The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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48 • LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2021 Another unique location was the Art Deco Cicada Club inside the James Oviatt Building, used for the scene in which Mank attends an election night celebration after Sinclair loses and Louis B. Mayer gives a big speech. Completed in 1928, the building is on the Historic Registry and is located in the heart of downtown L.A. It originally housed the Alexander and Oviatt Men's Haberdashery which outfi tted the likes of Clark Gable and John Barrymore. Renowned Parisian designer René Lalique crafted some 30 tons of glass for the building's opulent lobby. Being centered around the movie business, key scenes naturally played out on several studio lots, including Sony (originally MGM Studios), Warner Bros. and Paramount. "It was pretty fun to see the old studio equipment, cars and talent in various costumes walking around the streets of the old 'Film Factories' again," says Doyle. The (renaissance revival-style) First Unitarian Church, located on 8th Street, doubled for the Wilshire Boulevard Temple where Thalberg's funeral actually took place. The company had intended to shoot at the synagogue, but the site was undergoing a major expansion and construction had unfortunately already begun. "First Unitarian can play for either a Christian or Jewish facility with ease," says Doyle, "and the high windows also helped our DP and his team create an amazing shaft of light that dramatically shines down onto Thalberg's casket!" Lastly, the oft-used majestic ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown was used as the setting for the 14th Academy Awards. Movie Magic Hollywood is a bubbling cauldron of creative energy, sparked by collaborative genius and the clash of larger-than-life personalities, mixing fact and fantasy, steamy romance and back-stabbing betrayal into an intoxicating brew. And so has the Mank team delivered a visual feast that approximates the world where giants like Mank, Welles, Louie B. Mayer, Thalberg, Hearst and Davies can stride out of the past and into the collective imagination. Hollywood has never shied from turning the lens on itself, perhaps as a way to fi gure out what made the moviemaking of yesteryear tick. The stories that are told, and the stories about those stories, fuel the endless hunger for a glimpse into the intrigue and drama that produced some of the greatest fi lms ever made. It is the creative relationships and trust forged by the making of these stories that make the telling possible. "I think trust is built on thousands of moments, big and small," shares Doyle. "In the end, I think David trusts my preparation, work ethic, and perhaps how I see the job equally with both the left and right sides of my brain. The ability to see the script and the world creatively, but also have a clear plan on how to get it done." As for a plan of his own, Doyle intends to keep producing for the rest of his career. "I'm a producer on another feature for Netfl ix now," he says, "and I love the challenge. Being part of all aspects of production, creatively, logistically and fi nancially is exciting." Mank garnered 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. For his work on the fi lm, DP Erik Messerschmidt took home an Oscar, as did Donald Graham Burt, his second—the fi rst being for Fincher's Zodiac in 2007. The fi lm is available now on Netfl ix.