Location Managers Guild International

46 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2020 dream of getting to tell stories, of getting to make movies and television. And we've traveled all over the world to get to do that," he says. "It takes a lot of hard work and it takes people putting themselves and their egos aside to do what's best for the story and the show." He cites Cooley as a leader in that respect. "Cooley always puts the needs of the show and of the rest of us fi rst. Mayans M.C. wouldn't be the same show or family without him," says James. Niro also believes the show works as well as it does because of the relationships of the crew, saying, "All of us love being a part of this show. We like working together and that's a remarkable achievement. Things feel easier, even when you're facing this sort of restricted time frame because nobody gets angry or anx- ious. This crew just smiles and moves forward." "The best part," says Cooley, "is that we have friends in all of these places now. There's a driver named Luigi down in Mexico who has insisted that I stay with his family when we shoot there and not in some hotel. There is so much love in people's hearts and it goes beyond what we're doing. I just hope some of that shows up on screen." AT TE ALL Because this is a show about a motorcycle gang, there are a lot of driving shots which have to be very carefully planned out. "You want these high and wide shots of the guys riding around and you want to see these vistas and feel the revving of the engines," Cooley says. Mayans features a lot of epic shots but perhaps none more impressive (given the politics of the world today) than a drone shot that follows the Mayans riding their motorcy- cles along the wall and then crossing the border with them. "We are actually the fi rst show I know of that has gotten permission to do that," says Cooley, not without a hint of pride. That shot, says Paré, "was the result of days and weeks of setting up the relationship with CBP, along with assistance from Mike Haro/ LMGI, but that's who Dan is. He gets it done." "There are different sectors at the wall, so it all depends where you're crossing, where you want to go, and what you want to do," Cooley explains. CBP has to keep an eye on the cast and crew during the shoot, and there have actually been a couple of instances where people have tried to hop the wall because they think the CBP is dis- tracted by what the shooting company is doing. They aren't. No matter if the company is near the border in Tecate or deeper into Mexico, it's a logistical feat to pull it off. "Materials and supplies get trucked in from Los Angeles or Mexico City, meeting at the wall," says Paré, "and we often have to send duplicates so we don't need to worry about trucks getting locked up in customs." They also have separate crews and equipment for each side of the border with a small cadre of department heads who cross back-and-forth. All in all, it takes a crew of about 300 people to make it all happen. The Loca- tion Department has a permanent staff of 10. TLALEPATLA In season one, the cast and crew ventured about 45 minutes out of Mexico City to Tlalnepantla to create what is probably Cooley's fa- vorite location so far: The exterior of the M.C.'s Safe House. Cooley discovered it during a scout and his timing couldn't have been bet- ter. Comparable to the favelas in Brazil, Tlalnepantla is a community nestled into a hillside where the houses are stacked on top of one another. "There was this great stairway, and at the top, it has these beauti- ful, breathtaking views," says Cooley. "Usually, you fi nd the exterior and then build the interior to try and match, but due to actor avail- ability, time constraints and probably a half a dozen other things, we had to do it backward." The crew were on stage in Santa Clarita, California, literally about

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