials and print ads. for people that are like themselves. As some racial and/or eth- nic groups are forced out of or choose to leave urban neigh- Stair: How have you used locosociology to find your borhoods, it is a slow, but fairly common matter to move to way to the “yes” answer? smaller, suburban cities with familiar cultural institutions and businesses and begin electing representatives of their group. The result is easy to see in the census chart attached to my project or even a casual drive around the County.

Stair: What’s your favorite neighborhood to scout in?

Indig: During this project, it was definitely the “main street” of each city—the primary retail area, if they had one. There was no better or more interesting barometer about the cul- ture, vibrancy and economy of each place. Every storefront tells a story. PJ CONNOLLY: SOMETHING IN COMMON

LMGA location manager and scout PJ Connolly has been the Helen Webster by Photo owner of Arizona-based Locations Southwest and Production Leandra Thomas, Miss Navajo Nation; PJ Connolly; Geri Hongeya, Services for the past 20 years. Prior to working in the film in- PR Rep, Navajo National Tribal Parks

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 25 Connolly: The Navajo culture is a matrilineal society. It’s intri- sign attached. This can be a challenge to explain to a crew cate and complex regarding who has grazing rights and home from New York or Los Angeles. sites. So when I’m working to strike a deal and get permission to film, it’s really a family I’m dealing with. The Navajo people are very open, and they love filming. They have a long tradition of filming on their land. As long I always start by finding the oldest surviving woman. I don’t go as you go there with respect, it works out—just like in to the men—it’s not culturally appropriate for the men to grant Downtown LA. approval. Then, my first pitch isn’t that we’re going to pay them. Instead, I’ll say hello or good morning in Navajo. While negotiat- Stair: Are humans inherently tribal? ing, I try to observe some of the local customs. For example, the Navajo don’t make eye contact with strangers, and don’t point Connolly: That’s a great question. Yes, I think we are. In our with fingers—they point with their lips. (When you point to soul, in our heart—a lot of us like to go back and look at somebody with fingers, you’re challenging them.) Also, Navajos our genealogy; we like to know who we are. When I’m out traditionally don’t like touching, so one should avoid backslap- scouting on the Navajo reservation and I hear the beat of the ping and handshakes. When they do touch, it’s very gentle. drum, it’s soothing.

I’m really upfront about the filming request. I’ve learned to Stair: Are people inherently friendly or fearful? ask directly, “Who has the grazing permit?” and “Who has the home site lease?” On the reservation, there’s layers of Connolly: I think people are friendly. If they weren’t friendly, ownership, like a wedding cake. And each layer has a dollar we wouldn’t have success getting locations!

26 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Stair: Does the gender, race and/or socioeconomic Stair: What’s your favorite type of neighborhood to scout in? status of the scout matter? Connolly: Ones where you can’t break anything! Rivers and Connolly: I don’t know. I think that a women’s touch canyons and mountains and open roads—the wilderness. I hiked can open a lot of doors, while some men will try to mus- down to the Havasupai reservation a few weeks ago, at the bot- cle their way into a location. But most smart location tom of the Grand Canyon. The only way you can get in there is managers won’t try to muscle. It’s always great if you helicopter or a 10-mile hike. It’s mind-boggling! There are these can find something in common—it goes back to the trib- people living at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, by the most al thing above. I was lucky that I taught school for five beautiful waterfalls in the world, and things haven’t changed years on the reservation. After the first year, I realized much in a thousand years. I didn’t know anything about the Navajo, so I went back for another four. Now, after 30 years of scouting on the Someday, I’d love to be able to scout the Hopi pueblo—they’re rez, I still don’t know anything! just so strict! I respect that, I understand it and I get it.

It’s interesting now what I’m seeing, a locolist (an elist I love dealing with other cultures. It gets my heart pounding when for location professionals): managers seeking a bilin- I go somewhere remote to scout, with the challenge of “How can I gual scout. There’s need for Korean speakers, Spanish develop a relationship with these people?” speakers—it’s a melting pot. Nowadays, you don’t have to get on a plane and go 6,000 miles to experience Chi- The other week I was sitting in a hogan, and had to pinch myself. nese culture. With all the rich cultures in Africa, Asia and Europe, I am blessed with this amazing culture in my backyard!

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 27 wealthy bachelor,” the owner of a large palatial estate in In- dia. We needed the location to accommodate a party scene of many elegant guests. Possibly near water, so our character could show off his yacht collection, or large garages to show off an amazing car collection and plenty of room to show off art and opulence.

We started researching local boutique hotels, smaller privately owned hotels, that would represent a sense of a large-scale property if used as a personal residence. They often offer a

Photo by David Pinnington David by Photo sense of “home” compared to chain hotels and generally speak- ing, read well on film as residential. Boutique hotels offer a BECKY BRAKE: RESPECT, KINDNESS AND GOOD MANNERS sense of scale, large enough FOR our magnificent party that a residential property may not provide. Additionally, hotels are LMGA member Becky Brake is a supervising location manager comfortable with “event management.” The logistics of bring- for feature films. Her career as a location professional spans ing a film company onto the property is generally a less inva- two decades and several countries. She is mostly known for sive intrusion compared to a private residence. her collaboration on the Mission: Impossible franchise, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Men in Black. Additionally, Surprisingly, we found our India location in Dubai, at the beau- Brake is at times called in by studio executives in advance of tiful “Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel.” While not necessarily a pre-production for her expertise in capturing unique film loca- “boutique” hotel, it is a high-end individually designed hotel. tions worldwide. We were lucky with our scheduling, as the hotel was brand new and still a couple of months away from the grand opening. The Stair: Give an example when you’ve used your local interior and exterior architecture provided the perfect match knowledge to find a location. to what we were looking for—multiple levels, high ceilings, gor- geous chandeliers. It provided a sense of extreme wealth for Brake: Generally speaking, by the time I’ve arrived in a coun- our character because we presented the location as a private try, I’ve spent time on the Internet and have either been in residence. communication with the film commission (if there is one), a production service company and/or even a tour guide. If I am Stair: How have you used locosociology to find your way looking for a specific neighborhood representing a specific type to the “yes” answer? of culture or personality, I often think of the terrain first: Would the character be drawn to a hilly or flat terrain, would there Brake: First and foremost, regardless of ethnicity and/or socio- be water nearby (ocean, lakes), what types of trees (or not) economic class or culture, the way to the “yes” is primarily by would be present in the environment? How wealthy (or not) is showing respect, kindness and good manners to the individual or the character? property owner. Second, by explaining as much as possible about the creative process of filmmaking. Third, I try to find out what In Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, one of the locations the most important issues or concerns might be for the property we were scouting was for a character described as a “very owners and how our filming activities might impact them.

