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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2020
It's in our DNA; resilience in the
face of adversity is woven into the
fabric of every location professional.
All you need to do is present an
obstacle and we immediately fi nd a
workaround. Thinking outside the box
is what we do best. Combined with
strength, courage, compassion and
discipline—if anyone can get through
a pandemic, and help our industry
chart the way toward safely resuming
production, LMGI members are your
team!
We are delighted (reported in our "In the News" column) to invite you to our 7th Annual
LMGI Awards streaming this year to a couch near you! And like our Trailblazer Spike
Lee admonishes, we hope we all do the right thing moving forward. Between the COVID
pandemic, BLM awareness, climate change and the critical importance of the upcoming
American vote, now is the time to take a stand and be part of the solution.
Our cover story eerily echoes a different America, underscoring our inextinguishable
hope for change. Filmed in Canada, this season's dystopic regime features a trip to
Washington, D.C., in Nancy Mill's look at The Handmaid's Tale. Shaun O'Banion takes us
on a spree of "International Bayhem: Latella and Crook's Wild Ride." Join our colleagues
celebrating the travails of fi lming ancient cities with the master of blockbuster fi lms. We
go to different extremes with global adventure scout and brilliant photographer, Tom
Carr-Griffi n. And, with a nod to the macabre, location manager Chris Fuentes reveals the
ultimate location, touring his fi nal resting place.
Our columns include "In My CIty" with Texan Paul Knaus's hometown hospitality on a
tour of Austin. Kei Rowan-Young encapsulates the urgency of the international Black
Lives Matter protests in a single compelling "Martini Shot." "Career Focus" shares the
story of a frustrated stuntman turned award-winning location manager, as we travel
Spain with Tate Aráez Guzmán. "In the News" reports on our repeated success at this
year's online Comic-Con—for the eighth consecutive year, the "LMGI Hollywood Location
Scouts" panel was an important part of the incredible programming. 2020 also marks
our continued relationship with Oscar, as more members joined the Design Branch of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additionally, the LMGI hosted a Virtual
Town Hall Discussion on the "Complexity of Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in
the Film Industry." Hundreds of location pro producers and DEI champions discussed
inequality in our workplace. Australian member Duncan Jones launches Myriad Studios,
an organic synergy of his location acuity with the growing world of VFX. And be sure to
register for this year's "We See It First: 2020 LMGI Awards Go Digital!"
Stay safe out there.
Always a pleasure, never too busy,
Ken Haber, Lori Balton. Stevie Nelson and Paul Messana
FROM THE
EDITORS' DESK
"Courage is the most
important of all the
virtues because without
courage, you can't
practice any other virtue
consistently."
–MAYA ANGELOU