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
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1415480
36 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2021 this town and its scenic Fairview Cemetery establish "Easttown." Mare's House This suburban ranch is in Wallingford, a community in Delaware County about nine miles from Philly. Her ex-husband's home shares a backyard fence with her house, a geographic coincidence that fuels the awkward social entanglements of the extended families. THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT SLM David Pieper/LMGI- Germany LM Matt Graver/LMGI - Canada Scout Stefan Wöhleke - Germany The Queen's Gambit follows orphan chess prodigy Elizabeth Harmon from 1950s rural Kentucky to Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Paris and Moscow in the '60s as she competes to become the world's greatest chess player. Apart from a few days in Ontario, Canada, to match American exteriors, the journey around the world was found entirely in Berlin. What the locations say about story: Berlin, once separated into East and West, off ers a variety of architectural styles—now even the eyesores from the Soviet Era have a role to play in period drama. An aesthetically beautiful project, with perfectly realized period detail, the story takes us from Beth's rough start in a Kentucky trailer park to a ghastly orphanage, a mid-century suburban tract home, luxury hotels and impressive venues around the world. As the stakes of competition ramp up, and Beth battles her personal demons of addiction, so do the depictions of the chess tournaments mirror the tension, designed to be overwhelming, claustrophobic and intimidating. What the location managers say: "The locations were key not only to make Beth Harmon's travels on her quest to chess mastery believable, but to set all kinds of diff erent moods, reflecting her drug and alcohol dependency, as well as her struggles for success in a sport dominated by men." Locations to watch for: Methuen Home Beth becomes addicted to tranquilizers and learns to play chess from the school custodian in its basement. The Schulzendorf Castle that plays as the draconian Kentucky orphanage dates back to 1889 and is in the Brandenburg District, just on the edge of Berlin. Ben Snyder, Kentucky Inside Humana Secondhand & Vintage Store, located on Karl Marx Allee at Frankfurter Tor, Beth's adoptive mother buys her new clothes. It's known as one of the best vintage shops in all of Europe. The exterior was shot in Toronto. Hotel Mariposa The Palais am Funkturm in Berlin, a retro-looking event venue built in 1956, doubled for a mid-century Las Vegas hotel. It boasts Berlin's largest ballroom and has a fabulous retractable staircase and adjustable chandelier. It is hard to believe that the site of the U.S. Open Chess Tournament was not on the Vegas Strip or Miami Beach! Aztec Palace Hotel Friedrichstadt- Palast, a musical theater built in East Berlin in 1984, might not sound like an obvious choice for a hotel in Mexico City in 1963. A wild mixture of architectural styles, it turned out to be a perfect fi t for the colorful, open, multilevel lobby of Mexico—in stark contrast to Beth's fi rst encounter with her feared Soviet opponents. Moscow Showdown An intense atmosphere was created in Berlin's Bärensaal of Altes Stadthat, or Bear Chamber— an imposing 1911 former administration building often used as a festival space for public functions. This austere marble-clad hall emphasized how seriously the USSR was about its standing in the world of chess. Moscow Park In the fi nal scene of the show, Beth walks through Karl-Marx-Allee where she is warmly welcomed by older chess fans. Built in the 1950s and '60s as Stalinallee (Stalin Boulevard), it is explicitly modeled after Soviet architecture as a place to hold parades in the rebuilt capital of the newly formed GDR. Beth's Kentucky Home When Beth is adopted, she moves into a sweet white house in a mid-century suburban neighborhood in Cambridge, Ontario. THE SERPENT LM Poj Udomsong Aram LM Thitikorn Sriborisut A serial killer is preying on back-packing wanderers along the "Hippy Trail"—the route from Europe through southeast Asia where young adventurers follow their bliss to exotic destinations such as Thailand, Hong Kong and Kathmandu in the mid-'70s. Shot mostly on location in Thailand, we watch in horror as the killer targets his prey and then root for the Dutch diplomat who tracks him down. Based on the true story of notorious killer Charles Sobhraj, the series is dedicated "to all the young intrepid travelers who set out with big dreams but never made it home." What the locations say about story: The locations are a time machine back to 1976, the mood and tone of each vintage location drawn so perfectly the aroma of patchouli oil seeps through the screen. A convincing period world was assembled on beaches and coastal stretches with no skyscrapers, in hotels frozen in time, and on bustling commercial streets that convey the energy of Bangkok and Hong Kong. Some locations provide a deeper cultural subtext. In a go-go bar, a young traveler enjoys watching a naked snake dancer the night before she plans to leave Bangkok for a religious order in Kathmandu. The red lights and serpent represent karma—and death. What the location managers say: "The locations manage to deliver the presentation of the '70s in a seamless way because we found the buildings and areas where sharp '70s characteristic still exists. The story reveals the mysterious, cruel side of the human mind vs the hope and dedication to truth that leads to justice." Locations to watch for: Kanit House A soon-to-be- The Queen's Gambit The Serpent