LMGI COMPASS
|
Winter 2022
•
43
LMGI:
THE NEXT
GENERATION
BY PAUL MESSANA
They're young, smart and enthusiastic about
what they do. In this occasional column,
KALM Paul Messana, a genXer himself, talks
with the upcoming generation of location
professionals on the rise.
PROFILE ON: FRANCES REYES BOLINGER
HOME BASE: San Francisco, California
POSITION: Key Assistant Location Manager
PAUL MESSANA: So let's start from the beginning.
Tell me about where you are from and what got you
interested in locations.
FRANCES REYES BOLINGER: I'm from the Bay
Area in Northern California—I was born in Newark
and have lived in San Francisco for the past 16
years. That's where I "fell" into locations. I had an
international business degree from the University of
San Francisco, Class of 2009. I knew I wanted to travel
but graduating during the time of the economic crash
meant I had to fi nd a job.
I worked with a small company that originally did
government contracting bids for the Department of
Defense. They focused their efforts on unmanned air
vehicles—which we now know as drones. I worked
on proposals for government contracts, as well as
running the offi ce, handling bookkeeping and HR. It
took a long time for these government contracts to
fund, so the company's CEO and President wanted
to try a new source of revenue and decided to make
a movie.
My bosses and I had no experience in the fi lm
business. One boss had taken a fi ve-week course on
digital fi lmmaking and hired Alexander Fletcher, a DP
he had met teaching the class. Alex brought in a small
crew of fi ve, and I somehow managed to produce my
fi rst full-length feature—a legal thriller, no less! My
skills running the company's day-to-day operations
really helped. The fi lm crew encouraged me to quit
my job and get into the fi lm industry. The DP's
girlfriend was a loc pro, and in less than 24 hours,
All photos by Frances Reyes Bolinger/LMGI, except as noted
