The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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46 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2017 Andy Buckley, LMGI was ge ing ready to retire from the British Royal Navy's Royal Marines Commando force when World War Z called ... They needed to borrow an aircra carrier for the movie and did he know a guy? These days, Buckley's the one making those calls, as supervising location manager for the budding Kingsman franchise, whose star-studded, action-packed sequel The Golden Circle grossed more than $100M worldwide on its opening weekend in September. But back in 2011, he was still closing out his more than 20-year career with the Royal Marines. "I did my basic training, went 'round the world enjoying myself, then le ," he quips. When pressed he adds, "It's the longest and hardest basic training in the Western world. Once you pass, you get presented the coveted green beret and you become part of this group of elite, highly trained individuals." After 19 years of active service, including operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Sierra Leone, Buckley switched to a marketing role, staging events to shift the public perception of the Royal Marines. At one cinematic affair, he escorted Dame Helen Mirren aboard a 115,000-ton cruise liner for the ship's naming ceremony as members of his Royal Marines Commando display team scaled down the side of the hull to smash the ritual champagne. From there, he took a post as military adviser for the Royal Navy on a slew of film, TV and commercial productions. Buckley remembers British director Aubrey Powell telling him his skill set would transfer well to the film industry. "We were working with great directors such as Susanna White and I thought I could use that as a stepping- stone. I'd speak to the location managers, find out what that job was about and that's when I got really interested." Enter Brad Pitt's zombie movie … Buckley helped the filmmakers secure a ship but geopolitics scuttled their plans. "The problem was Libya kicked off and the Navy said, 'Mr. Buckley, we don't think we can give you the ship.'" So he leveraged his military connections to help find the Royal Fleet auxiliary ship Argus and repurpose its downtime for the shoot. "I went to the Mediterranean with Steve Mortimore, the supervising location manager, and spoke to the captain, and we basically paid a location fee of $75K to go three days at sea, then into dry dock and film for 10 days. It should have cost a hell of a lot more." With that feather in his new cap, Buckley officially retired the green beret and left military service for the movie business. "I constantly tease him that he was in the Coast Guard," says Darren Gilford, production designer on The Golden Circle. "But he's hard core and it shows. I can only imagine how difficult his job is, especially in London, with the scale and scope of working in a big city. It's always amazing to me when I show up and see the size of base camp, and with a guy like Andy, I know that's all going to be taken care of." "It's all about how we interact to get the best out of each other. People skills are huge." –Andy Buckley "These big films can be crazy because half the time they haven't even got a confirmed script. It's a game of politics at that level, knowing how to manage expectations—manage other departments and the people in charge." –Vinnie Jassal All the King's Men: ANDREW BUCKLEY & VINNIE JASSAL by Shannon Mullen