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/1513609
34 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2024 an SLM and production executive for locations at Studio Babelsberg in Germany. "Sometimes they have to take a few steps back and do low- or no-budget films as an assistant and start from the bottom again." The key for SLMs is to manage these kinds of frustrations carefully and avoid boredom and potentially poor work standards setting in, occasionally resulting in having to let people go despite not wanting to. "I've had guys acting up because they're bored, they want more or different responsibility. They're too familiar in what they're doing. Then I'll give them a little more to do, but sometimes that backfires and they ask for more money. It's like, no, I'm giving you an opportunity to learn and be more responsible, so you can grow," says Bentley. There are examples of team members taking matters into their own hands. SLM Todd Christensen recalls hiring a woman to be a coordinator on a project because although she was keen to be a scout, his location team was full. "I told her clearly what was needed to be done and then left her to it. But a couple of days later when I asked her if she had all the tents and porta-johns set up and if she'd spoken to the county, she said, 'not yet, but I'll do them today.' A couple of days later, I see pictures on my website that she took of a location that she knew we were looking for. "So, she'd been out scouting. I told her she was probably a really good scout, but she sucked as a coordinator. I asked again if she'd talked to county, and she said 'no.' So I went to the producer and said I'm afraid I'm going to have to let this person go. I then brought her into my office and told her 'I don't need a scout, I need a coordinator.' It was Wednesday and I told her Friday would be her last day." It's a competitive industry and most people are looking to score the best job on the best show they can get. So many of the people SLMs are considering hiring are often being considered by others. One of the SLMs' pet peeves is those who agree to come work for them and then not show. "I've had people do this at the very last minute, either fail to show up or worse, notify me that they can't show up, leaving me little time to compensate for the hole they're leaving in my team." DISPUTES ERUPTING ON SET The more common problem is clashes between team members on set, especially with a range of personalities and ages. Usually, these are dealt with appropriately and quickly by the parties involved or a solution found by the location manager. "My logistical location manager is an appendage of me. I have to rely on them and my office coordinator to tell me what is going on and trust them to deal with any problems with team members," says Dillin. It is most often the department head who must step in and mediate when a situation becomes truly problematic. "If there's an issue, but I think someone has potential, I will spend more time with them and try to help with whatever the problem is as much as possible," says Doyle. LM Patrick Mignano adds: "I have to protect them because at the end of the day, I'm protecting myself. I'll be on a project across several states, and I'd get a call about someone taking offence to another's comments. The first thing I'd do is triage and get everyone's blood pressure down and establish the issue. A lot of times, it's an overreaction. I'll get all sides and do everything to get things back on track with all parties content. You have to treat people the way you'd want to be treated—in a fair manner. But at the same time, make it clear what's acceptable and not." Lawrence adds: "It's very much like the way I brought up my child, there are three sides to every story. I listen to all perspectives involved, get them to see the bigger picture and hopefully, resolve the problem quickly." Fantasia says he likes to try and get his team together for a meeting every week away from the hubbub "so they can talk about any problems and air any stuff because often someone else can help solve a problem or dispute. I want my team to feel like everybody helps everybody." Training, seminars and talking to team members is vital. "We make them aware of protocols and procedures and what to do if problems arise, and ensure people aren't overstepping the line and behaving inappropriately," says Tridgell. NEW TECH PROTOCOLS The scope and number of disputes has undoubtedly increased with the onset of new tech, particularly WhatsApp, texts and SnapChat comms. "We often have a WhatsApp group for the crew and a separate one for heads of departments. I try not to get involved in the former because it's a lot of minutiae. We have a lot of different genders and ethnicities in our group, so I'm always telling the team to be smart and careful how they interact," says Mignano. KLAUS DARRELMANN/LMGI – GERMANY TODD CHRISTENSEN/LMGI – US MIKE FANTASIA/LMGI – US