28 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Additionally, spending a little time studying the nuances of a particular culture helps as well. For example, by making the time and effort to learn a simple greeting or how to say “thank- you” in the local language (even if I don’t pronounce it cor- rectly) or by the way you hand your business card to a Korean businessman or woman is greatly rewarded with reciprocated respect. In Hawaii, it’s customary to bring a small gift when meeting someone at his or her home. In Vietnam (and Hawaii), you wouldn’t enter a home without first taking off your shoes. And in both Singapore and the Middle East, when I sit I’m con- scious of where the soles of my feet are, as it’s considered rude to point the soles of your feet at someone. Photo by Lori Balton Lori by Photo Primarily, I say the “yes” will come from showing sensitivity to cultural differences and at the same time being broad-minded He also enjoys shooting fine art photography. A member of the enough to include them. LMGA, DGA, Teamsters 399 and SDSA, Ken’s work has appeared in books and magazines throughout the world. Stair: Are humans inherently tribal? Stair: Give an example when you’ve used your local Brake: It depends of your definition of “tribal.” But as far as I knowledge to find a location. can tell based on my personal scouting experiences, I’d say no. There are so many countries with culturally diverse communi- Haber: When working on Fatal Attraction, director Adrian Lyne ties living together even within a single neighborhood, almost told me to take pictures of the living environments and to show everywhere I’ve ever traveled, which leads me to believe that him what’s on the dressers, etc., and not just shoot pictures of people are not inherently tribal. rooms. This gave him better insight for character development.

Stair: Are people inherently friendly or fearful? If I’m stuck when scouting for a tough location, I close my eyes and visualize exactly what I’m looking for, then draw this image. Brake: In my experience, I’d say people are inherently friendly Locking in on such a specific picture can be an immense help. I … especially toward film companies! try to come up with location solutions that are outside the box. Finding interesting spaces that can be converted into solutions Stair: What’s your favorite type of neighborhood to that enrich the story or characters. When scouting in a new scout in? area, I try to follow my nose and let my feelings guide me.

Brake: Historic for sure! In any culture and anywhere in the Stair: How have you used locosociology to find your way world, my favorite places to scout are the historic properties to the “yes” answer? and districts. Haber: I always try to turn each negotiation into a win-win situ- Stair: How is the visual quality of a neighborhood af- ation. What is it that the other person needs or wants in order fected by ethnicity and/or socioeconomic class? to agree and feel good about the project? This can be as cre- ative and rewarding as the scouting process. Brake: Different cultures and ethnicities bring their own “visual qualities” which is a beauti- Stair: How else have you found locations? ful thing. And obviously within that, socioeco- nomic factors have their own influences adding Haber: When scouting on the film Thelma & Louise, Ridley depth and texture to the character of the loca- Scott gave me an early version of the soundtrack, which re- tion. ally helped me connect with the emotional feel of the film. This proved to be an extremely valuable tool in finding the visuals.

KEN HABER: FOLLOW YOUR NOSE I find that scouting is the visual process of subtraction. The world around us is a chaotic jumble, which must be sorted out A feature film location manager for more than and simplified. I try to create order by eliminating the extrane- 20 years, Ken Haber has shot thousands of ous and zeroing in on the right solution. locations throughout the country for direc- tors such as Adrian Lyne, Oliver Stone, Ridley For me, scouting is a creative process that grows and evolves Scott, Clint Eastwood and Terrence Malick. A and must be nurtured through each step. You never know professional photographer, Ken specializes in where the creative spark or idea will come from, and that’s the shooting film and television sets in Hollywood. joy and thrill of scouting. Perpetual discovery.

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 29 “A Rung for Others”

After 37 years in Hollywood, Kokayi Ampah reflects on his legacy in locations

By Shannon Mullen

hen the call came from Amblin Entertain- There was no script yet but they gave me a book to ment in 1984, Kokayi Ampah was working read. It was called The Color Purple. Ampah loved with Mr. T as location manager on the tele- the book and told the producers he wanted to do vision series The A-Team. The producers the movie. “They were determined to get as many Wat Amblin wanted Ampah, who had never worked black people on that film as they could—in the cam- on a feature, to come in for a meeting about Steven era department, wardrobe—every area where they Spielberg’s next film. “I thought it was a joke,” Am- could find someone with knowledge,” Ampah says. pah remembers. “But I went over there and met with “I was the only black location manager in the union Kathleen Kennedy, and she said Steven was doing a so I was given a shot. That was one time I didn’t project that was unlike anything else he’d ever done. mind being called for a black film.” The Color Purple was nominated for 11 . The nephew of writer/director Gordon Parks. The connection led film marked the start of a career managing feature locations to an invitation for Ampah and a friend to visit the set of Parks’ that’s spanned more than three decades, to date, and the count second Shaft film in New York. “It was my first experience on of Oscar nods for films on Ampah’s resume is up to 43. His col- the set of a major motion picture,” he says. “Seeing other peo- laborations include work with top directors on such iconic films ple doing jobs on the crew like hair and makeup, assistant di- as The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby (one of six rector, that was something you didn’t see in Minnesota. That’s projects he managed for Clint Eastwood) and Amistad, his sec- when I knew the bug was really in me.” ond film with Spielberg. But as Ampah eyes semi-retirement at age 64, it’s not these industry accolades that he counts among Ampah also worked as a boxing promoter, finding locations his highest achievements. “What I’ve done has already faded around St. Paul and coordinating matches. On the side, he out as new generations have reached far greater heights, but got involved in political activism. “A lot of urban America was for a brief moment I was a rung for others,” he says. “I believe, ablaze and we were dealing with town politics, the agencies we through a series of circumstances, that I was able to break a were protesting, working our way through the system. All these barrier in the television and motion picture industry, at least things connect to being a location manager.” He got together in Los Angeles.” with some friends to produce a feature film, called Hampton Alexander, about a young man who comes home from fighting Ampah is quick to point out that he was given opportunities, too, in Vietnam to learn that his father has been killed, and plots along the way. He grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1968, revenge for the murder. “I was the director of photography on the summer after he graduated from high school, he applied to that film and a lot of things were pretty poorly shot, but it’s in Black Voices, a training program for television production at the the local historical society as the first film produced in Minne- local PBS station that was backed by the Rockefeller Foundation. sota solely by African-Americans.” “Each week you rotated through a different job—camera opera- tor, , floor manager, producer—and then after In 1974, Ampah got another invitation from Parks, this time to six weeks, we produced our own hour-long weekly show.” come to Austin, Texas, where he was shooting Leadbelly. “By then we’d done some stuff of our own, and we were guests of He also taught photography at the Inner City Youth League, the director so we were able to ask anyone on set about their a community-based organization led by Bobby Hickman, the jobs,” Ampah remembers. “Bruce Surtees was the DP and I Licensed by: Warner Bros. Entertainment Entertainment Bros. Warner by: Licensed Reserved. Inc. All Rights LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 31 From left: David Parks (son of director Gordon Parks), Richard Roundtree and Kokayi Ampah on the set of Shaft spent a day just hanging out with him. I’d go around and talk when the location manager injured his back, Ampah was asked to the prop people, too. By then I knew that I really wanted in.” to step in. “The producers told me to call him every day and One afternoon, some people who lived near the set were play- he’d tell me what to do. So I’d call him, he’d tell me and I’d get it ing music and the sound department wanted it turned off. “It done. At the end of the show the producers said, “We think you was a black family, and a white guy [on the crew] comes up to can make it in this business and we can get you into a union as me and says, ‘Would you go talk to them and see if they’ll turn a location manager. Would you want to do it? The next thing I it off?’ So I went over and asked them and they turned it down. know I’m taking the pledge and paying dues.” When I went back to set, the guy thanked me and I asked him, ‘What do you do?’ He said, ‘I’m the location manager.’ That was Ampah says he still had a lot to learn about the job at that the first time I’d heard of the job.” point, not to mention all the other positions on set. In a strange twist of fate he got his chance, thanks in part to Ampah says his time on the Leadbelly set was like going to film Sidney Poitier. They met when Ampah was playing tennis at school. He also met and kept in touch with a lot of people on Poinsettia Park in Hollywood and he beat Poitier in a doubles the crew who lived in California. Those connections led to more match. “That didn’t sit well with him and he wanted anoth- unpaid jobs on sets, in multiple roles, whenever Ampah could er,” Ampah remembers. “I was tired but I was playing Sidney get vacation time to fly to Los Angeles. During one production Poitier so I had to go on. I went for a routine shot and the on a film with Ted Lange, Ampah worked as his first assistant next thing I knew I was on the ground.” Ampah had torn his director, dolly , set photographer and caterer. He decided Achilles tendon and couldn’t work locations while he was re- then that the next time he came to the West Coast, it would be covering, so he took a job in the wardrobe department on a for good. “You know how there’s a day in the fall every year TV movie. “I learned a whole new perspective on the set, and when something hits you and you know winter’s coming? Well, at that point I really became a location manager.” (Ampah that year, on September 27, 1977, I moved to LA.” checked off an item from his bucket list two decades later when he got to work with Poitier, managing locations on his An unpaid job stage-managing a play led to a paid position as a film Ghost Dad.) at Warner Bros., working on the television sequel to the first Roots miniseries. Ampah still clearly remem- By the early 1980s, Ampah was working a steady stream of jobs bers the first time he stepped onto the studio lot. “I walked on TV shows, including The Fall Guy, Knight Rider and Cagney & through the gates and people were everywhere—moving props Lacey. He had to leave The A-Team to take the job on The Color and sets around, and I’m an office PA so I’m copying stuff and Purple but he says it was an easy decision, “no slight to Mr. T.” running it to another office.” At his first pre-production meeting on the film, Ampah met with Spielberg, as well as producers Quincy Jones, Kathleen Kenne- Soon he was sent ahead of the production to cast extras, and dy and Frank Marshall, and Michael Riva. Photo courtesy of Kokayi Ampah Kokayi of courtesy Photo 32 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Director Joe Wright says Ampah did much more than manage locations. He was fearless “ and kind in his approach, his moral compass often guiding my demented fervor.” Robert Downey Jr. and Ampah on The Soloist set. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

