LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2020
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55
Going to Extremes with
Tom Carr-Grin
Pre-COVID, I was representing the LMGI on some panels at FOCUS,
the meeting place for international production, in London. At one of
many social hours, happenstance put location scout Tom Carr-Griffin
before me. Having just scouted the Chinese border of Vietnam, far
from the tourist tracks, his specializing in remote environments
fascinated me. He modestly asked if I had a moment to look at some
of his images, and he had me—hook, line and sinker.
Growing up mainly in Dorset and North Wales, Tom spent much of
his youth outdoors, hiking and mountaineering, and practicing field
craŠ with his father. Shortly aŠer studying classic civilizations at
university, Tom took a job in northwest China, moving to a small town
in Xin Jiang, close to Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. AŠer years
in the adventure tourism industry, learning the Chinese language and
culture, a "slight misunderstanding with the authorities" led him to
exile on the Hong Kong peninsula. He eventually got work with an
adventure company running expeditions in South America.
Carr-Griffin explains, "This involved some very brief and basic
mechanical training on how to keep a 1980s Mercedes truck engine
running, and then being issued a bright orange, ten-tonne semi off-
road vehicle, custom ouši›ed to carry up to 20 people, complete
with tents and cooking kit and with an extra fuel tank welded on
to give a fairly impressive range between re-supplies." Impressive
range, indeed, as he covered the full length and breadth of South
America twice.
NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
by Lori Balton
All photos courtesy of ColdHouse
