Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1476724
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 9 t h A N N U A L L M G I A W A R D S 3 5 L os Angeles-based location manager John Panzarella, this year's honored recipient of the 2022 LMGI Lifetime Achievement Award, is the location professional behind many of cinema's most unforgettable films. With more than 50 movie credits over a nearly four-decade career, including Midnight Run, LA Confidential, The Italian Job, Vice, 12 Monkeys, Lethal Weapon, Hail, Caesar! and Jason Bourne, Panzarella is a veteran collaborator who's built a reputation for anchoring groundbreaking creative visions in place and time. "John and I have worked together for 25 years," says location professional Leslie Thorson/LMGI, who has worked alongside Panzarella since 1993. "And not only was there no blood shed, but we are still friends! I was always impressed by his meticulous approach to scouting and his determination to serve the story by finding the best possible locations; there were never any 'throwaways.' If it was important enough to be in the script, it merited our full attention. He has a keen eye for architecture and a passion for photography." Panzarella credits his cinematic eye to an early education in East Coast culture and architecture: His father drove him around touring the craftsmanship and architectural style of New York period houses and robber baron mansions on Long Island. "At an early age, I was already 'scouting locations' without being aware of it," he recalls. Another creative lesson from his father involved listening to the soundtrack of West Side Story and visualizing the scenes. "I think those exercises went a long way toward helping me know what to do when I read a script and how to go about finding the locations that were called for." Panzarella fell in love with the movies when his father took him to Manhattan to watch The Longest Day; the budding cinephile went to film school at UC Santa Cruz, then moved to LA, working as a jack of all production trades, including set builder, electrician, and production assistant. "I even had a job throwing tumbleweeds at Neil Young all day long during additional photography for Human Highway," he remembers. He hit his career stride as location assistant on The Man With Two Brains, starring Steve Martin and found mentors in Academy Award® winners Bill Creber (Planet of the Apes) and Ted Haworth (Some Like It Hot)—who coincidentally was the art director on The Longest Day. "Creber and Haworth taught me my craft; how to see cinematically, and how to translate that vision to production designers, directors, and producers." Past LMGI president and award-winning location professional Nancy Haecker/LMGI recalls working with John early in her career. "John had a very effective and unusual managing style—lending his support with kindness, humor, and expertise. We met in Vegas on Lucky You. I had just stepped up to the 'manager' position and was fired up! John let me do what I thought I 'knew' without criticism or correction—but every now and then, he would just lean in with a suggestion or a question that wasn't really a question for me to see something that I'd missed or could have approached differently. When you get that kind of sincere and unconditional support, it reinforces the belief you have in yourself—it boosts your confidence and I'm forever grateful for the positive impact he had on my career." John's architectural background made it easy to find beauty in LA's striking residential styles, and as his career grew, he developed a deep knowledge of West Coast architecture: He secured Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House for Grand Canyon, Neutra's icy Lovell Health House in LA Confidential, and Pierre Koenig's modernist Stahl House in Nurse Betty. "I've done my best to avoid the McMansions of the world," he says. "Even a seemingly mundane character deserves some defining touch of style." Acclaimed production designer Jeannine Oppewall worked with Panzarella on four films. "Three of which remain probably best forgotten," she relates. "But one of them still shines. That film is LA Confidential. I spent about 10 hours a day in John's car, scouting parts of the city that we thought might prove fertile for discovering the hidden old LA that the story needed. I learned that the thrill of the hunt really motivates John. We had more than 90 locations to sniff out: some scattered around the city, some grouped inside known empty buildings, some famous city landmarks. John was quite simply, one of the best location ferrets I have ever had the pleasure of working with." The gifted location veteran has made a career out of working logistic miracles for the perfect shot: He shut down Hollywood Boulevard for several days and squeezed Mini Coopers into Metro stations for The Italian Job and teamed up with police to close part of the Las Vegas Strip for a week to film Jason Bourne. While working on his final film before retiring, 2018's Vice, starring Christian Bale, his team recreated seven countries and six U.S. states—spanning six decades—in and around LA. Panzarella and Thorson shared a coveted California On Location Award (COLA) in 2001 for their outstanding work on Bandits, which started in Oregon and made its way down the California coast to Marin, Sonoma, Napa, San Mateo, Monterey, and Solano counties before ending up in Los Angeles. Panzarella is married to production designer Caty Maxey, who describes their partnership in a few sweet, simple words: "John Panzarella: great manager, great filmmaker. Best husband and best friend. So proud of him." John has also worked with son JT Panzarella, now a key assistant location manager, on several projects. For making an indelible mark on the craft through a rich career of creative location work, the LMGI is honored to recognize John Panzarella as the 2022 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.