Location Managers Guild International

Winter 2018

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 | Winter 2018 • 31 body of work from all contributing dis- ciplines that consistently enhance the dramatic design of a film. Oscar-winning production designer DAVID WASCO agrees that a film is a "collaborative process, in which it is important to work in concert. He re- lies on the contribution of his location team's opinions and ideas. He depends on them to help him shape the film." A good location professional is "invested in the quality of the writing and is able to translate the script to the screen." Oscar-nominated production designer JEANNINE OPPEWALL agrees that "they must understand how the story needs to be told. It is always about the story. We have to find a way to interpret the story and find the best locations we can to tell that story. We have to learn how to sing off the same page almost imme- diately." Myhre agrees that "locations are an integral part of design that help to tell the story of the script." After breaking down the script, he confers with his lo- cation scout about which locations best evoke the story at hand. Production designer WYNN THOMAS, who was awarded the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Produc- tion Design for a Period Feature Film, believes that "a good location depart- ment makes a vital contribution to the look of the movie and helps the direc- tor tell a story. On my movies, I expect the scouts and managers to bring their ideas to the table. I need and expect a location person to understand and par- ticipate in how I'm trying to shape the movie in visual terms ... I speak to loca- tions about the look, the textures and how I want the camera to move. They are a crucial part to the storytelling process." Wasco continues, "They must be able to think creatively about what the movie is supposed to do and be invested in pull- ing off the look of the movie." Says LMGI location manager ELSTON HOWARD, "We rely on each other's knowledge and cre- ative ideas to provide the very best op- tions for our director." Location pro Ko- kayi Ampah adds, "Everyone on a film visualizes that film in their head after reading the script. It is a collaborative process although each designer is dif- ferent." All of the designers agree that the cre- ative process begins with that initial collaboration with the location scout/ manager. "From the beginning of each project," says Oppewall, "the location scout is the designer's closest associ- ate." Wasco noted, "The production de- signer and location scout are the first to be hired (along with the director), in fact, sometimes a location scout is hired before the designer." As a New Orleans-based location pro- fessional, Howard is often sent scripts for review from "executives seeking to know if the project can be done in New Orleans or not." Oppewall thinks it is most beneficial to physically go scout- ing with the location scout to confirm or eliminate the best suggestions for the vision she presents to the director. However, if the scout is working on their PRODUCTION DESIGNER JEANNINE OPPEWALL PRODUCTION DESIGNER DAVID WASCO PRODUCTION DESIGNER WYNN THOMAS LOCATION MANAGER ELSTON HOWARD © A.M.P.A.S.

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