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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42 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2023 prepped, and we were ready to shoot, but it would have put the whole company out on a street in downtown, in the Arts District, which was just too much exposure for the neighborhood and the crew." Those concerns put constraints on production throughout the filming. Though Foulkes says that it's unfortunate the movie couldn't have featured more exteriors, he doesn't think it handicapped the film. The self-contained tone is actually somewhat reconcilable within the context of the story. "The movie wanted to be kind of interior," says Foulkes. "It's about the faces and the characters and the dialog. It had a very controlled vibe to it. This was almost like a play. As you were watching it, it felt like you couldn't turn the camera anywhere. It was very specific on what you were looking at." READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UPS Amsterdam largely unfolds in New York City—the home of Broadway—and the setting of the film's climax is an old, vaudeville theater. A downtown Los Angeles venue, a Pasadena mansion, neighborhoods frozen in time, and recognizable maritime locales like the Queen Mary (doubling as the interior of New York's famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel) and the S.S. Lane Victory in San Pedro would provide grand backdrops for the film's settings —and final send-off. Even the most trained eye is likely to be delighted and surprised by the employment of these and the handful of other oft-shot period locations that make up the visual character of Amsterdam. "We have to do something to amend them somehow," says Wei, "or shoot them in such a way that it feels fresh, which is a very daunting task." Limited as they may be, Los Angeles' period gems are, and always have been, ready for their close-ups. And doubling locations for other places is a Hollywood staple. Except for an office build and Paramount's backlot providing exteriors for New York's Park Avenue and a careening car chase on city streets, Foulkes and his team assembled the film's world with practical L.A. locations. THE TEAM Though his assistants were never privy to the script, they managed to stay on top of their game. Except for ALM closer Victor Soriano, Foulkes had previously worked with all the members of his Location Department. "We had already bonded together as a team, so I was happy to have them back on board for this shoot, which actually turned out to be quite ambitious," he says. That team included his longtime KALM, Tristan Daoussis/ LMGI. With Amsterdam under their belts, Foulkes and Daoussis have, by IMDb's account, worked together on 13 shows. The two have become not only colleagues, but also great friends. "He's got the personality for the job. He's really good at scouting," Foulkes says of Daoussis, who handled the Pasadena mansion location, among others, for this project. "He's an incredible people person. He really gets to know people and care about them. He'll accumulate friends. He's still friends with people in Sylva, North Carolina, from Three Billboards." Daoussis says that Foulkes always encourages creativity. "He doesn't just settle for what some others would," says Daoussis. "With Robert, we're not just people that go out and scout. He's super open for us as a team to come up with an idea. I think that's what kind of keeps us going, too." KALM Kevin Danchisko/LMGI wrangled the Paramount lot and the filming at the Queen Mary, and KALM Danny Finn/LMGI was the office coordinator. Both KALM's, Valdez and Maria De La Rosa/LMGI, had worked at the Entertainment Industry Development Corp. (EIDC) before it became FilmLA. Valdez is an expert in permitting and De La Rosa has a background in community outreach. Valdez started with Foulkes as KALM on Ratched; De La Rosa's first gig with Foulkes was on Ford v Ferrari (2019) as a coordinator. BATMAN & A CLEVER KALM CHARM ANGELINO HEIGHTS Toward the end of Ford v Ferrari, Foulkes told De La Rosa that he wanted to make her a key on his next show. She had no prior key experience and assumed that her career path was going to be location coordinating. "I just had a feeling that her instincts would be great in the field," says Foulkes. He assigned her to prep locations in Angelino Heights, the historic neighborhood near downtown L.A. known for its picturesque Victorian homes—and the challenges presented to the intrepid filmmakers who dare to venture there. Film tourism—or film vandalism— has brought heated ire to Angelino Heights. The blockbuster franchise The Fast & the Furious has set up shop in the neighborhood over multiple sequels. As a result, there have been reports of speeding cars The S.S. Lane Victory, San Pedro Palace Theater,