“One of my jobs was to put together rassed. I was just relieved the process a train that reflected three different was moving forward and I told the periods in the movie, and I’m in this woman, ‘I’m so glad you’re happy.’” room saying to myself, ‘Oh my God, there’s a train sequence,’ and I’d really After The Color Purple, Ampah found never handled a train.” First, he had himself managing mostly features. He to find the basic locations for the film, says he made connections easily on and that meant scouting the south. each project, which led to collabora- “I’m a big, 6’3” tall black man heading tions on the next. When he was hired for Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and for White Men Can’t Jump, he hit it off I’m wondering how that’s going to go,” with producer David Lester, who called he remembers. “It wound up that I had Ampah next to do In the Line of Fire, to base myself in North Carolina but and again to manage locations and su- I couldn’t say I was doing this movie pervise production of The Shawshank so it was kind of incognito. When I Redemption. “I’m really proud of that got there, the town still had a Ku Klux film,” Ampah says. “I worked 15 hours Klan registration desk.” a day and spent 151 nights in a Holi- day Inn in Mansfield, Ohio, but it was The desk went away as soon as word such a good show. You enjoyed being got out that a big Hollywood movie on that set. In terms of adding to the was coming to town. Ampah says that look, my department found that fa- wasn’t the first or last time he encoun- mous tree next to the rock wall where tered ignorance or outright racism Red goes near the end, and of course, during his career, in his interactions the beach for the last sequence. The with people both in and outside the blueprint for the film was there in the industry. Later on The Color Purple, writing, the performances were excel- he had to temporarily relocate a small lent and what you saw visually worked business so the production could use as well. All three things came together the original site. “When we finally but I didn’t know how big it was going found a space that the [owners] ap- to be.” Shawshank was nominated for proved of, the wife became very ani- seven Oscars, including Best Picture. mated and said, ‘I always say when you treat me like white people, I’ll As Ampah’s own resume grew, he says treat you like white people.’ My assis- he made a point of seeking out and hir- tant and the real estate person were ing qualified people of color to work in both white, and they were so embar- his department. “I knew if I didn’t, no

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 33 one else would,” he says. Location manager Alison Taylor was starting out, he says alcohol and drug abuse were much more one of Ampah’s early devotees, starting out as his assistant on rampant in the industry than they are now. He faced addiction B*A*P*S. “Almost all the black people I know in this business himself and he’s been sober for 27 years. “People in this busi- have worked with Kokayi at some point,” she says. “He’s given a ness, we are all adrenaline junkies,” Ampah says. “That stress, whole lot of people a shot. I didn’t start with him but he hired me that strain, is what we live on. We are circus people in the way and whenever people ask about me, I say I came up under Kokayi.” we live—here now, gone tomorrow.”

Taylor says Ampah taught her to anticipate people’s needs on Ampah recently added prostate cancer survivor to his reper- set before they think of them, especially the director and the toire of life experience. He was diagnosed in 2012 and last Feb- ADs, and to be realistic but optimistic. “There are a lot of loca- ruary, he celebrated one year post-treatment. He’s starting to tion managers who say something can be done when it can’t, slow down a little now, but considers himself only semi-retired or that something can’t be done before they’ve even tried. But because he still has a few good features in him. “I’m like the Kokayi doesn’t misrepresent. When you’re talking to him, you firehouse dog,” he says. “If some really nice project comes, I’ll feel like you can trust him. I think that’s why people love him; answer the bell and do that. I do miss the adventure of going he works hard, he tells the truth and he cares.” new places, but working at four a.m. on back-to-back-to-back shows, I wouldn’t want to do that now.” On The Soloist, a film about a world-class violinist with schizo- phrenia who becomes homeless, director Joe Wright says Am- Meanwhile, he’s helping develop a few passion projects and pah did much more than manage locations. “He was fearless keeping an eye out for historical or thriller scripts that reso- and kind in his approach, his moral compass often guiding my nate. He also leads annual training seminars for the Directors demented fervor,” Wright remembers. “Through many hours of Guild of America on “Diversity in the Workplace” alongside wandering the hot streets, looking with a lover’s eye, listening Ruby Little, Warner Bros.’ Executive Director of Labor Rela- carefully to the sometimes funny, often tragic stories of Down- tions. The seminars are part of the DGA’s New Trainee Orienta- town LA residents, we found the film.” Wright shot parts of The tion for the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan. They focus Soloist on Skid Row and hired members of the homeless com- on standards of conduct for location professionals representing munity there to work on or act in the movie. He says Ampah major studios, particularly in minority or economically disad- was instrumental to telling the film’s story truthfully. “He be- vantaged communities. With an ever-increasing range of finan- lieved in what I was trying to do and the potential of the people cial incentives driving production to far-off places, Ampah runs we were meeting. I doubt if watching a film ever fundamentally another popular DGA session called Working on Distant Loca- changed anyone’s life but Kokayi did change people’s lives tions, covering everything from the pre-production research through the process of making that film.” process to cultural do’s and don’ts. “Ultimately, it’s really all about showing common courtesy and respect to a community, The work has taken its toll on Ampah over time. When he was wherever it may be,” he says.

