Location Managers Guild International

Fall 2021

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

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 42 of 63

Feds—and put the charismatic Hampton in their sights. What the location manager says: "The actors were immersed in environments that appeared as they did at the time in the late 1960s—not just through production design, but the surrounding neighborhoods as well. We kept coming across a mint green color specifi c to the 1960s on the walls of many of the fi lming locations we found. Lane Metropolitan Church, the fi lming location at which the 'You can murder a revolutionary, but you can't murder a revolution' speech was given, was clad in this period- specifi c hue, as were many of the pre-war buildings in which we fi lmed. It was a unifying theme shared by many of our locations." Locations to watch for: Black Panther Headquarters The Zverina Building, the last remaining single resident occupancy hotel in Cleveland, serves as Chicago's Black Panther headquarters. Built at the turn of the last century, it sits in a row of abandoned buildings in the North Broadway Historic District. Multiple layers of peeling wallpaper attest to the struggles of the generations who have called it home. Hampton Residence A brick townhouse in the revitalized historic Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood was used as the exterior of the apartment Hampton rented with his pregnant girlfriend. A suite in the commercial/industrial Shoreway Commerce Park development served as the interior where in December 1969 Hampton was drugged, shot, and killed in his bed during a predawn raid by a tactical unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Offi ce in conjunction with the Chicago Police Department and the FBI. Church Rally Fred Hampton's incendiary rally scene was shot at the historic Lane Metropolitan Church. As the African American population in Chicago grew, churches provided crucial social services and became evermore important landmarks and informational centers within their communities. Built in 1900, this neoclassical church features an exterior massing that is similar to the Pantheon in Rome. Menard Correctional Center Filmed at Mansfi eld's now shuttered Ohio State Reformatory, the legendary building is known for its striking 1896 Romanesque architecture. It played for the Illinois state prison in which Fred Hampton was jailed for allegedly assaulting and robbing an ice cream salesman. Scenes take place in a solitary confi nement cell, the West Cell Block, and a cafeteria. In addition to its storied criminal past, OSR has a long, documented history of being haunted. Chicago Bar The fateful beginning of William's fall from grace was fi lmed at the Croatian Tavern, an East Side old world bar with authentic red bottle cap bar stools, vintage Stroh's beer signs and great period woodwork. Here, William impersonates an FBI agent to get what he wants and the boys in the bar discover he is not the agent he says he is. MANK SLM William Doyle/LMGI LM Walter Roshetski/LMGI To tell the story of the story behind the making of Hollywood's most iconic movie, Citizen Kane, and its legendary screenwriter, Herman Mankiewicz—aka Mank—who wrote the script for director Orson Welles, meant mining locations in modern-day Los Angeles to recreate the glamour of 1930s Hollywood and the Golden Age of fi lmmaking. What the locations say about story: Shot in black-and-white with unique lighting setups, the locations consistently off er architectural features that evoke nostalgia for old Hollywood. Whether places were secured where events occurred or were pieced together for sites that were out of reach, such as Hearst Castle, the locations deliver 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 back into the collective imagination. What the location managers say: "Looking at the fi lm industry historically throughout, its locations help set the romantic tone of a bygone era. Not too distant in the past, but long gone compared to the present era of corporate control of the major studios. In concert with the black-and-white photography and amazing production design, the locations transport the audience to the heyday of fi lm, the 1920s and '30s." Locations to watch for: North Verde Ranch Now called the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, it is the real place where Mank—washed up, battling an alcohol addiction and nursing a broken leg—holed up to work. The stark yet poetic landscape of the desert off ered him the isolation he needed to bang out his most famous script. The 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival-style house is built of adobe bricks and was made picture-ready by removing air conditioners and exposed electrical lines. Lighting fi xtures Mank were changed out and the ranch's concrete patio was replaced with flagstone. Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA William Randolph Hearst's fabled playground was a clever composite of several locations. The castle's sumptuous grounds and monumental exterior—its iconic bell towers were added with VFX—were recreated at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino. Scenes were also shot at the elaborate 1927 Villa de Leon. Perched overlooking PCH, the Classical Mediterranean sits above the entrance to the Getty Villa Museum. To complete the illusion, a few scenes were lensed at the old Dovie Beams De Villagran property in Pasadena. The 10,500-square-foot mansion, built in 1913, boasts 20 rooms, two libraries and fi ve fi replaces. Formerly owned by B-movie actress and self-described mistress of deposed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, the 4 ½-acre estate features some 30 statues, fountains and a paved walkway lined with stone columns and magnifi cent trees. Union Station Mank makes his fi rst trek up to San Simeon, stumbling off the train in a drunken stupor, at the Glendale Train Station. Built in 1924, its Spanish-revival facade is still intact. Wilshire Blvd. Temple For Irving Thalberg's funeral, the Renaissance Revival-style First Unitarian Church doubled for the synagogue, which was undergoing renovation at the time of the fi lming. The church turned out to be a perfect replacement because of its simple yet classic design and high windows that allowed a shaft of sunlight to MANK SLM William Doyle/LMGI LM Walter Roshetski/LMGI To tell the story of the story behind the making of Hollywood's most iconic

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Location Managers Guild International - Fall 2021