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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There's also the increasing problem of availability. Due to the nature of the busy industry, people are in and out of projects all the time, and the best ones get snapped up quickly. "So, we're having to train new people up, often bringing them from smaller projects and expanding their skills," says McWilliams. As location crew numbers expand, so do the roles. One that is increasing in popularity is location coordinator. "I've got two on a current job because there is so much behind-the-scenes work just to support the location managers," adds McWilliams. VIRTUAL PRODUCTION Location managers are also now potentially competing with virtual productions, which can recreate dozens of different location backdrops on LED panels in volume stages that are cropping up all over the US and internationally. The potential of this new technology is undoubtedly impressive, as we've seen with Disney's The Mandalorian. But the consensus among location managers seems to be that it is just another tool for filmmakers rather than a replacement for actual location shoots. "I worked on a commercial recently at one of the volumes in LA and they managed to change the backdrop 10 times for 10 different cities in America, thus saving the need to fly out crew to these locations and put them up in hotels, which is impressive and scary. There are probably a lot of equipment houses, travel agents and crews quaking in their boots about what could be done," says Jones. "But I don't think location scouts are going to lose their jobs. The technology is still very expensive and it's mostly used for effects-heavy shows." Doyle has also worked with the technology on both Mank and his latest film, The Killer. He says it's great for driving shots. It's difficult to tell that the car isn't moving, and we managed to get great reflections on the driver's watch of the surrounding environment." But Dresser insists: "There's nothing like standing in the actual location, feeling the wind in your hair and seeing the sun, especially for an actor and his performance." McWilliams also points to the fact that location managers are still needed in the virtual production world because "they need plates for their volumes, so they send us out to get those and then put them in the Unreal Engine and expand upon them." THE FUTURE Despite reservations about virtual production, many of the location managers see technology at the heart of the future of location management and the lay of the production landscape. "I suspect the tech we use will continue to advance and be refined, and costs will come down, so it's more accessible for all types of productions," says Fantasia. Location managers' jobs and the way they work shouldn't change too much, but "we will need to adapt to the new technology, like AI, which is currently causing a stir. We shouldn't fear it but embrace it and improve our skills so that we enhance the projects we work on," says Doyle. That extends to sustainability on set too. "We should be using solar-powered restrooms and hydrogen fuel cell generators, things like that," says Jones. "We need to be ever conscious of the way we work and our footprint." Photo by Scott Fitzgerald/LMGI