34 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Ampah with DP Roger Deakins (center) and director Frank Darabont, from Shawshank Redemption. Photo courtesy of Kokayi Ampah

Ampah laments that so many films are now shot in states or countries where producers can find the best incentives, as opposed to the best locations, and Call Today. Scout Today that truly great films are fewer and far- ther between these days. “Accountants User Friendly Website have taken over to the point where 41 Categories • 39 Sub Categories they’re producers now, and you find a 1,005 Photos lot more producers who really haven’t spent much time on the set. When you Santa Monica-Malibu Schools worked your way up, you knew what it took to get a film made.”

That said, Ampah adds, it’s an exciting time for aspiring filmmakers trying to break into the business, with so many new high-tech tools available for pro- ducing low-budget content with high production value. But he believes one thing holds just as true today as it was the day he moved to LA—there’s still no substitute for a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard. “So many people helped me along the way. I gave them the effort and they gave me the 310.395.3204 x71586 boost. Everybody needs to help some- Carey Upton, Director | fi [email protected] body, ’cause you don’t get where you’re www. fi lmsmm.org going by yourself.” Business Member of Location Managers Guild of America Licensed by: Warner Bros. Entertainment Entertainment Bros. Warner by: Licensed Reserved. Inc. All Rights All locations listed on California Film Commission website Scouting, the Road Less Traveled

…It’s Pretty Simple

By Fermín Dávalos

36 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 EXT: MONTANA TROUT STREAM. A COUPLE IS FLY- The first place that Drought conditions opposite I scouted was Piru page: Nojoqui Falls in Santa FISHING Barbara County Creek, located about an hour north of Los Below: Author Fermín Dávalos t sounds easy enough. A quiet river, no explo- Angeles. It is close to sions, no boats, a simple shot. How hard can that a freeway and only Ibe to find? Drive around the countryside, find requires a US Forest- some pretty rivers, take some pictures—enjoy the ry permit. The creek is wide, from a spe- day. cific angle you can see mountains in the Six weeks later, the movie is in production, the shot background, and it has is on the schedule, we have not found the river and a large area nearby the director has had a moment of inspiration. where we could park equipment. When I ar- rived, I found a fisher- Two fly-fishing in a river. man in waders out in the water fly-fishing. It seemed perfect. I got some great pic- There was a time when that could be accomplished tures, the light was good, the creek had a very nice curve to it, with a dozen people, camera on sticks and available mountains in the background, and as a bonus, a fisherman in light. All of it loaded on a couple of small trucks and the shots. Great. “This is good,” I thought. I made some phone calls. some automobiles. The next day, I showed the pictures and everyone loved it, but Now a standard production consists of 18-wheelers for grip, I had not received a return call from the person that I needed electric, props and wardrobe. Two-room trailers for makeup, to speak with to “clear” the location. That means that I was hair, actors, producers, and the director, with stake-bed trucks not sure if we could shoot there. My biggest concern was the to move them around. A 10-ton truck for camera, two genera- equipment in the parking area, a specific gate that I would need tors, a honeywagon for the crew, a trailer for sound, a trailer for opened, and whether the Forest Service would grant a permit. the crane, condors for lights, two catering trucks, a craft-ser- Shooting this scene was weeks away but until someone in au- vice vehicle, and a tent with tables and chairs for 120 people. thority says that it is possible, I always voice my concerns. Oh, and parking for the crew plus vans to shuttle them. That is all you need—two actors fishing in a river. It turned out that it was a good thing that I was so cautious. The problem, as is often the case, did not come from where I expected. If you work in locations, it is not enough to find a great location. You also have to figure out how to get it shot, come up with a I got a call from the Forest Service. My permit application had plan, communicate with everyone involved, do a budget, get come across the desk of a wildlife biologist. Our filming dates contracts, permits and in place. It is a team effort by fell within a period of time where a species of trout would be the Location Department, no one person can do it all. spawning up and down the river. When will the fish spawn? That was a natural question and it came with a natural answer. I had never scouted for a river before and I learned that things The trout will spawn whenever they are ready. are not what they seem. The placid beauty of a mountain stream belies the turbulent permit that lies below the surface. At this point, we could film at Piru Creek but we were not al- It is one thing for me, as a member of the public, to walk out lowed to place a foot in the water. Having the actors fishing into the water. It is quite another for an actor, with lights and from the bank was not an option because I knew that sooner or cameras in tow, to do the same thing. later someone from the crew was going to need to go out into the water. The movie was a straightforward comedy of manners. At the beginning of the film, the characters are introduced, each in Generally speaking, a wildlife biologist is a very reasonable per- their own environment, doing something that reflects their per- son, they are easy to get along with, friendly, happy to share sonality. One of them was to be seen fly-fishing in the moun- information, but the one thing they will not do is negotiate. tains, accompanied by her romantic interest. This was about protecting skittish fish and their delicate eggs The task: find a shallow river that looks like Montana near Los from our filmmaking hoard. The biologist offered an avenue Angeles, a difficult but not impossible location to find. This for progress. He said that we could hire a private biologist to kind of assignment requires some homework, a pair of hiking survey the river and make an educated assessment of when boots, a good eye and driving. the trout were likely to spawn. This assessment could take

