Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1421483
When Aine Furey joined the Directors Guild of Canada in 1979, location managing was a new category. "Job skills were not defined so you had to basically 'wing it,'" she recalls. "Use your common sense, learn each day to cope with what was thrown your way. You headed out in your car: camera, notebook, pen and loads of quarters in hand for public pay phones!" Four decades later, Aine is considered a pioneer location pro and is celebrated as a mentor to those who followed her into the profession and as a passionate booster for the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario as destinations for film and television production. Award-winning executive producer, writer, director and showrunner Jeff King met Aine when he was just starting out as a PA. "Aine became my mentor as a location manager as she has done with so many over her distinguished career. I learned a tremendous amount from her about how to select, contract and manage a location. Crews loved and respected how Aine did her job, and I benefitted from seeing why, and how." Aine grew up in Dublin at a time before television existed in Ireland, so going to "the films" was a big deal and it became a lifelong fascination. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1959 where her first step into "showbiz" was working at the Mission Playhouse while in high school. After graduation, she returned to London and began to get work as an actress. That ended abruptly when she was injured in a car accident, which led to her lifelong career in location work. She learned on the job, through trial and error, honing her craft and developing long-lasting relationships. "You developed your skills: breaking down the script, meeting with directors and production designers to determine their 'vision'... to determine the 'look' and background for each character. This was fascinating to me and I soaked it up like a sponge… You became a problem solver on the road, the face of production the public saw—and you found the required locations." Aine is grateful for the producers who took a chance on her and kept her working over the years. "I loved going to work each day," she says, "meeting new people who taught me so many things. Getting up at 4 a.m. to be on set before the crew, working long hours, arranging every necessary detail for a successful shoot, having 'rabbits in your hat.'" "Whatever you threw at her to find—a log cabin, a plane crash—she not only got exactly what you needed but she found places that simultaneously did the job practically and creatively," enthuses actor and director Alex Hindle. "Still, finding the right location is step one in a long process that isn't over till the shoot is finished. And Aine has never walked into any location, big or small, where she wasn't welcomed back with open arms." Aine's career spans the decades of tech innovation that has changed the job dramatically. "Over the years, technology has advanced making scouting easier with the help of Google maps and Google Earth. Filming in 1979 was different: no cellphone with fancy apps, computers, fax machines or permits required. When cellphones came in ... oh! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. However, it now meant you were available 24/7. The profession has got better, faster, more efficient, with bigger crews, video villages —and some long overdue recognition for location managers and scouts who are now considered part of a creative team thanks to the tireless efforts of the LMGI." Since her first job "winging it" on the independent movie Prom Night, Aine has racked up an impressive list of credits on features, MOW's, and episodic television that includes Canadian Bacon, Relic Hunter, Lost Girl, Mutant X, The Littlest Hobo, Night Heat and Due South. She has been instrumental in establishing a path for Canadian location professionals by helping to create guidelines for industry practices and standards. Even in retirement, she will location scout from time to time and help local film commissions create their image packages. "Aine was a mainstay in local production from its early days of small local filmmaking to the thriving global production center Ontario is today," says LMGI President John Rakich. "The Location Managers Guild International is proud to have Aine Furey accept our Lifetime Achievement Award." L O C AT I O N M A N A G E R S G U I L D I N T E R N AT I O N A L 8 t h A N N U A L L M G I A W A R D S 3 5