Location Managers Guild International

LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2020 • 35 Stevie: BOSTON IS ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST CITIES. ARE YOU A NATIVE? GREG CHIODO: I grew up in Detroit and have lived in Boston for 21 years. Emerson College led me here—I never left! Stevie: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING IN LOCATIONS? HOW DID YOU START & WHAT DO YOU PRIMARILY WORK ON? GC: It's funny, I feel like I'm part of a small, last group that became location managers by complete accident. Mentors & other location managers I know that have been around a lot longer than me, all seem to have some story when "the circus came to town" and their lives were changed forever. No one even knew what a location manager was! It was pretty much the same for me. I was finishing at Emerson and had no idea what to do next. I saw a posting to work on a movie and went to interview for an unpaid PA gig. It was a small, indie production and the office was in a house in the suburbs—my first trip to the Boston "burbs" so it was a strange experience all the way around. I waited and waited and was ultimately blown off. Deserted in the foyer of this house, I was trying to figure my way back home just as someone was running out of the house and asked what I needed… As he drove me home, I didn't realize we would become life-long friends, but he did ask me to give him a hand the next day dealing with "unit coordinating" on that movie. I did. And that one day led to most of the summer, until we got a call to do locations on another tiny indie, The Blue Diner (Diner Azul) later that summer. Now, with social media, and incentives and the work of the LMGI, our job has become a bit of a "known thing" and is actually sought out. I've had many people approach me recently asking how they can do what I do. That just wasn't the case 10 years ago. I've now been working in locations about 20 years— almost exclusively on feature films. I've done a couple of commercials and had a TV pilot or two mixed in along the way. Now, with the amount of streaming content in production across the country, I'd say it's only a matter of time before "episodic" has new meaning for me. Stevie: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PRIMARY DRAW FOR FILMING IN & AROUND BOSTON & ITS SURROUNDING AREAS IN GENERAL? WHAT KIND OF "LOOKS" ARE THERE? WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES & WHY? GC: Even with all that Boston has to offer, I'd have to say the Massachusetts tax incentive is probably the primary draw to filming here. That said, Boston is a beautiful, unique and very old American city. Boston is known for grit, along with its storied history. It has the most extant pre-colonial, first-period architecture and unique neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and the North End. They weren't necessarily built with a modern grip trucks in mind but look amazing! I worked on The Town, Black Mass and Live by Night—all of which wanted that look for various reasons. The Town because of its tight proximity for a car chase; Live by Night because it still had the basic look of a 100-year- old street; and Black Mass for its historical accuracy. While totally worth the effort, it's a crazy endeavor to get involved with a couple hundred store fronts, schools, business owners, car owners and residents for a few blocks chase scene … and then make sure they keep their windows closed when we make it rain overnight. Boston also has a broad spectrum of architecture—from colonial-era streets, to modern glass tower boulevards and triple-deckers homes—all immediately surrounded by different looks you just can't get anywhere else. Victorian-period architecture, harbors, beaches, rocky shores, sandy shores, islands, rolling hills and farms All photos by Greg Chiodo/LMGI, except as noted. Photo courtesy of Greg Chiodo/LMGI Stevie Nelson explores the home of the Boston Tea Party and birthplace of the American Revolution with member Greg Chiodo.

• Cover
• 42-49 MAYANS
• 64-69 Jason Wisch
• 74-75 Martini Shot