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The Official Magazine of the Location Managers Guild of AmericaSUMMER 2014

803.737.0498

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LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014 • 3

SCOUTINGThe road less traveled

36

TECH TALKScouting photography workflow

12

IN THE NEWSAmbassador Hotel hangs onTech Talk at the Apple StoreLMGA at the Hollywood MuseumThai International Film FestPortugal Fam Tour

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EDITORS’ DESK4

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

6

CONTRIBUTORS8

career focusIlt Jones: Small-town boy makes good!

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IN MY CITYNEW ORLEANSSouthern gothic charm with John Jabaley

18

KOKAYI AMPAHA 37-year legacy in the world of locations

30

CATCH OF THE DAYHooked on reality

42

ON THE COVEROne county: 88 citiesPhotos by Mark Indig

The Official Magazine of the Location Managers Guild of AmericaSUMMER 2014

803.737.0498



SUMMER 2 0 1 4 / IN THIS ISSUE

MARTINI SHOT39°25'50"N / 82°32'20"W

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Volume 2 / Issue 3

LOCOSOCIOLOGY The science of location scouting

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MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORYHow to set up your profile and maximize employment opportunities

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4 • LMGA COMPASS | Summer 2014

“ Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do one thing only.”

—RobeRt Shea

“ I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

—RobeRt FRoSt

Location professionals come from many walks of life. The successful ones all share defining characteristics and skills. Scouts and managers (sometimes called “fix-ers”) understand film and have the ability to get things done—pretty much anything that a crew needs to film on location. A seasoned location professional draws on a variety of disciplines; they are much more than someone simply taking pictures. In this issue, we celebrate the alchemy of location work. Our cover story, Rebecca “Puck” Stair’s “Locosociology,” examines the cerebral nature of the scout. We are sociologists, archeologists, biologists: exploring culture, flora and fauna, architec-ture, history … This wealth of knowledge accumulated over time is personified in trail— blazing location manager Kokayi Ampah. Shannon Mullen profiles the talented Mr. Ampah in “A Rung for Others.” Fermín Dávalos’ “Scouting, the Road Less Trav-eled” is an honest account of what location scouts do every day on most projects— creatively solve problems with dogged persistence. An equally determined Jill Naumann takes us on a headlong journey across seven California counties, with endless multi-jurisdiction film permits all in pursuit of wild fish in “Catch of the Day.”

Our departments continue to include “Tech Talk,” “Career Focus,” “In My City,” “In the News” and the “Martini Shot.”

We welcome Ken Haber to the LMGA Compass as a co-editor. We are fortunate to have his as-tute eye and keen sense of humor joining us at the Editors’ Desk. Ken is pictured in the Douro region of Portugal, Compass in hand. We invite our members to send in pictures of the Compass travers-ing the world. As always, we en-courage your ideas for articles and photography submissions.

With summer in full swing, we hope you enjoy this issue cel-ebrating the independent “can-do” spirit, curiosity and creative eye of our location community. Stay safe out there.

Always a pleasure, never too busy,

FROM THE

EDITORS’D E S K

Marie, Stevie, Lori and Ken

For rates and availability please call Angela at (805)579-8000 x4165

View over 250 pictures on our website at:


Dear Members,

The Location Managers Guild of America is a uniquely diverse and seasoned community of professionals whose strength comes from a broad range of experience and training. Unlike some occupations, there is no tried-and-true path to becoming a location professional. There are no classes to take or books to follow that reveal the right moves to make, or knowledge to acquire in order to suc-ceed. Rather, the success of a location professional is acquired through wisdom derived from experience and a plethora of skills.

While standard methods and tools of the trade prove valuable to the locations community, it is the diversity of experiences, skills and knowledge accumulated by each individual that, when brought together, elevates the craft to new heights. As individuals, it is this diversity that imbues the creative vision of each member with a nuanced perspective that only she or he can bring to a project. It is as a col-lective, however, that this experience achieves its most critical potential; moving forward together, the work of location managers and scouts has become integral to the filmmaking process and overall project success.

Some LMGA members worked their way through the industry to eventually set-tle in their niche as scouts and managers. Whether it’s accounting, photography, production management or kayaking, every new role hones one’s intuitive under-standing of the moving parts and unique needs that each new job entails. Our background as a “jack of all trades” has led us to become a master of one: location scouting and management.

Our skill set is enhanced in unforeseeable ways by our divergent backgrounds from fields as wide ranging as teaching, project management, visual arts and govern-ment. It’s difficult to predict, for instance, when one’s past employment as a trek-king guide will turn out to be the crucial factor to moving a 100-person crew down the side of a mountain. When one volunteers as an emergency disaster relief aid, it’s not career advancement that drives her or him. And yet, it is precisely this type of exposure and life experience that instills the cool-headed perspicacity required of a location manager to coordinate between scouts, production and community members on a busy shoot.

You never know what skills or experiences a location manager or scout will need to draw upon from day to day. The only way to prepare for the unknown is through an extensive and varied body of knowledge and practical experience. The explorers that comprise the LMGA infuse the locations profession with just that: resources of serendipitous provenance that transform the whole into more than merely the sum of its parts. As world travelers, our members possess knowledge of archi-tecture, geography, art, history, engineering, technology, climbing, diving or sail-ing—to name only a few—that is invaluable to production. We are fortunate to have so many uniquely talented, worldly and accomplished crafts—people among our ranks. And we proudly salute them in this summer issue of the LMGA Compass!

Sincerely,Nancy Haecker

LETTER FROM THEPRESIDENT

Editors

Lori BaLton Marie HeaLy

Stevie neLSon

Ken HaBer

LMGA Officers

nancy HaecKer, President Lori BaLton, 1st Vice President Ken HaBer, 2nd Vice President

eric KLoSterMan, Treasurer

SincLair anderSon, Secretary

LMGA Administrative Director

Marie HeaLy

LMGA Board of Directors

MiKe FantaSia

Kevin FunSton

WeLton JoneS

JaSon KapLon

JJ Levine

aLex Moreno

Stevie neLSon

HeatHer roSS

tony SaLoMe

reBecca “pucK” Stair

LMGA Chairman Emeritus

orin Kennedy

The LMGA Compass is published quarterly bythe Location Managers Guild of America.

locationmanagers.org

Comments, editorial and photo submissions can be sent to:

[email protected]

Publisher

ingLedodd Media

Advertising Director

dan dodd

310.207.4410 [email protected]

Official Magazine of Location ProfessionalsPromoting Excellence

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Film production in California has been a major driver to the state’s economy since the beginning of motion pictures and television. While other states have tempted producers with tax incentives to move their productions, the Los Angeles area still remains the hub. The state is fortunate to have a diverse geographic range – no matter what you are looking for to achieve a setting, you can find it. Fairplex, based in the eastern end of Los Angeles County, offers the perfect diverse geography to fit many production backgrounds.

