of set before our shoot
day. The garbage company
bailed on me, never came
and refused to help me out.
I called an equipment rental
company and reserved a
large telehandler forklift with
a driver to operate. I showed
up at the rental place the
morning of the shoot—the
forklift was ready but "by
the way, there's no driver." I
ended up driving this thing
(a piece of equipment I knew
nothing about) miles down
Highway 1 at a top speed
of like 5 mph, holding up
traffic and probably breaking
a few laws. I moved the
dumpster before the shoot
and returned the forklift that
night. When you're starting out, the sense of doing whatever it
takes to get the shot is so powerful. I would think twice about
doing something like that these days!
PM: What have you found to be the most challenging?
ED: We do so much important work in locations: scouting,
permitting, prepping. A lot of the crew interact with us on set
after the bulk of our work is done; they don't see everything
that we've contributed. One of the great things about LMGI is
that it raises our profile as a department and showcases all the
important work we do.
PM: Do you have any advice for any young assistants just starting
out and why?
PM: What is something you aspire to accomplish in locations?
ED: Scout internationally! A location scout interacts with
their environment in a unique way, always imagining how a
production could utilize a space. I would love to combine that
awareness of environment with my passion for experiencing
other cultures. I speak Portuguese and Spanish so Latin
America is of obvious interest but I'd be happy going anywhere.
PM: What have you found to be the most enjoyable part of your
job?
ED: I love being part of the initial creative work that shapes the
look of the show. We always follow the script but are still able
to express our own creativity in what we scout and how we
shoot. Being the first one at
a location is also an exciting
feeling. It's like standing
in the middle of a blank
canvas and contributing
the first brush strokes of a
collaborative painting.
PM: What is a crazy/wildest
story from "on location."
ED: When I was starting
out, I managed an indie film
up on the North Coast. We
were shooting at a boat
graveyard on the Noyo River
and I promised the director
I would move this giant
dumpster right in the middle
10 Mile Beach, Mendocino, CA
