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/924095
LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2018 • 13 The ad campaign features a variety of scouting photos and video clips that Emmert has taken from Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Korea and Iceland from her last two films, Kong: Skull Island and Pacific Rim: Uprising. Microsoft worked closely with Legendary Pictures to get previously unreleased footage from the film to use in the commercial. Emmert was flown to Montreal for the commercial and photo shoot. She says, "It was pretty fun to be 'talent' and see how the other half lives. I felt surprisingly comfortable shooting the spot, as I was so familiar with the entire process. Plus, I just had to talk about using a cool tool and doing a job that I love, so it came really naturally!" Emmert is a fan of the Microsoft Surface Pro. READY FOR PRIME TIME Watch for location manager Leann Emmert, LMGI in an international ad campaign for Microsoft's new Surface Pro, currently airing in the United States, Australia and the UK. She was contacted by a casting person via Facebook who was looking for people with creative jobs. After several Skype interviews, she was eventually selected to be in the ad. Says Emmert, "I truly feel like I have the greatest job in the world, and I have just come off of several great projects, so my enthusiasm for the job must have won them over." Indeed, Emmert's buoyant disposition and "go get 'em" attitude makes her a great spokesperson for our craft. Leann Emmert Anne Forder (The Pineville Heist, OtherLife-Best Actress Award Los Angeles International Film Festival 2017), director Xia Gang (Half Brine, Unexpected Passion), Chengkui Yin (executive member of Beijing International Film Festival and Jury President), celebrated director Jianxin Huang (The Black Cannon Incident and Back to Back, Face to Face). The Exhibition consisted of three sections: Special Awards, China-Micro Film Media Award and the Main Competition, which I was judging. This section awarded Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Animation, Cinematography, Documentary, Actress, Art Direction, Editor, Actor, Actress and Grand Jury Prize. Winners included films from China, Iran, France, Italy, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan. Also represented were the United States, Spain, Estonia, India, Korea, Vietnam, Portugal, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Poland. The diversity of films and cultural views was a pleasant reminder of how far reaching the storytelling medium of film truly is. It was an honor to be included on a jury of such distinguished filmmakers, and see that location management is becoming better understood and respected within the industry. Following the Exhibition, I enjoyed a three-day Fam Tour around Hangzhou and Beijing by the China Australia Film & Television Ltd. We visited the Great Wall, Beijing's Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, West Lake (Hangzhou), the Mountain Temple (Hangzhou), Scorpion Night Markets (home of spider and snake on a stick) to name but a few of the film-friendly locations throughout the country. China has not only invited me to a globally significant event, but captured my attention in recognizing its significance on the world's stage. I look forward to visiting and working with them in the near future, and LMGI members traveling to reach out to industry colleagues while appreciating the country's impressive bounty of unique locations. "The Surface is a powerful computer and a tablet, all- in-one small package, with a couple of cool features that benefit location scouts and managers. Besides being small, wireless and powerful, the map program is awesome! You can draw directly on the map program, mapping distances or taking notes. And they have developed some new software so you can add your characters to scale directly into your live view and then photograph it, which is very beneficial when scouting locations appropriate for 250-foot robots or giant gorillas." Emmert is so taken with the product that she has asked Microsoft to think about a presentation to LMGI members, and/or some sort of Guild sponsorship. On the set of Microsoft's new Surface Pro commercial. Photos courtesy of M: United/McCann NY and Tool of North America One of the sets. MEMBERS MAKE HEADLINES