Home of the L.A. County Fair, Fairplex, at nearly 500 acres, is virtually a city within a city and provides film crews with a private, backlot atmosphere. There aren’t many locations in Southern California that offer not only a quarter-mile drag strip, but a 5/8-mile horse race track as well. Fairplex offers these unique elements and more:

• Art deco inspired 85,000 square foot conference center completed in 2012

• Home to NHRA’s Auto Club Raceway complete with seating for 30,000

• Tree-lined streets, park-like settings and an infield

• 250,000 square feet of “sound stages” with ceilings as high as 50 feet

• A variety of barns, stables, and horse arenas as well as a working farm

• Full-size and miniature outdoor trains

• An art gallery, the Wally Parks NHRA Automotive Museum, a wine cellar

• A fire station, police station and gas station

• Board rooms, conference rooms and offices

• Sports bar and private restaurant available for filming

• On-site Sheraton Hotel offering special filming rates

Encompassing five million square feet, Fairplex’s unobstructed parking lots are perfect for high-speed chases, stunts, set construction and long-term filming. Herbie the Love Bug drove on two-wheels during a street race scene for Herbie: Fully Loaded. For the final chase scene, Bruce Willis raced through the streets of Los Angeles, complete with helicopter, for Live Free or Die Hard. Fairplex Park doubled as Mexico’s Aguas Caliente race track for Academy Award best picture nominee Seabiscuit. An interior tree-lined corridor served as Kentucky’s second largest farmers market, where Orlando Bloom went to search for love in Elizabethtown. The Millard Sheets Center for the Arts is a perfect setting for a museum or intimate restaurant scene.

Fairplex tries to work with all budgets from photo shoots to feature films. Our on-site Sheraton Hotel offers special filming rates. The Fairplex staff is sensitive to the needs and timelines of large and small scale productions. Fairplex is well known as film-friendly – a reputation we pride ourselves on and strive to enhance. Fairplex offers simple film permitting through the L.A. County Fire Department.

Fairplex is proud to be a business member of the Location Managers Guild Association. They have sponsored the annual California On Location Awards since 2004, as well as the California Only Locations reception and in 2014 they proudly support the 1st Annual LMGA Awards. Fairplex provides hospitality for film industry professionals including invitations to the L.A. County Fair.

In 2010, the 30 Mile Studio Zone was expanded to include Fairplex. Enlarging the zone has made Fairplex even more desirable to Location Managers and Southern California production crews.

For a private tour of Fairplex or more information, contact Melissa DeMonaco-Tapia at 909-226-8813 or [email protected]. You can also visit its website at fairplex.com/filming.

WHAT IS FAIRPLEX?AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE!WHAT IS FAIRPLEX?AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE!By Melissa DeMonaco-TapiaPhoto by Renee Hernandez

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Ilt JonesBritish-born Ilt Jones has been a location manager for 22 years. Although primarily based in Los Angeles, he works all over the US and many other countries including China, Egypt, the Bahamas and all over Europe. Predominantly known for his work on the Transformers franchise, The X-Files, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, Jones won the inaugural LMGA Award for Feature Film for his work on Iron Man 3. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the LMGA and a proud member of Teamsters Local 399.

Fermín DávalosFermín Dávalos started his career writing, producing, directing and editing commercials, industrial videos and documentary segments in the Kansas City area. After moving to Los Angeles, he spent time directing live television before becoming a location scout and manager. Credits from his 20 years in locations include The Fosters, A Better Life, Easy A, Big Love, Transformers and Spanglish. When he is not working in locations, he writes and produces 3D animations and motion graphics for the LMGA, other clients and his own projects. He likes to see the world for what it is, and what it could be.

Jill NaumannLos Angeles native Jill Naumann considers filmmaking to be an integral part of her cultural heritage. Training on the streets of LA during the ’90s filming boom, Naumann worked with directors such as Ron Howard, Mick Jackson and William Friedkin. In 2003, she received a COLA Award for Location Professional of the Year-Television for 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out. In 2013, she was honored with a second COLA for the Best Reality series Top Hooker. Her photography has been showcased in AFCI’s Locations Magazine and many California county brochures distributed by tourism boards. On her downtime, she enjoys using multisport vacations to scout California’s small towns, and donates her time on the festival circuit to promote filming.

Diane FriedmanWith a background in art, photography and video art, Diane Friedman grew up in New York, and began her career in San Francisco as a producer, director and editor for cable, PBS and broadcast television. She has been a scout and location manager in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Her credits include Star Trek: Generations, Pleasantville, Arliss, Entourage and both the original and reboot of the iconic television series 90210. A recipient of a 1998 COLA Award, Diane is proud to be a founding member of the LMGA.

CONTRIBUTORS

James LinLin started his career on automotive ads from Road & Track to commercials for BMW, Porsche, Mercedes and Ford to name a few. His transitioned from print and commercials to features and multimedia content. His credits include Red Dragon, Into the Blue, XXX: State of the Union, Rush Hour 3, Fast Five, Google Glass IO 2012 release and Captain America: Winter Soldier. Lin’s degree in landscape architecture with a minor in architecture from UC Berkeley help him clearly convey what he is asked to find as a location scout for his various projects.

Shannon MullenShannon Mullen is a film producer and journalist based in New England. Her work airs regularly on public radio’s national business show Marketplace, as well as other flagship programs such as NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Shannon is also founder of Broad Reach Productions.

Scott Allen LoganLogan is almost as well known for his passion of techno gadgets as his film credits. They include a longtime collaboration with Marvel Studios on The Avengers, Iron Man 1, 2 and 3, Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. Logan’s other credits include Fast Five, Austin Powers 1 & 2, and Meet the Fockers. He has also made a name for himself as the location manager for YouTube sensations—the action shorts: Gymkhana Five: Ultimate Urban Playground, San Francisco and Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial. He was production supervisor on Unstoppable. A native of Washington State, Scott now resides in Santa Monica.

Rebecca “Puck” StairA native Washingtonian, Rebecca “Puck” Stair moved to New Mexico on purpose—to teach high school English—but somehow wound up as a location manager and scout, where she merrily samples other people’s careers in lieu of choosing her own. A current member of the LMGA and WIF (Women In Film), she enjoys the challenges of filming in rural and urban locations all over the country, and is currently honored to serve on the Executive Board of IATSE Local 480. When not filming, she can be found in the sky, paragliding. Puck’s credits include The Lone Ranger, 3:10 to Yuma and No Country for Old Men.


We welcome contributions to the Compass.

Your story ideas, articles and photography belong on these pages and on our website.

Articles focus on aspects of loca-tion management and scouting.

Photographs for the “Martini Shot” are exemplary location shots, with an evocative, artistic component that take it up a notch … a hero shot in a ver-tical orientation.

Please send submissions to: compass@ locationmanagers.org

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The Ambassador Hotel Hangs On By Diane Friedman

Selected photos from the LMGA photo & student mentoring project Last Looks: The Ambassador Hotel are once again on display, this time at the offices of Teamsters Local

IN THEwe can all relate to these incredible pictures!”

Business agent Ed Duffy was on hand to guide the installation crew of Teamster & LMGA members, including Nancy Haecker, Eric Klosterman, Billy Fox, John Grant, Jaqueline English & Diane Friedman (who spearheaded the original event with Kristi Frankenheimer and Lisa Blok-Linson). “I was getting tired of looking at these bare walls,” commented Duffy, “so when Diane called about hanging the Ambassador photos in the classroom, we

NEWSLeo Fialho: Tech Talk Live at the Apple StoreBack in February, LMGA member Don Mann connected us with the Apple Business Team to discuss how Apple and the LMGA might partner on an event. The “Tech Talk” workshop at the Grove store on April 27 was the outcome from the series of meetings spearheaded by member Kim Crabb.