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 37 Drought conditions: East fork of the San Gabriel River Photo by Fermín Dávalos weeks and in the end there would be no guarantee that we writer making it up. There is a huge amount of money at stake, would be granted a permit. Piru Creek and any tributaries a deadline that will not move, and the possibility of really mess- were out. ing things up. “What is the shot going to be now?” we asked. Bob replied, “The Montana trout stream is now a waterfall!” Back to square one. Back on the road I went. A waterfall? Here in sunny southern California, in the middle of Southern California was in the second year of another drought a drought? Bob said, “It’ll make a great picture.” and water levels were low everywhere. Nothing was as good as Piru Creek. I could not look at a river, stream or puddle without EXT: MONTANA WATERFALL, A COUPLE FLY-FISHING wondering what trouble lurked beneath. So now the assignment was to find a waterfall that could be Many potential locations were rejected because the trees along easily accessed by the crew, have a parking lot nearby for the banks looked like California. A big part of movie magic is the equipment, would be safe for a high-profile actress, and it picking your angles, show what you want the viewer to see, to shoots in a few weeks. create the illusion of being somewhere else. A location scout needs the ability to see things for what they could be, and for Technically, any situation where you have water falling from what they really are. one level to another can be considered a waterfall. I found myself walking up creeks only to find a dribble of water com- The movie went into production with a big question mark in ing down moss-covered stones. One situation had me climb- the production schedule about the location of EXT. MONTANA ing down rocks to get to the bottom of a stream where at least TROUT STREAM. some water was falling but there was nothing cinematic about it. And getting a crew into a ravine only to shoot into a rock- In the TV series Futurama, professor Farnsworth often enters face, where no one in their right mind would be fishing, seemed the room and announces, “Good news everyone.” That state- like a stretch of the imagination. ment is then followed by something that is going to complicate the lives of everyone in the room. That is what drama is all I drove out to a farm between LA and San Diego where I found about, complications. And so it was that my boss, Bob Craft, a picturesque man-made lake, the waterfall was created by a entered the Locations office one afternoon and announced, small dam. It was pretty, but the waterfall was only three feet “Good news everyone, it’s no longer a Montana trout stream.” high. A sigh of relief, we can set that aside. I got a lead in the Santa Monica Mountains that, I was told, had Every movie has a story behind it that is about the making of a great looking house in the background, an interesting bridge, the movie. That story is filled with twists, turns and Hollywood and water cascading under the bridge and down into a creek. characters. It is a real-life drama without the benefit of having a It seemed to have a lot of promise. When I arrived, the house

38 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 was there, the bridge was there but the creek was bone dry. get to do it for the oddest of reasons, and nobody thinks twice The owner then informed me that it is a spectacular waterfall about it. That is, unless you have never had contact with a lo- right after it rains. cation scout, in which case, we have a lot of explaining to do.

At another place in the mountains, the owner took me on a “You want to do what?” said John Kennedy. “I want to go down quarter-mile hike into his property and showed me where a to the river and look for a waterfall.” “Do you know how danger- waterfall could be. He told me that up on the hill he had a ous it is down there?” “Well no, not really, but I’m sure that what large water tank, once a year he would drain it, and the water you say is true, so I need to find a safe way to do this.” “And would come pouring down the hill and a waterfall formed right this is for what?” “It’s for a movie that we’re making with some here. “Great,” I thought. I asked “How long does it last?” “A few major Hollywood stars.” “Are they going to be here?” “Yes, but minutes,” he replied. “How long does it take to refill the water only if I find the right waterfall.” This kind of conversation is tank?” “About three days.” usually followed by a short silence as the person that I am talk- ing to is taking a moment to think, size me up, and decide if I am No scout is a waste of time. Finding a good location is detective for real or not. I then usually say something like, “Let’s go take work, you are looking for a thread, a clue, a sign, anything that will a look and we’ll know if it’ll work or not.” point you in the right direction. What you are looking for is out there, you just have to find it, or find a way to make it. John was very familiar with the area, we got into his truck and went scouting. He had keys to all the gates and we drove down This went on for three weeks. Day after day driving far and wide dirt roads to the river. He showed me spots where the water in search of a waterfall worthy of filming. As each day went by, ran fast, cascading over rocks, and splashing against the banks. the shooting schedule ticked on. Some leads were so far up a All very exciting and more than a little treacherous. hiking trail that it was not worth pursuing. If I can’t get a crew up there, there is no point. Throughout this time I was talking I then had to go out into a rushing river to look for a shot where to people, a lot of people. The entire Location Department was I could place the actors, find a camera position where I could involved. see something interesting in the background, and do it while stepping on rocks that were slippery. John was more than a little I was at the end of my rope when my boss suggested that I nervous. I, on the other hand, was just plain scared. “This is try looking at the Kern River, coming down from Isabella Lake ridiculous,” I thought. The water is too fast, sound is going to be in Kern County. It was a long drive and truthfully, I expected a problem, there is no place to put the equipment and it is not a another dead end. When I got there, I saw what I had not seen great place to put the actors. Most of the river downstream had before—water and lots of it, pouring down the mountain. But no access points and therefore not a viable location. there were very few places where I could pull over, and the el- evation of the highway was far above the river. I could see fast- It was a beautiful area and it looked right for the shot. All of the moving water but there was no way that I could get down to it. pieces were there but I was missing something.

I scouted all of the roads that I could find around the river. I The scout had taken all morning and I asked John if I could take found gated roads, closed to the public, which seemed to lead him for lunch for his troubles. We had spent a lot of time in the in the direction of the river. I found Sandy Flat campground truck together and I think that he began to realize that even where I could get down to the river, but for some reason the though I was doing some nutty things, I was not, in fact, a nut. water was calm and ran slow. As I hiked around, I found an area of flat rocks that had very little vegetation, and what remained As we were eating, we talked about what I do. Most people find looked as if it had been pushed over. It was an anomaly. the job of a Hollywood location scout interesting. From the per- spective of someone looking in, the scouting job seems exciting Above the campground I found a man-made open-air canal and glamorous. From my point of view, it is a lot of hard work that carried a lot of water and then disappeared into the with no guarantee of success, and the prospect of failure ever- mouth of a channel. Below I could see a facility of some kind, present. The people that I work for also work in Hollywood, and but again, it was behind a gate and without any signs as to they are not impressed by the job of location scout, they just what it was. want results.

I needed to find local help. One of the gates that I had en- As the meal was coming to an end, John asked me once again countered had a sign belonging to Southern California Edison. what exactly I was looking for. I replied, “What I would like to I made a call to the film liaison for the power company. I ex- find is a river where I can put two actors that are fly-fishing. In plained what I was looking for and requested access through the background I would like to see a spectacular waterfall with their gates to get down to the river. Southern California Edison maybe a view of a mountain. I also need to find a position where was kind enough to get me in touch with one of their local su- the camera can film from far enough back to get a nice big wide pervisors, John Kennedy. shot, and then a camera position for the tight shots.”

One of the few benefits to the job of location scout is that you John thought for a moment and then said something com- get to go to places where most people do not get to go, you pletely unexpected. “You know, we have a small power plant

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 39 low the power plant. I looked up the rock-face and I could see evidence of water-flow. I turned around and saw a cam- era position across the river, a small area of flat land. The camera crew would have to be transported by raft across the river.

