Location Managers Guild International

22 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2020 G U I L D I N T E R N A T I O N A L TM LMGI Born and raised in Dublin, my attraction to fi lm and theatre began around 6 or 7 years old. TV was not in the country yet (until 1957-58) so going to the "fi lms" as we would say, was a big treat, every two weeks. My grand uncle was involved with the Film Board of Ireland back in the early 1900s and was a distributor for Paramount Pictures until his retirement in the late '50s. I loved going to his house, that he called "Beverly Hall" as he was so friendly, outgoing unlike the more reserved manner of most of our family. At the age of 10, I was taking Irish dancing lessons (think Riverdance). I loved being on CAREER FOCUS LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! the stage for recitals. I wanted to learn ballet but that was out of the question given my grandmother had been an adjudicator in Irish dancing. Another great infl uence in my life was my aunt, the opera singer. She was always encouraging me to do better. My mother sent me to piano lessons (waste of time as I had no talent in that direction) and elocution lessons so I could recite poetry at my friends' birthday parties (we called it "our party piece"). My father was an accountant and played the violin and my appreciation of classical music came from him. Again, I had no talent in that or any direction. Two of my brothers had a singing coach and were sopranos until their voices broke in early teens. My father was a soloist in a Dublin choir. So you can see, not only did I miss the boat and I didn't even reach the talent pier. Talent still runs in the family with my cousins, their children … all gifted but me … a lost cause, I'm afraid. In 1959, we moved to California as my uncle was a design engineer in Pasadena. While fl ying to LA on a Pan Am turbo prop aircraft from London over the North Pole, refueling on Baffi n Island, then to Seattle, San Francisco and fi nally Los Angeles, the more than 24-hour trip left lots of room for imagination. Well, I was dreaming of living in Beverly Hills (from the movies, most lived in Beverly Hills … or so I thought). We settled in San Gabriel, a beautiful area with mostly a Spanish infl uence. I attended Mission High School (built on the grounds of one of the California Missions dating from 1771) and across the street was this imposing, magnifi cent Spanish architecture that drew my attention. I walked around it several times; being a shy person I was hesitant to go in. I did, and through the darkness found my way into heaven… Then a harsh voice commanded, "Who is out there? Come down to the stage at once." Oh! I walked down and met the stage manager Rulon Gardiner and I gather from my accent he knew I was not local. That meeting started a three-year working relationship with the Mission Playhouse. I attended drama lessons, learning everything I could from Rulon about putting on a show. During the shows I was an usherette. It was amazing and the people who worked there were like second fathers to me as my own father was living in London and did not join us in California. I have been to many theatres all over the world but Mission Playhouse always holds a special place in my heart. Meeting so many people during rehearsals/shows was enlightening. Amalia Hernandez with her Ballet Foklorico de Mexico, Mel Blanc (voice of Donald Duck), Maureen O'Sullivan … too many artists to mention, leaving me with so many fond memories. During my fi rst year (I started as a sophomore) at Mission High, the local Free Press did an article on me, given I was the fi rst overseas student. After publication, a phone call came to the school from a lady wanting me to return her call. I was allowed and she told me Sen. Kennedy read the article and since I was from Ireland, as his family were also Irish, he would love The Accidental Magic of Location Professional Aine Furey Aine Furey, comfortable in front of, as well as behind, the camera lens

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