Kicking off the series was a presentation by location pro Leo Fialho on how to streamline your workflow using existing apps and software solutions.

“The crux of the location profession for me, both as a scout and a manager, is adaptability. Change is the only constant in the entertainment industry. Therefore, I apply that belief to my digital tools. The quicker I adapt and change, the smoother the other non-technological changes will be.”

Leo’s workflow suggestions can be found on the LMGA website at www.locationmanagers.org

CA Location Conference at the Hollywood Museum LMGA members were in full force June 28 at the California Location Conference, sponsored by the California Film Commission and FLICS. David Doumeng moderated the panel discussion on “Commercial Production.” Mark Indig was a panelist on “Cost vs Value,” a discussion about the benefits of filming in California and Mike Fantasia joined the “Safety on Location” panel. The LMGA booth, located among the museum’s Hollywood memorabilia, was managed by Eric Klosterman, JJ Levine, Nancy Haecker, Lori Balton and Michael Burmeister.

Celebrities Danny DeVito, Matthew Modine and Sharon Lawrence lent their support in the keynote address and discussion on California filming incentives.

The Conference ended on a high note as all the California film offices brought samples of wine from their areas and raffled off impressive trips and regional prizes.

Left to right: Janice Arrington, Amy Lemisch and Danny DeVito.

399 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Dayan and business agent Ed Duffy

399 in North Hollywood, CA. Gracing the once-bare walls of the union classroom, these iconic images captured by location professionals and students from Jefferson High School Academy of Film and Theatre Arts, document this historic and often-filmed location just weeks before its demolition in 2005. “It’s so great to have these photographs,” said Teamster Secretary-Treasurer Steve Dayan. “It’s a location that is very special to both location managers and drivers,

were very receptive. Thanks to the LMGA and everyone involved. It is truly inspiring for all of us who work here and it certainly will be for all the members using the classroom every week. It’s a great fit!”

Left to right: Eric Klosterman, Ed Duffy, Billy Fox and Diane Friedman in front of Peter Orth’s Ambassador shot.

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OFFICERSNancy Haecker

PresidentLori Balton

1st VPKen Haber

2nd VPSinclair Anderson

Secretary (Acumen Locations)

Eric KlostermanTreasurer

DIRECTORSMike FantasiaKevin FunstonWelton JonesJason Kaplon

JJ LevineAlex Moreno

(Creative Handbook)Stevie NelsonHeather Ross

(The Location Portal)Tony Salome

Rebecca “Puck” Stair

Thank you to the 2013-14

bOaRD mEmbERS whose service has been

critical to the growth and success of the organization:

Chris BaughMichael Burmeister

Chris Fuentes David LyonsCarole Segal

2014 Election

WELCOmE

2014-15 bOaRD mEmbERS!

Obrigado Portugal By James Lin

This past June, fellow LMGA members Lori Balton, Ken Haber, Kent Matsuoka and I were invited by the Portuguese production service company, Ready to Shoot, to tour their country. CEO Margarida Adonis and one of their top scouts, Joao Alves, showed us unparalleled views of Portugal. We landed in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal. After exploring the picturesque city and its surroundings, we drove inland to the Douro region, named for Rio Douro, the “River of Gold,” that

winds through the endless vineyards. We continued south to Lisbon, including the Venice of Portugal, and the storybook town of Sintra, summer home to Portuguese royalty. The country offers a staggering variety of European looks from amazing mountain vistas, to medieval castles, twisting roads, sophisticated modern architecture, fascistic plazas, wild graffiti, alluring beaches, charming villages and so much more. You can see the travelers’ photographs of Portugal and learn more about our trip at: locationmanagers.org. You can track our travels with a nifty interactive link from Ready to Shoot, also at our website.

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION LMGA member Chris Baugh recently walked the red carpet in Bangkok, participating in the Thai International Film Festival. Location manager for Argo, Transcendence and Angels & Demons, Baugh was invited by the Thai Ministry of Tourism to give an intensive workshop for location managers. He spoke about ethics and the creative process. Baugh’s seminar focused on maintaining professionalism abroad, vis-à-vis the nerve shredding, unsung role of a location manager.

“It was an all-day event, part lecture, part field exercise,” explains Baugh. “I sent out nine vans of location managers to solve a tricky scouting exercise. It was a fantastic experience. I truly appreciate any opportunity to compare notes on our challenging field of work with location professionals from around the world.”

Following the Film Festival, Baugh traveled through Thailand and Cambodia. You can see his photography at locationmanagers.org

Left to right: Ken Haber, Lori Balton, Joao Alves, Margarida Adonis, Kent Matsuoka and James Lin under the compass in Lisbon’s harbor area. Below: Aviero, little Venice of Portugal.

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Topic: My ScoutingPhotography Workflow

I shoot with both a Canon 5D MKIII and a 6D. I sometimes use one or both, depending on what I’m after, but I always carry both with me at all times. I would never go scouting without a second body on hand. I start out by removing the spent rechargeable batteries from my home charger that I used the previous day and left charging overnight. I always start out the day with fresh batteries and a sack of fresh batteries go with me as well as multiple car chargers. I have a system with two different colored bags that I keep them in, so I know which ones have been charged and which ones are spent. I usually put my external GPS unit onto whichever body I’m using and that gets a fresh new disposable battery each and every day as well. The 6D has built-in GPS, but the external unit gives more detailed information. I then check my media cards and always begin the day by formatting the cards in the camera. This step is never missed. I follow this step with a quick shot of my odometer with my iPhone before I head out. This step makes it much easier to keep track of mileage and works as excellent proof if you ever need it. The shot from the iPhone is time, date and GPS–stamped, so there is zero confusion. After all of those steps, I enter in addresses into either my built-in GPS

TECHTALK

or my external GPS unit, unless I’ve already sent the addresses to my car from my computer to arrange my day. I like to alternate between the two units, so there is no fumbling from location to location, especially if I have someone with me or following me. I then head out and start my day.

I like to process my photos at the end of the day, but I will always take my laptop with me in case someone suddenly needs their photos right away. If they do, I can simply pull over and process what I need and send them out via Wi-Fi hotspot. The Canon 5D MKIII allows for use of two separate media cards to record simultaneously, so I use one for RAW images and the other for jpegs, in case I have to send something quick. It’s also a nice redundant on-board backup system.

At the end of the day, I stop and gas up my car and get rid of all the wrappers, cans, bottles and evidence of a day spent consuming things in my vehicle. My gas station is a couple blocks from my house, so this is where I take another picture of the odometer with my iPhone and then zero out the trip counter. I also gather my battery bags and media cards and put my cameras back into cases and generally prep my gear and car for the next day. This way, I’m

always ready at a moment’s notice to head out and my car and gear is always ready.

