Location Managers Guild International

48 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2021 SCREEN QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA With a track record of over 3,500 past productions, an informative website, location database and detailed production guide, the Screen Queensland Australia team is dedicated in its commitment to all productions throughout Queensland. They are always active in the background, providing a backbone for production, regardless of size and scope. "They get more deeply involved in complicated and challenging shoots, as was the case with Love & Monsters, a post-apocalyptic story set in a non-descript North American region, but entirely fi lmed in Queensland, Australia. To capture the audience and make a convincing story, the locations had to be un- Australian but grand in scale. Lachlan Milne, the director of photography, felt that the landscape of Australia "was perfect because it is natural and majestic. It could look futuristic, it could like another planet, and it looked like anything could live there." They didn't want the landscape to look artifi cial and needed to merge well with the world we currently live in – but lusher and more overgrown. Screen Queensland was quick to help with on-the-ground scouting helping showcase Queensland's stunning and diverse locations and to get the production access to locations in and around Mount Cotton, Brisbane, Southport and the Gold Coast. Screen Queensland also supported the production with investment attraction and contact resources necessary to achieve the production's vision. SAVANNAH REGIONAL FILM COMMISSION The creators of The Underground Railroad were intent on fi lming the story in the South to follow the plot of the Pulitzer-winning 2016 novel it was adapted from. The Savannah Regional Film Commission (SRFC) was involved very early in the scouting process when asked to create a location package appropriate for the story. The team put together a very comprehensive package which was instrumental in landing the show in Savannah. From period plantation homes and a large historic district, to surrounding swamps, fi elds, rivers and woods, Savannah was easily transformed to the appropriate time period for the show. Once the production arrived, the SRFC worked tirelessly to assure a successful shoot for the production, while also protecting city resources and making sure the local community was well informed of road closures and other eff ects of fi lming. The SRFC developed a very successful protocol for ensuring communication and cooperation between the production, city, county and other government agencies. They invited the entire creative production team to meet with permitting authorities and city department heads, including police, fi re, traffi c engineering, parking and other agencies. This provided an opportunity for the production team to present the scope of the project, and for government personnel to discuss challenges and solutions which in turn helped facilitate cooperation, communication, and good will between the production and local authorities. During production, SRFC spent many hours assisting the Location Department with permitting and logistical challenges, and the permissions that were needed to fi lm a period piece in the middle of such a busy city. The biggest challenge was assisting with obtaining a permit to close a very busy arterial highway for a major scene. For the fi rst time the main street in front of Savannah City Hall was closed to allow for its transformation into the Griffi n building, a pivotal location in the series. It looked incredible on screen and captured those moments in time from the past. The Underground Railroad was a massive undertaking and production was grateful for the fi lm commission's indispensable help in bringing this important story to life. THE HAMILTON MUSIC AND FILM OFFICE Issuing an average of 500 fi lm permits and more than 100 productions a year, the city of Hamilton is no stranger to location fi lming. The mainstay of the Hamilton Film Offi ce is great cooperation within the community, ascertaining that everyone is aware of what's to come. Granted this wasn't the fi rst time The Umbrella Academy had fi lmed in Hamilton over its fi rst two seasons, just this time the scope, scale and physical footprint was considerably larger and played a major role in the overall plot of the season. This time to create the look of large sections of a street in Dallas in 1964, the production needed to close six blocks of an arterial road for over six months of actual fi lming. With the help of the Hamilton Film Offi ce, the production was able to work with local merchants, BIAs and residents to take over a section of Ottawa Street. They secured year-long leases with properties so as to dress – and keep them dressed - for the duration of fi lming. The whole area had to be flexible to work with the production's ever- changing schedule and various looks. Over the course of the season, events such as civil rights riots and a military invasion happened on those six blocks. Helping coordinate with police, transportation, public transit and local citizens, the Hamilton Film Offi ce's level of commitment paid off —in the end, the production proved themselves to be good citizens, sharing a positive experience that had a great economic impact on the local environs. "Their vigilant mitigation of any production issues made them a critical part of the process. They consistently went considerably above and beyond what location teams generally expect from a fi lm commission." -Location Manager 48 LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2021 SAVANNAH REGIONAL FILM COMMISSION The creators of The Underground Railroad were intent on fi lming Railroad were intent on fi lming Railroad the story in the South to follow the plot of the Pulitzer-winning 2016 novel it was adapted from. THE HAMILTON MUSIC AND FILM OFFICE Issuing an average of 500 fi lm permits and more than 100 productions a year, the city of Hamilton is no stranger to location fi lming.

• Cover
• 18-27 Cover-Story_Underground Railroad
• 50-59 Escape
• 62-63 Martini shot