Bensch. "Patrick has been Clint Eastwood's 'go to' location
manager since Gran Torino. Once Patrick put the famous poncho
on and somebody played the signature tune of the film on his
phone, we were not in Castilla y Leon anymore—we had time
traveled to New Mexico in 1862.
"This is what all of us are aiming for: finding, prepping and
managing a location which not only works for a particular film,
but turns out to be a pilgrimage site for film lovers for decades
to come," muses Bensch.
"This is what a great filming location can do to you, even if you
are a hardened professional and you think that you have seen
everything already! Great filming locations transcend time and
place."
In Salamanca, Dubé took in the "incredible streets dating from
the 15th century with fantastic buildings and churches and every
now and again, a glimpse of a magnificent cathedral looming
over us. Our guide took us into one of the oldest universities in
the world which still had the original benches and tables. What a
place! Busy and vibrant with a history stretching back more than
700 years. Finally, we ended up in the walled city of Avila!
"We were very well looked after with multi-course lunches and
dinners in unique spaces. Throughout the trip, we spent a lot of
time talking and thinking about location matters and nearly the
same amount of time discussing and pondering the rich menus
which were presented twice a day."
"Spain, Spain, Spain. How do I love thee? Let me count the
ways!" ponders Abel. Concludes Dubé, "A great country with
many, many location possibilities, a government which is positive
and embarrassingly helpful and a healthy filming incentive. What
more could you want?"
Sad Hill. Photo by Markus Bensch/LMGI
Fuerteventura. Photo by David Park/LMGI