Once I’m back home, or in a hotel if traveling, I put the batteries on chargers and cards into the card readers and begin downloading. Since my cameras are all GPS–equipped and therefore, accurately timecoded, I can dump from both cameras at the same time and never lose shooting order. This is a nice time to get a cocktail ready and fire up something completely mindless on the TV for background while I process images. When I’m working at home in Los Angeles, old episodes of The Rockford Files are excellent background for a location scout to catch what has changed since 1977 and what still looks the same (not much).

I have spent many thousands of dollars trying out nearly every offering of image editor, browser or version of processing photos, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription-based suite of tools is the best thing for me. With their subscription-based

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system, you always have the most current software and the low monthly fee is a simple tax deductible amount. Previously, it was a few thousand dollars every couple of years to upgrade and often meant you would put it off too long. I use Adobe Bridge to view and manage everything and Adobe Photoshop RAW image editor to process. I almost never send out a photo I haven’t corrected first. Once you get the flow down, it all goes pretty quick. Adobe Bridge is also an amazing tool for showing photos in a group setting on external monitors. I use Adobe Lightroom for my personal photography, but prefer to keep things in folder format for work, so I separate them and stay out of Lightroom for work.

I have my Adobe Bridge set up to automatically put everything in folders by date shot as they are imported from the card. This way, in case I do fail on re-formatting a card, I’m not confronted with a previous day’s work to wade through to get to today. I just go to today and begin creating two folders for each location I visited, with one of them

reserved for the original RAW photos and the other for jpegs of approximately 2MB–4MB each to upload and keep ready for presentation. I find this is about the right size, as pixel depth on monitors gets greater and greater with “Retina” displays making smaller photos look way too small. My website is set up to resize them anyway, so it doesn’t matter how big they are when they go up.

All folders are left empty at this point. I then begin the process of dragging photos from the first location into the proper folder and then I do a rough scan of each image and dump anything I don’t like or find redundant. If I have a photo deep in the pile that I know I’ll want at the top as the first image, I rename this file with a simple number one and it goes to the top of the list and will stay put when I

eventually batch rename the whole mess.

This is when I select all of the photos in this group and open them up in Adobe RAW Image Editor. I then apply batch settings on all of the images, including lens correction and a bit of sharpness. I may also batch adjust white balance, exposure or many other things if it applies to the entire group. Next, I hit each photo individually and take care of any minor adjustments, including fill light, contrast, etc. I can get through this pretty quick. I may also dump a few more during this closer inspection. Finally, I select all of the photos again and crush them into jpegs and batch rename them all at once. I do a pretty extensive file naming, including region, name, date, my initials and a file number.

All of this is really well automated within Adobe Bridge. While these are processing, I move on to the next location and each successive location until my work is complete.

This is when I decide which locations I keep the original RAW files for, which is usually most of them, and those get dragged off onto a network storage drive and deleted from my computer. If I’m traveling, I carry a Drobo Mini Raid drive that gets the originals. This is a fairly compact unit that contains four separate drives and any of them can fail and I still have the data. I have a much bigger system at home. More on storage and backup in another issue, but it’s something that usually requires a massive failure before people get a good backup regimen set up and it can be painful.

I try to multi-task with all of these processes and I can get a good rhythm going with uploading while I’m organizing and editing, so that I’m never waiting for one thing to complete to move on. On particularly heavy days, I split the work up onto two computers and have them both going at one time. I’m doing this less and less with faster processors and more RAM, so this is becoming an unneeded step. I’m uploading to my website, dragging off RAW folders, renaming and organizing the website through an FTP client all at one time. Once the website has been arranged into my liking, I send password emails to clients and my day is complete.


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I’ve heard it said that if you lined up a 100 location managers, you would get 100 different stories of how that came to be, and I am no exception. I left school in the last century without knowing that such a job title even existed! As is apparently so often the case, I got into “the business” completely by accident ... or rather, a circuitous series of happy accidents. I spent the bulk of the ’80s in banking and finance in London. I loved living in London, but found Thatcher politically and philosophically abhorrent. I had an interesting job in investment analysis but I was a square peg in a round hole. Wearing a suit and working in an office became increasingly unappealing—it feels like a different life, especially given my standard garb these days of shorts and hiking boots! I left to live in the Greek Islands, where I taught water skiing and ran a beach. I lived with my girlfriend in a cottage in

CAREER

FOCUS Ilt JonesSmall-Town Boy Makes Good!

the middle of an olive grove and it was paradise on earth.

After a year in Greece, I returned to London. Hell was going to freeze over before I took another office job so I took work as a bicycle messenger in order to stay fit and have time to ponder my future. My folks were appalled because the life span of a London bike messenger duking it out with London traffic is roughly the same as a fruit fly. The owner of the messenger company found out that I had a finance background, and I was hauled into the office to look at the books. It took me about three nanoseconds to see that,

although she had a sound business idea, she couldn’t organize the seating plan on a commode. I rearranged her MO and the company started making money and picking off profitable clients from bigger messenger companies. My revolution brought me to the attention of the CEO of one such company who offered me a job running the messenger company he was about to open in LA. But I turned him down because I had already accepted a job teaching water skiing at a camp in Maine.

I headed to Maine in the early summer of 1988. Once more I found myself in an idyllic setting. During that sublime summer, I received a phone

call from the aforementioned CEO who begged me to fly to LA to see if I could turn around the fledgling but foundering company. I told him I would be traveling to LA after camp, albeit by a meandering route so that I could explore the U.S. He said that whenever I got there, I had a job. On October 23, 1988, I took up residence in Los Angeles and have been delighted to call it home ever since. I ran the messenger company for about four years whereupon it was sold for a tidy profit and I received several months of paid vacation. I was home in Manhattan Beach when a TV production manager friend called

Ilt Jones on The Great Wall. Photo by Danny Wolf

When I was a boy, the BBC used to air a Western every Saturday evening. My dad and I used to watch these together in our small provincial British town. I remember remarking how cool it must be to work on a film in the extraordinary desert scenery featured in the movie. This somewhat random notion passed quickly. Little did I realize that 40 years later, I would find myself getting paid to take photographs of that very scenery as I did last year on Transformers 4.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Ilt Jones and Michael Bay. Photo by Michael Kase


