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
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LMGI COMPASS | Summer 2022 • 37 TOPGUN:MAVERICK LOCATION DEPARTMENT: Mike Fantasia/LMGI - SLM Donny Martino Jr./LMGI - KALM Nancy Wong/LMGI - KALM Ted Alvarez/LMGI - KALM George Alvarezzo/LMGI - KALM Michael B. Louis/LMGI - KALM Peter Costelli - KALM Morgan PaŒ erson - KALM Kirsten Cornay/LMGI - ALM Mike Re£ /LMGI - ALM Adam Turk/LMGI - ALM Lori Balton - Scout David McKinney/LMGI - Scout original and the USS Theodore Roosevelt for scenes in which the cast were on board. "For us to do any of this, it always had to be in line with whatever the Navy was doing in terms of training," says Mike, "whether it was aerial training or anything else. For the carriers, we'd go down and load all our gear on a Saturday and then send the cast and crew down on Sunday for them to 'embark,' as the Navy calls it, on Monday morning." With the cast and crew out for two weeks, the Location Department would have a chance to catch up and keep prepping. At least that was the plan. "Monday morning rolls around and we get a call," says Mike, "'hey, there's a little bit of a problem. The carrier isn't going to embark now. Not sure what's going on, but we're just sitting here.'" The issue turned out to be a 'tooth,' a piece of the propeller that had broken off and the replacement needed to be own in from Washington. "It's not like xing a Honda Civic, you know? It takes a while," laughs Mike. The team had to quickly gure out what sequences they could pivot to or rework to be shot dockside because they obviously weren't going to be heading out to sea and launching planes. The solution that presented itself was to shoot in the hangar bays which are one level below the deck where all the jets would be held … but there were no jets in the hangar because apparently, a carrier typically goes out without them. "The jets y out and land, they do their op, then the jets y home and the carrier comes back," Mike says. "So we went to look at that hangar bay and it was just packed full of shit … food and fuel and just crates of stuff … but here's the good part: you're on a carrier with 5,000 naval personnel, so when you say, 'hey, can we empty this bay out?' It happens in like, three hours. Boom. It's all gone." Ferg somehow managed to get a couple of F-18s moved across the base at NASNI—which required Mike's team shutting down roads on the base with virtually no notice—and then got them craned into the hangar bay. The nal scene looks incredible. "It just showed that when the shit hits the fan," Mike laughs, "a good combination to have is the U.S. Navy and a great production team." "That Lovin' Feelin'" Looking back on the making of the lm, Mike couldn't be prouder. "We had so many curveballs thrown at us—everyone did, the whole production—but everyone gave their all. And in terms of locations, I get the glory as the HOD, but I really need to acknowledge my team on this one. They were phenomenal." His team is equally effusive about working with him. "I'll always be thankful to Mike for his leadership, his mentorship and professionalism," says KALM George Alvarezzo. KALM Teddy Alvarez says, "Mike was like a kid in a candy shop on this one and it was great to see his excitement every day." KALM Nancy Wong adds, "He hires good people, we get along well and he fosters that. It trickles down, you know? If you don't have a great boss, you're not going to have a good team. He just loved this job and seemed at ease with what was needed and it put all of us at ease and helped us enjoy it. It makes me sad he's retiring. " Following TGM, Mike did decide to turn in his papers, but he still had one more in him: He just wrapped Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma with Scorsese. "It's been a hell of a 31 years and I know how lucky I am. To start with Spielberg and go out with Scorsese? You can't beat that."