LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2023
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43
2001
A Light Bulb Moment
Beth Tate: I had gone to this fabulous event put on in
part by the set decorators in the late '90s at the Pacific
Design Center. It was a competition about who could cre-
ate the most original doghouse. It revealed their creativ-
ity in a way that was not as literal as dressing a film or TV
set but showed how inspired and fun they could be when
left to be themselves. I thought hmm … maybe we can
do something like this for location people…
Tate's spark of inspiration was about to
catch fire. She began talking up the need
for an organization such as a guild to
anyone of us who would listen. She came
up with the idea to first create an event
that would catch everyone's attention
by showing off our most visible asset—
photography.
Beth Tate: When you form a group, you want to
attract people by engaging them creatively. I knew that
before I could get support for the idea of a guild, I would
have to come up with something that would show off
what we do. I got a few people together to talk it over at
the Tam O'Shanter—which was, by the way, Walt Disney's
favorite hangout.
Marylin Bitner: I remember being in the pub in Los
Feliz. Kristi was there, Jerry Jaffe and Diane were there, I
don't remember who else. We pushed a couple of
tables together. We talked about the practical
side of our jobs and also the creative side.
Diane Friedman: Beth proposed
an idea for a photo show—maybe of
location photos, but also what we
shoot that catches our eye as we are
scouting. We tried to come up with a
name, but nothing stuck.
Lori Balton: Jerry Jaffe got me involved. There was
a writers' strike, so I had time—number one. Number
two, I believed in what we do as vital members of the
creative team.
Beth Tate: By the fall of 2001, we had everything
lined up and were all set to call for submissions. But then
9/11 happened and we decided that we should
put it all on hold until the following year.
2001
Meeting at the Tam O'Shanter,
Los Feliz. The birth of In The
Zone, a photo show that will
feature the work of location
scouts and managers
Beth Tate:
After the meeting, I was driving Jerry
home—and he said, 'Let's call the show,
In The Zone.'
That refers to the 30-mile radius that we
scout where a crew can drive to, and it also
describes our state of mind—call it 'the Zen
of scouting.' I loved the name and it really
captured everyone's imagination!
It was Jerry who brought in Lori Balton,
who was immediately captivated by what
we were trying to do. The three of us would
spearhead the project.
