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LMGI COMPASS
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Spring 2021
DODD VICKERS:
Location Ambassador with a Microphone
by Su Fang Tham
There is a new voice in the blogosphere. In deep mellow tones, Georgia-based location manager Dodd
Vickers/LMGI converses with his fellow location pros to mine the "back channels where the work gets
done" on his podcast,
Locations on Two.
Behind-the-scenes stories animate the interviews, revealing
in often hilarious detail, how location pros use their wits and
know-how to solve complex logistical issues and deliver on what
sometimes seem like impossible location asks. The inaugural
podcast features an hour-long interview with 2014 LMGI Awards
winner Ilt Jones/LMGI, the veteran British location manager of
mega-blockbusters Black Panther, Iron Man 3 and Kong: Skull
Island.
In the business for a little over a decade, Vickers boasts a long
list of credits, including HBO's crime drama Sharp Objects,
director Denis Villeneuve's crime mystery Prisoners and Netflix's
series sequel of the Karate Kid films, Cobra Kai. He realized early
on that the role location pros play in the production process is
often misunderstood. Since the location team is most visible on
set handling logistics for everything from parking, catering, and
location access to securing filming permits, the part of the job
that happens before the crew arrives often goes unnoticed.
"Most people don't realize the critical role we play in the creative
process. We're often one of the first people to get that script,
sometimes months before principal photography," he explains.
Photos courtesy of Dodd Vickers/LMGI