Making a motion picture is an extraordinary undertak- ing. Movies are ideas that get talked into existence—they are an act of sheer will. It is a collaborative effort by many people, both inside and out- side of the production, work- ing together to make some- thing that will entertain for years to come. Every person who is on the crew, or helps with the show, makes a con- Movie magic: Man-made waterfall on the Kern River tribution. As I was sitting in the shadow of a large boulder, up above the Sandy Flat campground. Once a year, we have changing the film in my camera, all of these thoughts were to test the emergency bypass for the generator. If it ever gets present as I wondered. “Can we do this?” jammed, we need to have a way to divert the water. I bet you that would make a pretty nice waterfall.” I was going to have to ask a lot of people to do something that had never been done, based only on an idea. I want to make a waterfall … Turning that idea into a movie requires working out lots of “ details. I had to come up with a plan and speak with a lot of I want to put the camera, crew people to make this happen. I started with my boss and then began to build a circle of supporters, both inside and outside and equipment on rafts … I want of the production, to sign onto the plan. Did I have my doubts? You bet. Were there problems? Yes, lots of them starting with a power company to trip an emer- the permit and going all the way to the Safety Department at the studio. The one common thread was the same question, gency bypass switch … really “You want to do what?”

soon … It’s pretty simple. “I want to make a waterfall. I want to put the camera, crew and Parking Plus ” Crew parking and lot space equipment on rafts and take them across a river to get the shot. is abundant with large areas I want to rent an entire campground for the day. I want to ask a for production trucks, talent The picture came together in a moment. The canal with wa- power company to trip an emergency bypass switch and com- vehicles, and craft services, ter. The power plant that took in the water. The campground pensate them for the electricity that they would normally gen- among others. where I could park the equipment. The anomaly that I had erate. I want to put two actors on a big rock in the middle of a seen by the campground three days earlier. river, and I need to do it really soon. It’s pretty simple.” Picture Perfect Hotel Maya has appeared in many feature films, television My only thought at that moment was, “You would do that for There is nothing really amazing about this story. It’s just an shows and commercials, and me! example of what location professionals do every day on most print advertising including projects, whether it happens to be shooting in LA, or around Savages and Matador; Chuck, “Exactly how much water are we talking about?” I asked. the world. And as films have gotten bigger and more logistically CSI: Miami and Dexter; and “About 300,000 gallons per minute” he replied. “That’s a lot complicated, we still manage to get the job done. Magnum Ice Cream. of water.” I said, trying to maintain composure. “Could we go ready On the set take a look at it after lunch?” The result of this team effort is the feature filmHanging Up, For great rates and availability, starring and directed by Diane Keaton, and also starring Meg please call 562-481-3922 We got to the campground and walked upriver to a point be- Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau. email [email protected] A DOUBLETREE BY HILTON or visit http://www. hotelmayalongbeach.com 40 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014

Maya Hotel.indd 1 7/15/14 4:24 PM Parking Plus Crew parking and lot space is abundant with large areas for production trucks, talent vehicles, and craft services, among others. Picture Perfect Hotel Maya has appeared in many feature films, television shows and commercials, and print advertising including Savages and Matador; Chuck, CSI: Miami and Dexter; and Magnum Ice Cream. ready On the set For great rates and availability, please call 562-481-3922 email [email protected] A DOUBLETREE BY HILTON or visit http://www. hotelmayalongbeach.com

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Catch of the Day By Jill Naumann

he press release read: Animal Planet Only a location professional would go where angels dare to is pleased to announce a new reality tread in attempting to convert a producer’s fantasies to the show this summer, as an in-your-face, practical applications of the real world. First things first— where to start scouting? There are 337 lakes and 1,200 riv- Tfull-throttle competition series that ers in California to choose from. Stats for choosing a region splits 10 expert anglers into two teams and include time of year, weather, fish migration patterns, travel pits them head-to-head in a series of wild, costs, certain union practices and standards among hun- never-before-seen fishing challenges. The dreds of other factors. Top Hooker challenges will range from fish- What was different and exciting about this show for me, was ing with outlandish tools to contestants rediscovering great bodies of water in California for these netting fish with their mouths! competitions that would encompass a wash cycle that sounds like lake pond, river, ocean, rinse and repeat! Top Hooker promised “You will get wet on this one!” There is often a non-negotiable extracurricular education one receives as a location manager that goes way beyond Scenic beauty has much to do with the choice of locations, what you think normal job boundaries might entail—es- sure, but like every great American contest, it’s all about the pecially if you work in the field of reality television. For in- talent, in this case, just as much about our other talented stance, I recently had the unique privilege and opportunity cast, THE FISH! How high do they jump? When do they sleep to learn more facts about California fish than I would ever or are most active? How big or small? What shadows in wa- have dreamed could be necessary in my lifetime when I was ter are they most likely to hide in? What color water? How asked to location-manage this unique competition for Ani- fast do they travel thru the region? What species to what mal Planet. And even though I have never caught one, I’m waters? pretty sure I am now the fishing scout expert in this great state of California. After this last series, my trivia mantra Where do you go for such in-depth coverage with authentic- has forever changed from “You can’t grow corn in the des- ity for the fisherman’s quest of perfection? For one episode, ert in January!” to “We don’t plant trout in California waters we chose the magical pools of Tulare County along the Kern above 67 degrees!!”

| •

Photos by Jill Naumann except where indicated where Jill Naumann except by Photos LMGA COMPASS Summer 2014 43 River. Jim Matthews, the show’s fishing consultant, says For three glorious days, our contestants stayed on the Kern about Kern, “The Kern River is one of the finest trout rivers River hitting the best spots along a 44-mile stretch of the in the Western United States and it’s one of the best-kept se- River sprawling over Kern and Tulare counties. Up before crets.” And indeed this was proven true during a tech scout dawn, the competitors endured a chilly frosted morn, with week, when one of our own caught a seven-pound class wild hot cocoa by the campfire just like any viewer might expect Rainbow trout, giving all us high hopes for unpredictable to experience on their own fishing expedition. “on-camera” victories. “That is as good—no better—than most of the big-name trout fisheries in the country,” Mat- The town of Kernville provided lodging for the crew; we thews reported. filled every room in town. The crew’s per diem more than two nights poured an additional $7,500 into the local econo- After interviewing individual fishing experts as well as of- my, on top of what we spent on hotels and other area busi- ficial agencies’ experts, I headed up to the Kern, stocked nesses. Production worked with the Location Department with maps and guides. To learn the best river sections, I to ensure the use of local vendors whenever possible. The enlisted the expertise of local guru Tom Moore of the white- Blue Bear Coffee House, in the center of town, was extreme- water adventure company, Sierra South, whose reputation ly helpful acting as a sort of communication base for relay, is well known throughout the state. Artie Colson is the film in addition to a coffee fix, because certain cellular sources, liaison for the forest area that surrounds the Kern River. along with texting, and walkies just did not cover the area I We relied heavily on his team of knowledgeable and film- needed to travel in a day running from the Ghost of Produc- friendly rangers. Film Commissioners Dan Hook and Joanie tion Past to the excitement of Production Future. Haenelt provided film permits as well as all advisory for production to Kern County. I quickly learned that scouting Eric Coyne of the Tulare County Film Commission proved a natural environment for the sake of competition was actu- invaluable as a wealth of knowledge streamlining that part ally trickier than it sounds. Controlling reality cameras in of the permit process for the northernmost part of our area, uncontrollable element such as the Kern River meant focus- reaching up to the bottom of the Sequoia National Forest. ing on safety, as much as actual camera placement during We were able to showcase the beauty of the area including movement for viewing, as well as which section could afford us the action we need?

