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 | Fall 2024 • 19 Stevie: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING IN LOCATIONS? HOW DID YOU START & WHAT DO YOU PRIMARILY WORK ON? Bong Cho: I was born in Ilsan, which is a satellite city of Seoul. Technically. I wasn't born in Seoul, but it's considered as 'Metropolitan Seoul.' Since my high school was in Seoul, I commuted from Ilsan to Seoul from the 10th grade. I graduated from Seoul's Chung Ang University (CAU), with a major in film studies. I had originally thought I would focus on directing. I consider Seoul my 'hometown.' My first location job was Sense8 S2 which was filmed in Korea in 2016. At that time, I was eager to find a job because I was broke after producing an independent film as a director. Because I could speak English, which was uncommon in the Korean film industry at the time, I was able to secure the job relatively easily, even though I didn't have a driver's license. During the job interview, (Seon, the LM of Sense8) said he would hire me under one condition: to get a driver's license as soon as possible. I achieved it immediately, and that's how I started my location career. I was a location office PA for Sense8, and it was an exciting experience. The best thing was money. Local film crews get paid well nowadays but in the early 2010s, the monthly wage for a PA was only one-sixth compared to the current payroll. Considering this, Sense8 paid me very well. They also paid the staff for working 'overtime,' and that was quite sensational to me. Technically, I started the location work because of money. In my 20s, I wanted to be a director or a creative. Location job was good in terms of money, However, I have to say it was more like a 'nuts and bolts' task; when directors or production designers were looking for certain locations, I provided them with available and production-friendly options. Once they made their decisions, I made a logistics plan. I repeated this a lot. It was natural to me because this is how other local location managers work. Like a factory operating 24/7 producing goods, I worked for anything related to international production, from feature films like Black Panther and Pacific Rim: Uprising to documentaries, independent films, music videos and commercials. I hardly took any breaks for years, and finally, in 2019, I became the head of the Location Department for the action series Treadstone. It was hard for me because it was my first HOD (head of department) job, and I had to work with people who used to be my bosses. It was challenging, however, I made it, and shooting went well. A year later, while I was preparing Pachinko S1 in 2020, I became too exhausted: tough requirements on locations, fear of COVID-19 and strict protocols, dealing with seven cities that were so far apart that even moving between them was a full day-long journey. Like other HODs, my email inbox was overflowing. And one day. I found an interesting email. It was from LMGI, saying that I was nominated for an award as the location manager of Treadstone. I was so thrilled. But when they asked me, "How I contributed to the show creatively as a location manager" during the entire interview, I was taken aback, because I had never thought about it. It changed a lot in my career. I became more proactive and creative in location scouting and found the real joy of location work. It was not different from what I dreamed of in my 20s—'some kind of a creative.' But after realizing the essence of the job, while doing the location work, I started asking myself questions such as "What if..." or "If I were the director..." or "If I were one of the characters in the script..." I enthusiastically discussed with production designers or other creatives about my ideas. Since most of those creatives were not familiar with Seoul (or South Korea), they loved my new attitude, and it was satisfying for me as well. Stevie: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PRIMARY DRAW FOR FILMING IN & AROUND SEOUL & ITS SURROUNDING AREAS IN GENERAL? WHAT KIND OF "LOOKS" ARE THERE? WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES & WHY? BC: Seoul is currently in a period where the city's culture is being defined. Nowadays, it is expressed as being "Hip." In the '60s, Seoul was a place for immigrants and many settled in the Haebangchon District which is one of the oldest districts in Seoul. Haebangchon has been featured in many visual works. From Avengers: Age of Ultron, the first Hollywood major film shot in South Korea, to viral YouTube videos, it is one of the most popular locations. The shape of the village is quite cinematic with great vantage points, insanely steep roads and narrow alley mazes. The name of the village, 'Haebangchon,' consists of 'Haebang,' which means independence, and 'Chon,' which means village. The village was founded right after Korea became independent from Japan in 1945. Courtesy of Bong Cho/LMGI Stevie Nelson talks to Bong Cho/LMGI on living and working in South Korea's vibrant capital city. All photos by Bong Cho/LMGI, except where noted