Location Managers Guild International

LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2021 • 31 directors are also the writers of the show. But we are only working with the scripts, which stay true to the spirit of the books. There are quite a lot of deviations. It would create confusion to use two different sources. It's a gift if the original and named locations from the books still exist and the writers adapt this into the scripts. For example, take the yellow train station Hermannplatz. It was clear that this location could still be used as the fi lming location for the original Hermannplatz, almost 100 years after it was built. The modern elements were manageable, and it seemed only natural to use this location. Finding the location is only the fi rst step of our job. The challenge was great: Here was this original location from the books. It is still there and from the visual point of view really good to use for our purpose. The ball was on our side. The Hermannplatz train station is one of the most highly frequented places in Berlin—not the best place to shoot a period drama. It was necessary to decorate the platforms and prep the set during ongoing LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2021 • 31 Babylon Berlin line producer Marcus Loges can't imagine life without his location team. "We're one of those shows that is basically shot entirely on location," he says. "Without LM David Pieper/LMGI and KALM Mario Wittmann/LMGI, the process would not work." Now shooting its fourth season, the popular Netfl ix series has found a successful formula. "Filming is not that popular in Berlin anymore, so it needs a lot of support," Loges says. There's a lot of construction, and many places are not that accessible. When you compare Babylon Berlin to a lot of other period shows, you'll fi nd those productions go east to Prague or Romania. Nobody apart from us is shooting in Berlin or in Germany, for that matter. It's expensive, but we do fi nd the places. What's special about Babylon Berlin is that it's a great portrait of the times. It's not a boy and a girl and a crime. We go to 150 places, and you can tell. "The popularity of the series enables us to reach out to very special locations, but sometimes location owners ask for a lot of money and we don't want to be held hostage. We also have to protect the budget of the show, as well as the style and the value. If a location is asking for an unreasonable price, the LMs will discuss with the director, producer and designer that we will need an alternative." Loges' location team know each other well. They recently worked on the much praised Queen's Gambit for Netfl ix. "You need people who know the rules and can do the paperwork properly," Loges says. "But also, they need to be convincing because we can't force people to get permits. "It's a very human thing. You need to convince not only the location owner but also the public and the authorities that it's actually a good thing to give away a street for a week so Babylon Berlin can shoot there for a night. "David and Mario are calm, quiet and careful people. They know their stuff. You can't surprise them with a new rule. They won't always get the answer we want right away, so they need to do things in a friendly manner to be able to revisit the place. They've proven that sometimes kindness helps. "Because they're asking for so many things, they need to be the good guys. If you don't, you can lose the opportunity to have a place to get back to and restart. "So many things today are not allowed. You can't shoot in the park. You can't bring horses. You can't have a car. But you still need to ask: 'What are the conditions where we'd be favored to get a permit? Do we need to be extra careful?' "You need shining knights as LMs. I've known David and Mario for a long, long time. They are our shining knights." LINE PRODUCER MARCUS LOGES: LOCATION TEAM ARE "SHINING KNIGHTS" Photo courtesy of Uli Hanisch L-R: David Pieper & Mario Wittmann

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• 24-35 Cover-Story_Babylon Berlin
• 36-49 MANK
• 52-59 NEXT GEN
• 62-63 Martini shot