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PUERTO RICO FILM COMMISSION Johnsondale Bridge as the focus for two of our three compe- Director Ian Stevenson said it best, “My filming experience titions, including the final elimination. The AD raced to see at Kern River was surpassed only by the natural beauty that our soon-to-be-famous “Top Hooker Bus” was silhou- of the location. Everyone who helped us during the film- etted to the full moon, providing a backdrop that married ing including rangers, government officials and local river into the feel of the show celebrating sportsmen in the great experts, made the filming process a whole lot easier. For a outdoors. director, juggling multiple things on a shoot, that helps us achieve our creative objective, on schedule and on budget.” Filming the series Top Hooker ultimately took a crew of more than 100, filming six days a week with sometimes two Who knows which way the wind will blow through the Tor- locations a day. Including “after hours” reality, there were rey Pines of the upper Kern River, or whether we will be days of almost 24-hour filming. Our hectic schedule re- back to our ‘no longer secret’ favorite fishing spot “Willow quired us to move every two days, through seven different Point” (for all you anglers, counties from Tulare in the north, to San Diego in the south. that one is a freebie). But I Location areas included Corona, Temecula, Long Beach, San do know that if I expect to Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, Moorpark, Oxnard Channel Is- catch a seven-pound trout lands Harbor, Dana Point, Brawley and Mission Bay Harbor. in the lower Sierra Nevada, The Location Department secured 28 multi-jurisdictional it surely won’t be in August, permits for 25 days working with forest, sky, land, fire and as it is now forever branded ocean, with speed boats, outriggers, aqua tricycles, pods, in my brain that “We don’t kayaks, rafts, zip-lining, helicopters, jet ski races and hot-air plant trout in California balloons. Our activities had to be in compliance with Fish waters above 67 degrees!” & Game, OSHA, PETA, the Coast Guard, and the military, in You see, I have learned that respect to jurisdictions and wildlife protection. Top Hooker maybe not all trout are cre- worked with every level of government top to bottom to en- ated equal, however, fish- sure a successful shoot. ing is a discipline in the equality of men; for all men Maybe nobody will ever agree on the best way to catch are equal before fish!” Lewis Beverly by Photo a fish, but everybody on the first season of Top Hooker agreed that the feel of the Tulare County episode was a fa- Jill Naumann was awarded the Reality Production of the Year vorite. Not only was it hailed as the most scenically beauti- Award by the California on Location Awards (COLA) for Top ful, it certainly was the most unexpected fun! Hooker in 2013.

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LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 47 LMGA MEMBERS Promoting Excellence on Location Worldwide

Limoneira Company * The Bee Guys Richard Bokides Location Trash & Cleaning The Huntington Library, Art Christine Bonnem BUSINESS LocoMats Collections, and Botanical Brooks Bonstin MEMBERS Los Angeles Convention Center Gardens Bill Bowling * New members Los Angeles Times Square The Intercontinental Los Angeles Alasdair Boyd Macerich-Westside Pavilion The Location Portal Paul Boydston 213 Filming Malibu Locations The Manor Hotel and Celebrity Paul Brady 24/7 Plan-It Locations, Inc. mapthisout.com Centre Becky Brake 5 Star Film Locations Inc. * Maryland Film Office Toni Maier-On Location, Inc. Kenneth Brant Acumen Studios | Acumen Locations Mat Men * Tracey Danielson Sanitation Mike Brewer Aero Mock-Ups, Inc. Media Locations Truenorth Will Brewster Agua Dulce , Inc. Meyler & Co., Inc. Tuolumne County Film Commission Kevin Briles Air Hollywood Millennium Biltmore Hotel * Two Rodeo Drive David Broder Albuquerque Film Office Los Angeles United Site Services, Inc. Bree Brozey All Pictures Media MNM Locations Universal Locations, Inc. Michael Burmeister American Tents, LLC Montana Film Office Unreel Locations * Joe Burns Andaz West Hollywood Hotel Monterey County Film Commission UPS * Adam Butt Production Services Morocco Film Production US Virgin Islands Film Commission Paola Cambo Bear Creek Studio Restroom Rental North Carolina Film Office Virginia Film Office Billy Campbell Big Skye Movie Ranch NorthStar Moving Company * Visit West Hollywood John Cefalu Board Patrol Oakwood Worldwide Wall2Wall Layout Board Matthew Chamberlin * Calibu Cleaning Service One Stop Leasing Inc. Weather Trends International * Kate Chase Pitzarella * California Film Commission Pacific Palms Resort Willow Studios/Crazy Gideons/ Michael Chickey Canyon Ranch Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Odyssesus Investment Deven Chierighino Cap Equity Locations Pier Windsor Communities S. Todd Christensen CAST Locations Pacific Production Services, Inc. WSR Film Locations Robert Christoffersen Central City Stages Pacific Traffic Control, Inc. Wynn Las Vegas Bruce Chudacoff Chef Robert Catering, Inc. Paramount Pictures Xpress Layout Board, Inc. Robin Citrin Cinema Air, Inc. Pasadena Film Office Dominick Clark Coast Anabelle Hotel & Safari Inn Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office Scott Clark Creative Handbook Power and Communication Anna Coats Crew Protection Services Inc. Denise V. Collins Crown Disposal Company P.R.O.P.S. Security LOCATION Elisa Ann Conant * Dallas Film Commission Rancho del Cielo PROFESSIONALS PJ Connolly * DoubleTree Kyoto Gardens DTLA * Ready To Shoot * New members Jack Constantine Edison Downtown, Inc. Real to Reel Locations Joni Coyote Encore Air Inc. Reel Locations Keith Adams Kimberly Crabb Exchange LA Reel Scout Inc. Joseph Akerman Bob Craft Executive Assurance Security Reel Security Corp. Kokayi Ampah Bob Crockett Fairplex Southern California Reel Waste & Recycling, LLC Thom Anable Stephenson Crossley Ferguson’s Film Property Mgmt. Co. Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace Stephen Andrzejewski Martin Cummins Film In Iceland Foundation Melissa Areffi Pamella D’Pella FilmWerx Locations, Inc. Ridgecrest Regional Film John Armstrong Bill Darby FLICS Commission Jonathan Arroyo Fermin Davalos Go For Locations, Inc. Riverfront Stages, Inc. Gerald Averill Kim Dillinger Davis Hilton Checkers Los Angeles * SAGA Films Greg Babcock Roberto de Biase Hollywood Locations Santa Anita Park Serena Baker * Kristin Delgado Home Shoot Home Santa Barbara Location Services Lori Balton Brian Deming Hummingbird Nest Santa Clarita Valley Locations Mike Barry Alissa Desler Image Locations, Inc. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified * Roger Barth Scott Dewees Indochina Productions School District Chris Baugh Kristin Dewey It’s A Wrap Motion Picture Cleaning & San Telmo Productions * Glenn Beadles Norm Diaz Equipment Rental Sarasota County Film & Ernest Belding Michael Dickinson JCL Barricade Company Entertainment Office Kathy Berry Mandi Dillin Jeff Hronek Hardwood Floors, Inc. Skye Rentals Justin Besemer Clay Dodder Joe’s Auto Parks Skyline Locations Michael Betz David Doumeng KFTV South Carolina Film Commission Michael Bigham Melissa Downing L.A. Film Locations Sportsmen’s Lodge Events Center Brian Bird William Doyle Lacy Street Production Center St. Moritz Security Services, Inc. Marylin Bitner Dale Dreher Lay’d Out, Inc. Studio Air Conditioning Robbie Boake Douglas Dresser Lemke Software GmbH Tejon Ranch Keith Bohanan Rita Duffey

