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
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1488629
LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2023 • 17 Meanwhile, the municipality I live in was ground zero for COVID-19's first fatalities in British Columbia. The fear was real, yet the weather was nice. I practiced in my backyard. I was lucky, I had a good backyard. The process managed to keep the nightly news anxiety at bay. Three months after Hollywood shut down, Bron Studios called. I was nervous driving away from my safe backyard for my first scouting gig. I had contributed to the safe scouting practices for my union—I was confident in my new PPE workflow, but I had not yet reconciled getting sick and dying at work in my momma brain. I had a five-hour drive to "pray" to the Creator. The logistics were a long- distance consideration. It's one thing to practice, and it's another thing to get paid. Simply getting that camera turned on with the right HDR burst mode with the DFE plug- in had me breaking a sweat. Nate Parker ( The Birth of a Nation, American Skin) credits my 360 virtual tours to a fast and efficient prep. The anchor location was selected before Parker left California. Heck, he had a shot list before he left LAX. Ultimately, I was fortunate to not get sick. Earning a return on my investment was a bonus! "The depth of exposure we can reach using Tonya's 360 virtual tours, has increased interest from around the world for all our properties. The turnover times and timely site visits have decreased and optimized our film opportunities. I can't think of a better algorithm than this formula." –Jason Black, Senior Property Manager at Quay North Urban Development Two decades ago, I created a cost analysis of analogue vs digital photography for my production manager on Smallville. Sitting in my office, lined with filing cabinets stuffed with paper files, I calculated the savings between $400–$600 a day. I invested in my first digital camera and made my pitch for a daily equipment rental. I didn't get the equipment rental. Location scouts in British Columbia weren't even a part of the union back then. Digital cameras soon became the standard and the costs associated with analogue film and printing were ultimately transferred from production companies to the location scouts. May we all learn from history. I believe boots-on-the- ground scouting is necessary. Practical scouting will always be the gold standard. I also submit that virtual tours are a niche tool. Instead of returning to a location five to 10 times, can a virtual tour reduce those visits? As preproduction, because more important in the advent of virtual production, will this tool have a place? A virtual tour is available when you want, how many times you want, and every department has the link. For recurring locations, different directors on episodic, when a crew member misses the survey, when the production designer tests positive, or a location is simply not available the day of the tech survey, a virtual tour can be a useful resource in a world of mitigating circumstances. Byproducts may include reduced hotel days, vehicle rentals, gas receipts and production time. A real-life example: The director looks at photographs of a "select" location and everyone hops into their personal vehicles. The director and driver are in a SUV. Everyone drives five hours to check into a hotel and then meet for dinner. In the morning, everyone drives 30 minutes to the location before the director decides in five minutes the location is not suitable. Everyone drives back to the hotel, while production madly organizes lunch and the Location Department scrambles for alternatives. Sound familiar? COST ANALYSIS Labour Costs $800 x 2 days x 15 people = $24,000 Personal Vehicles $0.41/km x 1,000 kms x 15 people = $6,150 Hotel Room $300 x 1 night x 15 people = $4,500 Per Diem $75 x 2 days x 15 people = $2,250 Driver $400 x 2 days x 1 person = $800 SUV Rental + Gas $400 x 2 days = $800 Dinner $50 x 15 people = $750 Lunch $25 x 2 days x 15 people = $750 That two-day journey costs approximately $40,000. VanDusen Botanical Garden, BC