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and said: “You’re a decent photographer. Can you find and photograph examples of some locations we need for a TV movie to be shot in London and LA?” Although I hadn’t actually delivered packages, the messenger business meant that I knew Los Angeles very well. I duly took some photos and the director (Paul Greengrass, later to become a big-time director) liked them and asked if I could be the location manager for the LA segment. I said, “Er, it may have escaped your attention but I have never done anything like this before!”—my friend basically said, “pish posh, details shmetails—it’s just common sense—you’ll be fine!” In many respects, Allison was correct. Whilst film school may well equip some people with the wherewithal to succeed, much of what has stood me in good stead I learned in seemingly disassociated industries: e.g., teamwork, perseverance in the face of adversity, quick thinking and even things as mundane (but nonetheless important) as writing correspondence and budgeting. My very first job was as a low-budget, nonunion location manager. I knew NOTHING. Allison also asked me to drive the show’s star, I said, “Uh—OK. I guess so.” So I found locations and on the first shoot day, I picked up the star and drove him to the set arriving at crew call. I strolled onto set greeting everyone warmly but that quickly gave way to horror and embarrassment when one crew member after the other sputtered variations on a theme of “where the f%$k have you been?” In my complete ignorance, I hadn’t arranged little things like, ooh, crew parking, truck parking, catering area, maps,

signs and, um, permits. We bumbled our way through the first morning until things settled down but in the early afternoon I received a visit from a less-than-thrilled Permit Office official, Michael Bobenko. He took pity at the sight of my pathetic hangdog expression and invited me to join him after wrap so that I might learn what a responsible location manager is supposed to do. He patiently ran me through the basic tenets of location management and helped me plan out the remainder of the two-week shoot. As he spoke, I feverishly scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad which I still have —a treasured possession and reminder of my humble, make that embarrassing, foray into the wonderful world of location management. Since then I have shot at three wonders of the world, over 20 World Heritage Sites, Kennedy Space Center, countless national parks and military bases. During my thus far 21-year career, I have picked up many tricks of the trade but most of what has stood me in good stead during that time I learned in that meeting the evening of my inaugural day! Having been bitten by the film bug on that first show, I wasn’t sure how to proceed so I took work as a site rep for a location service. I would make myself useful wherever I could—carrying all manner of equipment, taping layout board, etc. Looking back, even though I was just trying to help out, I was a walking union violation! However, my enthusiasm on Pulp Fiction impressed the location manager, Bob Craft, enough that he kindly passed a succession of nonunion jobs onto me. As the days and months went by, I realized that my personal

skill set was reasonably well suited to that required of a decent location manager—and it was generally enormous fun! I got a lucky break when Peter Novak, one of the best location managers in the business, hired me and got me in the union. He took my skill level up many notches and inculcated the need for tenacity. I owe him big time for shaping my approach to the mechanics of our craft.

My last show as a nonunion manager was for German TV and I made about $2,500/week. When I joined the union, assistant rates were a LOT lower. My first Local 399 job paid the princely sum of $719/week plus $150/week for my car. But I also got fringe benefits: pension and welfare, and the ability to work on more established films. However, my then girlfriend was less than amused that I was suddenly bringing home less than a third from one week to the next. She was almost convinced that I had run away and joined a cult, which in a way, I suppose I had. It often baffles people outside our industry when I tell them what my day-to-day work life is like but when I explain the camaraderie that grows so quickly among

the members of a production crew, it makes more sense. I blasted quickly through the 300 days one is required to work as an assistant before moving up to location manager. That time was not without incident: I was rescued by helicopter from the Santa Monica Mountains after getting lost and then falling off a ledge and narrowly escaping continuing the rest of the way down a 500-foot cliff. I was dramatically thrown out of a building after asking if we could feature it in a scene about an abortion clinic with a siege outside. I couldn’t work out why they had got so hot under the collar until I learned from their neighbors that I had approached the California HQ of the Pro-Life movement. I fell headfirst into a pond after kneeling down on the pavers surrounding it only to learn that they were jutting out over the edge of the pond and not cemented down. I almost poisoned a barking dog in the garden next to the house we were filming at. I used the old peanut butter trick once an hour all night until wrap. This was on a Friday night and apparently

Jones on location in Petra, Jordan. Photo by Ian Bryce


I have encountered very little of that. In fact, I have been on the receiving end of staggering kindness and friendship, which has contributed significantly to my quality of life personally as well as professionally. Last but by no means least, I have enjoyed the ultimate good fortune to have had a long line of amazing people working for me down the years. High-quality individuals who would grace any industry and many of whom I am glad to count as lifelong friends. I sometimes wonder whether there is an unhealthy existential linkage between me and my job —I was going to say “chosen career” but it kind of chose me rather than the other way around! In many respects, the line between my personal and professional lives is blurred. But all in all, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Even the more stressful or unhappy times have been teachable moments. I have heard it said on more than one occasion that Nietzsche

must have been a location manager when he said, “That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!”

The best advice I have received came from, ironically, another Welsh location manager working in LA, Huw Davies. He said that to be a great location manager you had to “be like a duck—swimming serenely across the surface of the pond while kicking like hell underneath to keep moving forward.” I have tried to adhere to that adage. I haven’t always succeeded, but I have given it a bloody good go and things haven’t turned out so badly! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would find myself posing for a photograph (while at work!) in front of the kind of Western desert scenery that had piqued my interest all those years ago.

Editor’s note: Ilt Jones accumulated a trove of hilarious production tales over the years … continue reading about his storied career in the unabridged version at locationmanagers.org

the dog’s owners were away all weekend. On Monday morning, I received a call from the poor mutt’s master yelling so loud I had to hold the phone a foot from my ear. As a result of my actions, the dog suffered explosive diarrhea over a number of valuable Persian rugs. $11,000 worth of dry cleaning costs later, the threat of legal action against me and the production abated but, needless to say, my production manager was underwhelmed. The most pivotal period of my career was the four seasons I spent on The X-Files. I did 90 episodes and it was basically like doing feature films at high speed. It was by turns terrifying and exhilarating and those years flew by in the company of surely one of the best crews ever assembled. There was no way of delivering such a high-quality product

at such a pace without the entire production being at the top of its game. The X-Files’ charismatic creator and executive producer, Chris Carter, set a wonderfully benign tone, which permeated the production from top to bottom. He is a true creative genius as is evidenced by the mesmerizing variety of story lines and topics covered throughout the nine seasons. From X-Files to Inception, to Iron Man, to the Transformers franchise, not only do I have one of the most interesting jobs, but I have also been fortunate to work with a lot of wonderful people. I hear horror stories about assistants working for lazy, uncaring managers—I had the opposite experience. There are legion tales of location managers working for abusive, unscrupulous producers and production managers.

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Monument Valley—the extraordinary desert that lured Jones.

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IN MY CITY: NEW ORLEANSQ&A with John Jabaley

29° 57' 13"N / 90° 4' 39"W


Stevie: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WORKING IN LOCATIONS?HOW DID YOU START & WHAT DO YOU PRIMARILY WORK ON?

John Jabaley: I’ve been doing locations since about 1995. I left Mississippi for Los Angeles to go to CalArts and get an MFA in acting. Despite some modest success, it became apparent to me that I wasn’t going to make a living as an actor. I started working as a laborer in the art department on a low-budget TNT TV series called L.A. Heat. The show basically existed to re-use stunt sequences clips from action movies, so every week we would take a big explosion or car chase and build a story around it. After a while, I became a carpenter and then I moved into props. One day as I was showing the director five or six pistols that the villain of the week could carry and what I thought each one might say about his character, the line pro-ducer looked at me and asked, “how would you like to be a lo-cation manager?” I said, “What’s a location manager?” So we got in the car and began to drive around, and he said, “Okay, say the script says ‘hotel.’ Go into that hotel and ask them if they’ll take $500 for us to film there for a day, and then call the E.I.D.C., and get a film permit.” And that, more or less, is how I became a location manager. I’ve learned a lot since then! I’ve done a little network television, but mostly I work on feature films. I really enjoy helping to find a world for a film.

Stevie: AFTER WORKING IN LOS ANGELES FOR YEARS, YOU RELOCATED TO NEW ORLEANS IN 2010. WHY?

