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 | Summer 2018 • 17 O N A L the transpo coordinator over truck placement. Neil Patrick and I in hysterics wondering if the director wanted to secure a camera to a duck's head for another take, daily pleas to the mayor and council members, restraining an irate business owner from punching an AD and the 27-hour last "day" filming in Corralitos. Ironically, it was that last sleep-deprived culmination of location work of which I was most proud. Yes, I'd survived all the turmoil but more importantly, the moment I'd read the script earlier in the week, I knew Corralitos would be the perfect location for the final scene. In that instant, it all clicked in my mind's eye. The world of locations was my new home. A fond memory of that insanity was shaking hands with key grip Peter Newfield. Standing at least 6'4", he had huge hands. When we shook, there was a small derringer in his hand. I looked at him quizzically and asked, "What's that for?" He grinned and replied, "For Donald, he needs to do the honorable thing." I believe Peter went on to become a location manager. Over the next year and a half, I managed industrials— quite the rage as Silicon Valley established worldwide recognition. During this time, I also worked at KTEH as a children's show videographer and stage manager. I wasn't keen on moving to Hollywood and even after all the time I've lived in LA, I remain an ardent NorCal gal, my well-worn SF Giants ball cap is proof. However, I knew I needed to make the move career- wise. Nearly 40, I packed up my broken-down Datsun and drove south. Found a comfortable studio apartment in a rent-controlled building in Hollywood. Lean times and took any job I could find. PA'd. On the set of the 1993 movie Bitter Harvest, I cleaned up the puke Stephen Baldwin left in his trailer. Worked as a nonunion 2nd AD on music videos. Paired up with a young producer at Crossroads Films and scouted commercials. Did some cash-only projects for Korean producers. Cold scouting was the backbone of the job then. Few services and no community to rely on. I wanted to be successful, to be ahead of the game when a location request was presented. On weekends, I made the effort to garner firsthand insight into how LA environs differed from each other. Drove and drove some more. Snapped photos for reference of what the various cities, towns, neighborhoods offered visually. I read Merry Ovnick's outstanding Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow. Made friends with the indomitable California Film Commission librarian, Lisa Mosher, and researched library folders. Realized that home economics forced upon me in high school actually paid off. One of Miss Carter's lectures had been about differing architectural home styles. Even at 16, that subject matter intrigued me. Sewing a hemline, not so much. Floundering a bit, I concluded I needed to join the union. Needed contacts, needed days. Did as much networking as I could. One of the first LMs I worked with was Larry Pearson. Always grateful for his valuable and needed criticism about my initial camera work. Learned quickly that presentation was vitally important. In order to sell the location, my images had to capture what the director needed to see. Have appreciated Larry's honesty and guidance over the years! I'm uncertain why I focused more on television than feature films but I did. My break into Local 399 occurred when I was working as an assistant on another MOW. I was scouting Piru and was paged. The location manager said the show had been struck and shut down. I headed back to the office and by the time I arrived, I was a Teamster. In 1996, producer Bernadette (Bernie) Caulfield hired me to manage the Disney movie Under Wraps that was filming in Chico, CA. It was one of the best location experiences I've had. Wonderful Chico film liaison, great cast and crew and most importantly, a cheap Mongolian stir fry restaurant within walking distance of my motel. I received the 1998 Television Professional of the Year COLA for the show. Bernie became a dear friend and I would work with her on Philly, The X-Files, Big Love and Game of Thrones. Another step up the location ladder was my work on The Pretender. A week after I joined the show, the LM was fired and Bruce Margolis hired. Bruce was a stellar photographer. Learned a great deal more about photography from him. Honed my craft working with wonderful directors, James Whitmore Jr., Frederick Keller, Terence O'Hara, each respected and appreciated what the Location Department brought to the table. A valuable lesson about the once hierarchal prejudice toward locations occurred on this show. I arrived for the production meeting and dropped my notebook on the table. Got a cup of coffee and walked back to my seat. As I was pulling out the chair, the art director and wife of the production designer swirled around. With a scowl she asked, "What are you doing?" "I'm here for the meeting." "Well, you can't sit at the table, you're locations." I smiled and sat down. Series work helped me understand the ebb and flow of TV production. The eight- Managing the Disney movie Under Wraps