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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12 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2019 My career in the industry, for a long time, consisted of me taking whatever job someone would trust me with. First as an AC on a local reality TV show in Maryland, a projectionist and film festival coordinator in Annapolis, production assistant, location assistant, media manager, grip and electric in DC, Virginia, New York and wherever on any given day to fill in the time and pay the bills. I knew I wanted to direct, so when I had my first solid script, and first-ever sizable paycheck (despite what I knew, I would end up owing in taxes later), it all went into making my first short film become a reality. Chemistry 101 was no provocative think piece by any stretch, but it was a solid, under 10-minute story that stood a chance at entertaining. I wrote, produced, edited and directed this short with no small amount of help from many people, and when it was all said and done, I was seven grand out of pocket. I owed the IRS for the next two years and had credit card debt at figures that were quite foreign to me at that time. And you know what? I'd do it all over again. It took years to finish my film and in that time, I found my tribe of professionals in the Location Department. Working locations has revealed to me what it is that I personally love about filmmaking: connection. Now I revisit everything that I love about filmmaking from a new angle. All of this, I most fully realized while traveling to one of my short film's final festival destinations. Finishing off the end of the festival circuit for my short film Chemistry 101, I received a warm invitation from the first annual Lost World Short Film Festival in Paleochora, Crete. Luckily, my current show's schedule was accommodating and the date of the festival fell on my 30th birthday, so I decided "Why not?" Paleochora, which lies on the southernmost tip of the southernmost island of Greece, is secluded and hard to get to, adding to its allure. While typical tourists head to the well-known travel designations of Mykonos or Athens, Paleochora is a hidden paradise, well off the beaten trail. It is a getaway that is both difficult to reach and hard to leave. It is a rare place that has no need and seemingly no care for the trappings of social media. It is both a place where time stands still during its beautiful sunsets on either side of this peninsula and one where time can slip away from you very quickly while in the company of new friends. Paleochora is only about an hour drive from the most beautiful pink sand of Elafonisi, a destination that one hopes remains more anonymous than splashed across tourism travel pages. Lost World Short Film Festival revealed some of the newest voices in filmmaking from around the world, fed me with great local food and enriched me with some of the best conversation I've ever had about film. During a conversation with the festival's director, Linda McGuire, a Scotland native with strong Irish heritage, she spoke of her early passions for filmmaking and working as an actor. Something pulled her to Greece and eventually to Paleochora. I expressed to her how I felt very welcome in her realized dream of a film festival that brings the people of Paleochora together, attracts filmmakers from around the world, and exposes the community to a myriad of viewpoints and social topics. The festival could not have been a bigger hit and was a great joy for me as a first- time filmmaker. Suffice to say, I had the time of my life, made new friends and had a very difficult time saying good-bye. The Paleochora Lost World Short Film Festival will soon be opening for submissions for its second year, if not already available by the time you read this. For any filmmaker, I not only encourage you to submit, but to also travel to this festival to experience the ideal atmosphere it provides for creatives and travelers alike. "Best Experimental" Mixed Media Short Film winner, Mike Reft (left) with Paul McGuirk. Photos courtesy of Mike Reft/LMGI. View Mike's filmfest entry here: https://vimeo.com/259802901 Mike Re's Foray Into a Lost World: The First Paleochora Film Festival On the set of Mike Reft's Chemistry 101. by Mike Reft