JJ: I grew up not far from here in Mississippi, and have fam-ily here and all over the south. My first memories of being somewhere other than home are from a trip we made to New Orleans when I was maybe 5, of playing with matchbox cars under a table in the courtyard of the Olivier Guest House, and later looking in the windows of the Toy Soldier Shop. I’ve wanted to live here ever since. As my kids got older, I wanted

them to be closer to my parents and their cousins, and it just seemed like the right time.

Stevie: A LOT SEEMS TO BE SHOT IN AND AROUND NEW ORLEANS.WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S SUCH A POPULAR AREA IN THE STATE?

JJ: It’s a versatile town. I’ve used New Orleans as 1980s Queens, New York, in Empire State. For Abraham Lincoln: Vam-pire Hunter, New Orleans became 1840s Springfield, Illinois. I’ve used it as Manhattan, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and many other places. And ultimately, I think people want to come here on location. New Orleans has a romance about it, it has world-class restaurants and there’s music everywhere. And we do throw the occasional festival.

Stevie: WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTIONS FILM IN LOUISIANA?

JJ: Everything from tent-pole movies down to independent features, reality shows, TV series—the whole gamut.

Stevie: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES TO FILMING INNEW ORLEANS?

JJ: One of the biggest challenges we face is that once you get off pavement, you often find yourself having to build a road. The water table is never far below, so we always try to couple rural locations with existing pavement. Shooting woods near an incomplete subdivision is my favorite way to get around this problem. As far as shooting in town goes, we’ve had re-cord-breaking production levels for the last few years. There are areas that are starting to get overshot, which is putting some stress on the local businesses. Streets in the French Quarter are old and narrow and not built for modern equip-ment vehicles so crews have to park offsite and stakebed the equipment in.

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New Orleans location manager and

LMGA member John Jabaley

welcomes us to the southern gothic charm of New Orleans, Louisiana.

By Stevie Nelson


Stevie: WHAT ARE A LOCATION MANAGER’S FAVORITE “LOOKS” OR LOCATIONS IN NEW ORLEANS? WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES & WHY?

JJ: I like it when New Orleans gets to play New Orleans. Streetcars running under oak trees, cobblestone streets on a foggy night, ships gliding by over your head. Old apartments above shops with 16-foot ceilings and plaster walls from the 1830s, where the owner points to a spot in front of the fire-place and says, “my grandmother was born right there.”

There are some on Magazine Street that haven’t been touched since the ’30s, and they have long narrow halls with high ceil-ings, giant bare bulbs on wires and light struggling through painted windows.

I enjoy shooting in Audubon Park which is named after artist and naturalist John James Audubon. The park has lagoons, oak trees and green space with a 1.8-mile paved loop for joggers and cyclists. It also encompasses the Audubon Trail Golf Course and Audubon Zoo. The filming location fees go to a good cause, and I can walk to work. I also like the neighborhood of Algiers Point on the west bank. It’s full of tree-lined streets with old Victorians and is home to the Old Point Bar that may be the most-shot location in New Orleans. There is also a decommissioned Naval facility called Federal City that has several pre-war buildings as well as a lot of mid-century barracks.

Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES OR MOST MEMORABLE FILMING EXPERIENCES?

JJ: I was lucky enough to work on Into the Wild for about nine months with Nancy Haecker. I got to handle Alaska and South Dakota, which meant I got to live and work in Cantwell, Alas-ka, and Carthage, South Dakota, for months on end. From the time I first rode out to the real bus on a dog sled at 20 below, to when we closed down the production office in the cabin behind the Lazy J Hotel with termination dust on the hills, from building a bridge out of an 80’ railroad car to the best Fourth of July party I’ve ever attended, it was just a fantastic experience. Part of the lure of show business is the way crews knit into families, and that was a special one. A couple of us from the Wild crew live in New Orleans now, too.

Stevie: DOES LOUISIANA OFFER ANY INCENTIVES TO HOLLYWOODFILMMAKERS?

JJ: Louisiana incentives are generous and have been very successful. We continue to build infrastructure because of them. There are several thousand people working here on a daily basis, paying taxes, buying homes and helping the city grow in many ways. The incentives create jobs here and those jobs create others in turn. It’s made it possible for people like me to come home. When I was growing up, if you wanted to work in the film business, you had to move to California or

New York. That’s not the case anymore. People don’t have to move away to dream.

Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR TOOLS OF THE TRADE?

JJ: I shoot with a Canon SLR and a Sony NEX, which I use for pans. It stitches them in camera and saves me a couple of hours a night. It also lets me shoot pans on a 35, which some other auto-stitching cameras won’t do.

Stevie: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE JOB?

JJ: I love late-night brainstorming with other location people about where to look for things, that moment when you find something that isn’t at all what you’re looking for but you just know right away will work for something else, and learning the stories behind buildings and places.

Stevie: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE LMGA & HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER?

JJ: I was impressed by the people I knew who had already joined, and it was obvious that the LMGA could fill a niche that unions couldn’t. Since we’re represented by different unions in different parts of the county and the world, the LMGA pro-vides a common denominator for location people wherever they work. I’ve been a member since 2007.

IN MY CITY: NEW ORLEANS

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“MuSt SEE” PLACE: You can’t really see New Orleans without seeing the heart of the original settle-ment, the French Quarter. The state museum at the Cabildo is a good place to start. If you visit in October, Patio Planters has an annual tour that opens courtyards most people never get to see. The Quarter is surrounded by neighborhoods that are great to explore, particularly Treme, and downriver in the Marigny and the Bywater.

FAvORitE ShOP: A friend of ours owns a small used bookstore on Oak Street within walking distance of our house. It’s called Blue Cypress Books, and it’s just a nice place to go and pick through the stacks. My kids have accounts there and it’s almost like a library for them.

FAvORitE REStAuRANt: Dick & Jenny’s on Tchoupi-toulas Street for great southern soul food or Casamento’s for oysters on Magazine Street. Or Mosca’s on the west bank for home-style Italian food. If you go to Mosca’s, try to take a lot of people and eat family-style.

PLACE tO SEE by NiGht: Not so much a place as an event. There’s nothing like flambeaux men leading a night parade during Mardi Gras, like muses or Orpheus … last year I saw Theresa Andersson singing her way down Magazine Street on the back of a giant anima-tronic swan, surrounded by a brass band wearing 3D replicas of local landmarks on their heads. There are even a group of guys who motorized La-Z-Boy reclin-ers and put lights on them. They ride down the middle of St. Charles Avenue, listening to lounge music and drink-ing martinis. Where else does that happen?

bESt DAy tRiP: You can drive down to the oyster docks a couple of hours south and west of town, and buy a giant burlap bag full of oysters right off the boat. Eat some raw and grill the rest, invite your neighbors, it’s a nice way to pass the time. We also like to go to the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in the spring and pick blueberries. There are self-pick farms and we’ll come home with 10 gallons or so to put in the freezer.

