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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30 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2021 THE NEVERS SLM Jethro Ensor/LMGI LM/Scout Elena Vakirtzis This epic science fi ction drama set in 1896 London follows the "Touched," a band of Victorian women who suddenly fi nd themselves with unusual abilities and a mission that might change the world. The blending of period locations and futuristic elements defi ne the show's steampunk aesthetic—a genre that incorporates technology inspired by 19th- century steam-powered machinery while it plays with alternate realities. What the locations say about story: Practical locations grounded in an older London embrace the anarchistic elements from the future. Imagine a world where horse-drawn carriages, cobblestone streets and corsets collide with motorized cars, the telephone and electric lights! Also delving into the darker corners of Victorian society, the narrative weaves together women's rights, immigration, colonialism, and the disparity between the rich and the poor. What the location manager says: "The Nevers gave us the opportunity to not just explore a world of scientifi c and social innovation but to set the foundations from which our reimagining of the age can take flight. Our locations had to take in each echelon of society—each character's home becoming the thread by which we sought to weave a palpable sense of the city and the age. Filmed throughout London, we needed to create a world that is at once home to our characters and a stage for conflict." Locations to watch for: The Touched's Orphanage The 18th- century Langleybury Mansion, with its beautiful spacious interiors and red-brick exterior, has the right combination of dilapidation and grandeur to serve as the refuge for the women with extraordinary abilities. London Streets Two hours out of London and spanning eighty acres, the historic Dockyard Chatham has more than 100 historic buildings, including warehouses and docks dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. The town of Chatham surrounding the dockyard was used for a spirited chase featuring a newly invented motorized car. Fort Amherst Tucked away on the fringes of Chatham, the fort is Britain's biggest Napoleonic fortress. Its sprawling maze of tunnels seems to echo Dante's descent into Hell just as we follow the characters' decline into the decadent debauchery of the Ferryman's Club. Kempton Steam Museum The awe- inspiring location is a cathedral to Victorian engineering and still operational today. Here is craftsmanship imbued with the potential to power the turn of the century. It provides an epic backdrop for the characters to face off and a further chance to explore the architecture of the era. Knebworth The Tudor Gothic facade of Knebworth fi ts Massen's demeanor and character; there is a solemnity to this architecture that is certainly intimidating. West Wycombe Estate An exquisite example of Palladian architecture, inspired by the Grand Tour of Europe, the house and grounds reflect the passion for the culture and the beauty of the age, a perfect companion to Lady Bidlow's aspirations of equality. RATCHED LM Robert Foulkes/LMGI LM Adam Robinson/LMGI Ratched creates a back story for Mildred Ratched, the terrifying "Big Nurse" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest who ran the asylum with an iron fi st. Now it's 1947, and Mildred travels to Northern California seeking employment at a psychiatric hospital where unsettling experiments have begun on the human mind. Visually arresting, the beautiful settings, from towns along the California coast to Los Angeles, hide the horror within. What the locations say about story: Stunning locations are mostly set in the real Northern California coastal town of Lucia. Mildred's journey up the coast on fabled Highway 1 mirrors the contours of the story, foreshadowing the twists and turns of the plot. She barrels along the winding roads of Big Sur, over the Bixby Bridge, toward her destination—unaware that danger lurks around every corner. The Lucia Estate Mental Hospital is envisioned as a former fancy hotel that has been converted into a hospital, but still retains its former glamour. Mildred's stylish exterior also belies a growing darkness that has been smoldering within, revealing that true monsters are made, not born. What the location managers say: "The locations of the show were called upon to enhance and reveal the psychological journeys of the main characters. The arresting beauty of the locations enhanced the story's narrative that nothing may be quite what it appears to be on the surface. Darkness and potential tragedy can lurk beneath the most beautiful façades." Locations to watch for: Lucia Estate Mental Hospital The show's aesthetic called for a hospital setting that would suggest the grounds of a spa or movie star hotel rather than that of an asylum. The King Gillette Ranch in the heart of Malibu Creek provided the colorfully lush exterior. The 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival complex designed by Wallace Neff for the razor magnate is now a California state park. Interiors constructed on stage flawlessly advance the deception. The Asylum Jail Edmond is imprisoned in the elaborately tiled room of downtown LA's old Dutch Chocolate Shop. This unique windowless space, with its vaulted arched ceiling, was created by Ernest Batchelder in 1914 and was an inspired choice to play for the dismal basement cell that was once a hotel wine cellar. The Sealight Inn Mildred lives at the Lucia Lodge, still run by the fi fth generation of the family that built it in the 1930s. Set on a cliff 300 feet above the Pacifi c Ocean with breathtaking views of the bay and Santa Lucia Mountains, the motel's dramatic landscape and isolation psychologically The Nevers Ratched THE NEVERS SLM Jethro Ensor/LMGI LM/Scout Elena Vakirtzis This epic science fi ction drama set in 1896 London follows the "Touched," a band of Victorian women who suddenly fi nd