48 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 Promoting Excellence on Location Worldwide

Caleb Duffy Jonathan Hook Kevin McAteer Bear Schmidt Jennifer Dunne Kim Houser-Amaral Peter McClafferty Jordan Schmidt Claudia Eastman Victoria Howard Tim McClure Paul Schreiber Guy Efrat Shawn Hueston Kathy McCurdy Florian Schura Jacqueline English TeriLee Huff David McKinney Carole Segal Taylor Erickson Joshua P. Hughes Michael Meehan Mike Shanahan Caprice Ericson Jody Hummer Beth Melnick Ned Shapiro Luis Estrella John Hutchinson Robert Mendel John Shelde Gil Evans Mark Indig Patrick Mignano Bonnie Sills Mike Fantasia David Israel Barbara Miller Joel Sinderman Russ Fega John Jabaley Dennis Morley David Smith David Ferdig Kent Jackson Nick Morley Michael Smith Leo Azevedo Fialho Saisie Jang Jeff Morris Laura Sode-Matteson Perri Fichtner Barry Jones Lucas Nalepinski Leah Sokolowsky Carol Flaisher Ilt Jones Galidan Nauber Michael Soleau Mike Flores Welton Jones Jill Naumann Randy Spangler David Foster Geoff Juckes Stevie Nelson Chelsea Squyres * Robert Foulkes Andree Juviler Stuart Neumann Rebecca “Puck” Stair Billy Fox Jason Kaplon Peter J. Novak Patti Stammer Diane Friedman Stephen Kardell Sophia Ochoa * Eric Strangeland Chris Fuentes Catou Kearney JP O’Connor Pavel Sterba Kevin Funston Orin Kennedy Jennifer O’Rourke-Smith Matt Storm Andre Gaudry Ted Kim Kyle “Snappy” Oliver Jason Stowell Marco Giacalone Brian Kinney Brian O’Neill Kyle Sucher James Gierman Heather “Shasta” Kinney David O’Reilly Golden Rob Swenson Karen Gilbert S. Dylan Kirkland Peter Orth Beth Tate * Robert Girardin Alex Kivlen Debbie Page Jack Tate Michael Glaser Eric Klosterman John Panzarella Duffy Taylor Peter Gluck Richard Klotz David Park Nate Taylor Marie-Paule Goislard * Adrian Knight Pat Parrish Sam Tedesco David Golden Jordana Kronen Marino Pascal Kayla Thames Sarah Goller Chris Kucharski Larry Pearson Dorion Thomas * Ann Goobie Christopher Kusiak Paul Pedevilla John Thornton II Mac Gordon John Latenser V Evan Peller Leslie Thorson Dan Gorman Michelle Latham Michael Percival * Andrew Ticer John Grant Nancy Lazarus Brittany Petros Sam Tischler Barry Gremillion Jodi Leininger Ellen Pfirrmann Marta Tomkiw Dow Griffith Michael Leon Janice Polley Scott Trimble Terry Gusto Robert Lepucki Scott Poole Jim Triplett Chris Gutierrez Jennifer Levine Peggy Pridemore Tano Tropia Ken Haber Dennis Light Richard Prince Andrew Ullman Russell Hadaya James Lin Zachary Quemore Craig W. Van Gundy Lary Vinocur Nancy Haecker Joe Liuzzi Ron Quigley     Veronique Vowell Wes Hagan Scott Logan Jason Quimby   Raine Hall Jesse Lorber Osceola Refetoff  Gina Vreeland  Julie Hannum Michael B. Louis Will Regan  Kristan Wagner  TM Jof Hanwright Charlie Love Errol Reichow Lee Wall

Paul Hargrave Ann Lukacs Steve Rhea  Stephen Weissberger 

Howard Harnett David Lyons Tony Rimwah  Michael Wesley 

Michael Haro Jim Maceo Jesse Rivard  Byll Williams 

 

Janet Harold * Jason Madison * John Rizzi Dennis Williams

Kenton Harris Flint Maloney Adam Robinson Daniel Wilson

Gahan Haskins Bill Maniscalco Daniel Rosenthal  Shelly D. Wilson

Marie Healy Kei Rowan-Young  Joe Wolek Don Mann    

* Nancy Wong * Thomas Healy John Markel David Rumble

   Mike Hewett Donny Martino Lori Russell Steve Yeager Timothy Hillman Peter Martorano Ian Rutherford Louis Zuppardi R. Richard Hobbs Lara Massengill Will Ruvalcaba Andrew K. Hodge Kent Matsuoka Paulina Salazar Tom Hogan * Bill Maursky Tony Salome Thomas Holaday Edward Mazurek Jason Savage

LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 49 MARTINI SHOT 39° 25' 50" N / 82° 32' 20" W

Old Man’s Cave Hocking HIlls State Park Logan, Ohio Photo by Marie-Paule Goislard THE BEAUTY SHOTS YOU EXPECT, WITH THE DIVERSITY OF LOCATIONS YOU DON’T.

Filming in the U.S. Virgin Islands is one unbelievable shot after another. You’ll fi nd a diversity of locations from rural farmland, lush rain forest and rolling hills to quaint European towns, cosmopolitan settings and colorful Caribbean architecture. Not to mention picturesque beaches. You’ll also fi nd an experienced fi lm community with English-speaking crews and the convenience of U.S. currency. For more opportunities in St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, call 340.775.1444.

Plan your production at fi lmUSVI.com.

©2014 U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism

USVI14062_8.375x10.875_LMGA.indd 1 6/18/14 4:12 PM AGENCY: JW T/Atlanta SPECS: 4C Page Bleed PUB: LMGA Compass Magazine CLIENT: USVI TRIM: 8.375” x 10.875” DATE: Summer 2014 AD#: USVI-14062 BLEED: 8.625” x 11.125” HEAD: “The Beauty Shots You LIVE: 7.875” x 10.375” Expect...” Prsrt Std TM U.S. Postage Paid Santa Ana, CA Location Managers Guild of America Permit No. 450 8033 Sunset Blvd., Suite 107 Los Angeles, CA 90046

30% cash rebate on spend & up to 25% on wages. Plus, no sales tax on purchases! (up to 8%)

803.737.0498