FAvORitE NEiGhbORhOOD: I’m partial to Carrollton, where I live. It’s part of Up-town New Orleans’ farthest upriver from the French Quarter and it has an historic district. We’ve got about 30 restaurants and bars within walking distance, a library, two bookstores, a shoe store, drugstore, you name it—really the only thing we can’t walk to is the post office. Plus the streetcar runs by, so out-of- town guests can get around without a car.

FAvORitE LOCAL ARtiSt: I got the chance to scout Amanda Talley’s gallery and workshop a while back, and I really like her work. She was starting to experiment with gold leaf at the time, and in an odd way it made me think of medieval wood block. I’m also a big fan of Walter Anderson, who was from New Orleans but lived and worked on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

bESt bAR/CLub: Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny is home to six or seven places, they’re all pretty good. The Marigny is the next neighborhood down-river from the French Quarter, and it’s where the locals go to dine and bar-hop while listening to great live music.

bESt PLACE tO hEAR MuSiC: The Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street is a great local music club and bar. And you have to go to the legendary Tipitinas.

bESt vANtAGE POiNt/SCENiC viEW: Probably the ferry from Canal to Algiers and back, it gives you a nice view of the city. Taking a boat through the surge protection barrier is pretty neat, too—it’s like The Great Wall of China has been built southeast of town, with massive gates that let the tide in and out. ___________________________

John Jabaley grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, where he fell in love with the theater while at Millsaps College. Af-ter receiving his MFA in act-ing from CalArts, he stayed in Los Angeles for almost 20 years, eventually work-ing around the country as a location manager on films like Into the Wild, Broken City, Empire State, A Single Man and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Since 2010, he has lived and worked in New Orleans, where he raises chickens, tends his garden and gets to coach his kids’ soccer teams.

John’s Private tour

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LocosociologyFinding perfect locations is a combination of local knowledge, research, in-tuition, ground-pounding and luck. To earn their keep, scouts must con-stantly observe the hu-man landscape and reg-ister cultural trends. Who lives where? What chang-es are happening to neigh-borhoods (gentrification, decay, industrialization)? I term this constantly evolving knowledge “lo-cosociology.”

We begin with old-fashioned literary analysis. To find, for exam-ple, “Susie’s Bedroom,” a scout needs to understand who Susie is. Rich or poor? Young or old? Nervous or confident? To what

by Rebecca “Puck” Stair

social class does she belong? Locosociology then continues with research. If Susie is young, rich and sassy, what neighborhood would she live in? Scouts use a combination of their own history and education, local knowledge and cartography to pinpoint possible location opportunities. For instance, recognizing our cultural shift toward online shopping, a good scout understands that empty malls may provide interesting and receptive location possibilities.

Out scouting, locosociology shifts heavily toward psychology. A successful scout must quickly adapt to any cultural environ-ment. When a scout has found a promising exterior and knocks on the door, the first human-to-human contact commences. The scout has only seconds to put the homeowner at ease and make a pitch that will get the homeowner to say “Yes, total stranger, come in and take photos of my home.”

Since films frequently depict the criminal underworld, for bet-ter or worse, we become criminologists, developing knowledge of gang activity, colors, signs and—importantly—how to show respect and stay safe while scouting such neighborhoods. At

Locosociologist Mark Indig


other turns, scouts become botanists, archaeologists or even biologists, finding stunning sites that satisfy the director and the logistic needs of physical production, while not intruding on habitats of endangered species (the sclerocactus wrighti-ae, in New Mexico’s deserts), or sacred water rites in Hawaii. We are expected to know flora, fauna and architecture around the world so our locations seamlessly stand in for scripted sites.

Seasoned scout Lori Balton sums up this kaleidoscope of knowledge. “[Scouts] are cerebral. There is a whole world of varied disciplines that comes into play when we go out to scout … and it is this knowledge that makes us great scouts, as opposed to someone that just goes out with a camera to shoot a picture.”

Locosociology provides an alternative to today’s negativity in the news. Because we are out every day interacting with the real world, scouts often glean a deeper understanding of the underpin-nings of our world. I have yet to experience any-thing but kindness and organic human honesty while scouting. Despite the media portrayal oth-erwise, most people are nice, and welcome being part of the process.

A good locosociologist is a well-rounded scout. One who is in-terested in humanity’s exterior/material and internal/visceral environments alike. One who likes to keep exploring…

MARK INDIG: EXPLORING HUMAN TRIBES Mark Indig was born in New York City and lives in Los Angeles. He spent 40 years in the motion picture industry, most recent-ly as a studio executive, producer and unit production man-ager for Disney, Miramax, Universal and DreamWorks. He has worked on films such as Body Heat, The Big Chill, Titanic and The Lone Ranger. But it was his 15 years as a location manager that gave him a love of photography and a unique perspective on the urban landscape. He wishes every photograph could be beautiful AND interesting, but if he had to choose, interesting wins.

Indig: When people think of Los Angeles County, they think of cit-ies like Hollywood or Venice. These are not actually separate cit-ies; they are, in fact, neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles County is unique in many ways—home to the sec-ond largest city in the United States; containing mountains, deserts and ocean, even including an island city. With nearly 10 million people, it is the most heavily populated and diverse

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county in the United States. According to the Census Bureau, Los Angeles County has 7 million minority residents—71 per-cent of its population and one of every 14 minority residents in the nation. That’s more people than the total population of the second biggest U.S. county which includes Chicago. This diver-sity can be misleading as the County is becoming balkanized into separate racial, ethnic and economic enclaves. The County has 88 separate cities, each with autonomous governments; cit-ies many of us never have been to like Cudahy, Temple City and Vernon. They are terra incognita to those who don’t live or work nearby. The demographic differences between these cit-ies can be staggering, even in ones that share borders.

My project takes a visual look at LA County and the racial and economic politics that affect population distribution. There are forces causing ethnic groups to coalesce into their own political boundaries even as we seem to make significant progress toward equality. As I toured all 88 cities, I felt like I was watching the so-lar dust cloud accrete into separate planets at the formation of the solar system. There appears to be a slow motion, determined and seemingly voluntary march toward separation as distinct ra-cial and ethnic groups take over city governments. Is the human race inevitably tribal? What does this say about our future?

These images represent my search for a “slice of life” in each city conjoined with key objective demographic data, giving both a personal and detached snapshot of each. Combined, they demonstrate racial, ethnic and economic patterns. I found my subjects by concentrating on the places where people gath-er to work, worship, eat, play, shop, learn and govern in each city; focusing on culture, history, recreation, architecture, pub-lic art, signage, geography and commerce.

Stair: What criteria did you use in selecting these pho-tos to represent the 88 cities? Which photos stand out for you and why?

Indig: I used the same skills I learned as a location manager—how to tell a story about a place in just a few images. But in this case, I drilled it down to just one image. That was the hardest part. The months of investigating, driving, walking, discovering and shooting were a joy.

Stair: How did you find your locations?

Indig: Again, my training as a location manager was crucial, but more about the cities I didn’t know than the ones I did. I approached each place with a fresh eye and without fear of get-ting lost or of the scope of the ground to cover. I usually started out at each City Hall to get a sense of what the city thought of itself and then gradually worked my way outward to include the main retail and commercial districts, parks, schools and recreation facilities, business and industrial areas, houses of worship and any iconic facilities like Santa Anita Park in Arca-dia. And then I would return, perhaps weeks later.

