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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32 • LMGI COMPASS | Fall 2024 which isn't always the same as the director's. So, I've had to ultimately, go to the producer to stop things getting out of hand," says Fantasia. The scope of the job has also expanded on set. "Twenty years ago, we didn't power the whole unit. Facilities were much more self-sufficient. We'd just point them to a bit of parking and say, 'See you in a week when we go back on the road,' Caterers would plug into the facilities generator and the tech trucks would plug into the sparks generator," explains Lawrence. "Now, my location guys are having to manage all the generators for the teams, as well as the water supply. There are whole new layers of things now that we used to have nothing to do with." It is often said that the sign of a good location manager is one the other teams are not aware of. The point being that everything is running smoothly and no one needs to ask for the location manager because they've already sorted everything. "We do a lot of Cinderella stuff," admits Lawrence. "Teams turn up and magically, the unit is already in place with everything they need." "One of the craziest things about our job is the ability to use the left and right side of our brains. The creative aspects of finding locations at the start, then dealing with the logistics and management of teams of people," says Dresser. There's good reason why many of the top executives at the big studios, like Disney and Universal, are former location managers. "They know the ins and outs of the role, the physical production side, and how all the departments work and what they need," says Doyle. LACK OF PREP The rise in popularity and number of streaming shows has also had a huge impact on the way location managers work. Prep times and turnarounds between seasons have become shorter and schedules can often change quickly, adding further pressure. "I had an email recently asking my availability for something that was starting shooting two months later. Well, for a six-part drama, that is not sensible," says Lawrence. "Two decades ago, you'd pretty much always have a set schedule that wouldn't change unless something seriously went wrong. Now, people change their minds regularly. We're expected to just facilitate quite huge changes like going from 100 extras to 250 extras because they've found some extra money from somewhere." Newly recruited location manager Tisha Jefferson/LMGI has noticed it too. "We can sometimes only get a week or two prep between episodes on series. You just try to do what the creatives want and hope you've nailed it first or second try." Sometimes there's not even a completed script to work with. "You have to work with outlines and assumptions," says Lithuania- based SLM Jonas Spokas/LMGI. "Five, 10 years ago, I would send location options based on the script, and then if we're still not there, start looking outside the box. Now, we're going straight to Photo by Duncan Jones/LMGI