Discovering the Makings of
a Location Meister
30
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LMGI COMPASS
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Winter 2018
And the Award Goes To…
Location professionals and production designers discuss
what it takes to become a member of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
Production designer JOHN MYHRE dis-
tinctly remembers being glued to the fam-
ily television set watching the Academy
Awards as a child. Fast-forward to 2012, by
which time he won two Academy Awards,
earned three nominations and received
a Primetime Emmy nomination for Out-
standing Art Direction for the 84th Acad-
emy Awards. The Oscars are a "celebration
of the movies," says Myhre, "and being a
member of the Academy is a 'milestone in
your career.'"
LMGI location scout LORI BALTON, the
first location professional to join AMPAS
in 2013, says, "When I attend meetings,
I feel like I died and went to heaven. I
am sitting in the Academy boardroom
with the top production designers in
the industry and (gasp) I am there as an
equal. It still blows my mind. For some-
one who loves movies, spent years
working at Cornell Cinema and the
Coolidge Corner Cinema while getting
through college and graduate school,
this is really a dream come true."
Since Balton's acceptance, two other
LMGI location professionals, KOKAYI
AMPAH and Elston Howard, have joined
the Academy in the Designers Branch.
The Designers Branch is one of the
more comprehensive," says Balton.
"Fortunately, they have a history of un-
derstanding the team effort that goes
into filmmaking." Academy Governor
Jim Bissell concurs. "Unlike the Cin-
ematographers or Editors Branch, the
Designers Branch is inclusive and em-
braces members with an extraordinary
by Judy Schultz
PRODUCTION DESIGNER JOHN MYHRE
LOCATION SCOUT LORI BALTON
LOCATION PRO KOKAYI AMPAH