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 | Winter 2023 • 35 crews can find unspoiled views relatively close to civilization, allowing creative leads to utilize a small area for different purposes. "We would be somewhere in the middle of a forest that looked like you were deep in Yosemite and there was literally a Starbucks 15 minutes away," laughs Tenney. "Canada has all these fantastic parks and areas, and they keep them so that they can be utilized by everybody in the community and in doing that they also help us highlight the beauty of Canada. I do take great pride in showing off how amazing British Columbia is." Millar is careful to curate eco-ethical work habits to keep BC beautiful. "Make sure it's pristine when we leave, like camping: Leave no sign, take pictures, don't take stones and leave the place better than it was when you got there." He says Netflix is also encouraging production leads to explore sustainability initiatives like electric vehicles for cast transportation, plugging into a location's power grid to run equipment, and using new mobile electric generators in environmentally sensitive areas. "It's just one massive uninterrupted power supply the size of a small truck that's just pure power, and they've got a green vinyl wrap so they almost disappear." Vancouver has also launched an initiative to build a citywide network of clean power kiosks near the most common parking and film locations and offers a deep discount on film permits if crews can eliminate the use of one diesel generator per day. The city of Squamish also enforces waste and wildlife policies and best practices established by the 2006 Reel Green Initiative, which helps the film industry reduce environmental impact. Another compounding factor for Millar is the sheer number of projects filming in the Vancouver area, with 50 to 60 shoots rotating through at a time. Millar maintains a friendly collaboration with his creative neighbors, coordinating their shoot calendars to prevent overlap and rotating parking lot access. The qualities of kindness and generosity that shade the story are a fictional echo of the production's genuine regard for the community it works with. At the House Rock kayaking site, the greens department discreetly covered a memorial wall with moss out of respect for those who lost their lives in the Cheakamus River, and the show made donations to outdoor search-and- rescue groups. Sustainability coordinator Diana Johnson donates leftover food to pet shelters and animal rescues, and the modestly budgeted production is known for giving big at food drives and community service events. Millar himself put together a Virgin River gift basket complete with a cast-autographed Jack's Bar menu for a United Way benefit auction. "That is very telling how positive that crew is, how members deserve all their success," says Dayal. "It's just natural that good people are going to be rewarded with a successful show." Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel Monroe and Tim Matheson as Doc Mullins in front of Mel's cabin