Stair: Are humans inherently tribal?

Indig: I think the history of human beings makes that an easy question to answer and one my project addresses. In my opin-ion, the answer is yes, although perhaps what is seen as prog-ress is more a reshuffling of the deck as to what constitutes a tribe.

Stair: Are people inherently friendly or fearful?


Indig: My experience is that people want to be helpful, but that doesn’t mean their fears always allow them to be.

Stair: What are your predictions for the socioeconom-ic makeup of Los Angeles County?

Indig: It almost seems LA the County has become the Newto-nian equal reaction to the gentrification of LA the City. I think this trend will continue, as this is not a new process and aligns with my observations about tribal behavior. People tend to like to live with people that are like themselves. People tend to vote for people that are like themselves. As some racial and/or eth-nic groups are forced out of or choose to leave urban neigh-borhoods, it is a slow, but fairly common matter to move to smaller, suburban cities with familiar cultural institutions and businesses and begin electing representatives of their group. The result is easy to see in the census chart attached to my project or even a casual drive around the County.

Stair: What’s your favorite neighborhood to scout in?

Indig: During this project, it was definitely the “main street” of each city—the primary retail area, if they had one. There was no better or more interesting barometer about the cul-ture, vibrancy and economy of each place. Every storefront tells a story.

PJ CONNOLLY: SOMETHING IN COMMON

LMGA location manager and scout PJ Connolly has been the owner of Arizona-based Locations Southwest and Production Services for the past 20 years. Prior to working in the film in-

dustry, he taught school on the Navajo reservation and con-ducted outdoor education wilderness trips for Navajo and Hopi students. A graduate of Northern Arizona with degrees in education and meteorology, Connolly was also a Grand Can-yon River guide for 10 years. He makes his home in Flagstaff, Arizona, near the four corners of the United States. Connolly’s credits include the feature films The Lone Ranger, John Carter, Due Date, Into the Wild, Planet of the Apes, Forrest Gump, the TV series Parks and Recreation, American Idol, the Nik Wallenda two-hour live show Grand Canyon Walk and numerous commer-cials and print ads.

Stair: How have you used locosociology to find your way to the “yes” answer?

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Leandra Thomas, Miss Navajo Nation; PJ Connolly; Geri Hongeya, PR Rep, Navajo National Tribal Parks


Connolly: The Navajo culture is a matrilineal society. It’s intri-cate and complex regarding who has grazing rights and home sites. So when I’m working to strike a deal and get permission to film, it’s really a family I’m dealing with.

I always start by finding the oldest surviving woman. I don’t go to the men—it’s not culturally appropriate for the men to grant approval. Then, my first pitch isn’t that we’re going to pay them. Instead, I’ll say hello or good morning in Navajo. While negotiat-ing, I try to observe some of the local customs. For example, the Navajo don’t make eye contact with strangers, and don’t point with fingers—they point with their lips. (When you point to somebody with fingers, you’re challenging them.) Also, Navajos traditionally don’t like touching, so one should avoid backslap-ping and handshakes. When they do touch, it’s very gentle.

I’m really upfront about the filming request. I’ve learned to ask directly, “Who has the grazing permit?” and “Who has the home site lease?” On the reservation, there’s layers of ownership, like a wedding cake. And each layer has a dollar

sign attached. This can be a challenge to explain to a crew from New York or Los Angeles.

The Navajo people are very open, and they love filming. They have a long tradition of filming on their land. As long as you go there with respect, it works out—just like in Downtown LA.


Connolly: That’s a great question. Yes, I think we are. In our soul, in our heart—a lot of us like to go back and look at our genealogy; we like to know who we are. When I’m out scouting on the Navajo reservation and I hear the beat of the drum, it’s soothing.


Connolly: I think people are friendly. If they weren’t friendly, we wouldn’t have success getting locations!


Stair: Does the gender, race and/or socioeconomic status of the scout matter?

Connolly: I don’t know. I think that a women’s touch can open a lot of doors, while some men will try to mus-cle their way into a location. But most smart location managers won’t try to muscle. It’s always great if you can find something in common—it goes back to the trib-al thing above. I was lucky that I taught school for five years on the reservation. After the first year, I realized I didn’t know anything about the Navajo, so I went back for another four. Now, after 30 years of scouting on the rez, I still don’t know anything!

It’s interesting now what I’m seeing, a locolist (an elist for location professionals): managers seeking a bilin-gual scout. There’s need for Korean speakers, Spanish speakers—it’s a melting pot. Nowadays, you don’t have to get on a plane and go 6,000 miles to experience Chi-nese culture.

Stair: What’s your favorite type of neighborhood to scout in?

Connolly: Ones where you can’t break anything! Rivers and canyons and mountains and open roads—the wilderness. I hiked down to the Havasupai reservation a few weeks ago, at the bot-tom of the Grand Canyon. The only way you can get in there is helicopter or a 10-mile hike. It’s mind-boggling! There are these people living at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, by the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, and things haven’t changed much in a thousand years.

Someday, I’d love to be able to scout the Hopi pueblo—they’re just so strict! I respect that, I understand it and I get it.

I love dealing with other cultures. It gets my heart pounding when I go somewhere remote to scout, with the challenge of “How can I develop a relationship with these people?”

The other week I was sitting in a hogan, and had to pinch myself. With all the rich cultures in Africa, Asia and Europe, I am blessed with this amazing culture in my backyard!


BECKY BRAKE: RESPECT, KINDNESS AND GOOD MANNERS

LMGA member Becky Brake is a supervising location manager for feature films. Her career as a location professional spans two decades and several countries. She is mostly known for her collaboration on the Mission: Impossible franchise, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Men in Black. Additionally, Brake is at times called in by studio executives in advance of pre-production for her expertise in capturing unique film loca-tions worldwide.

Stair: Give an example when you’ve used your local knowledge to find a location.

Brake: Generally speaking, by the time I’ve arrived in a coun-try, I’ve spent time on the Internet and have either been in communication with the film commission (if there is one), a production service company and/or even a tour guide. If I am looking for a specific neighborhood representing a specific type of culture or personality, I often think of the terrain first: Would the character be drawn to a hilly or flat terrain, would there be water nearby (ocean, lakes), what types of trees (or not) would be present in the environment? How wealthy (or not) is the character?

In Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, one of the locations we were scouting was for a character described as a “very

wealthy bachelor,” the owner of a large palatial estate in In-dia. We needed the location to accommodate a party scene of many elegant guests. Possibly near water, so our character could show off his yacht collection, or large garages to show off an amazing car collection and plenty of room to show off art and opulence.

We started researching local boutique hotels, smaller privately owned hotels, that would represent a sense of a large-scale property if used as a personal residence. They often offer a sense of “home” compared to chain hotels and generally speak-ing, read well on film as residential. Boutique hotels offer a sense of scale, large enough FOR our magnificent party that a residential property may not provide. Additionally, hotels are comfortable with “event management.” The logistics of bring-ing a film company onto the property is generally a less inva-sive intrusion compared to a private residence.

Surprisingly, we found our India location in Dubai, at the beau-tiful “Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel.” While not necessarily a “boutique” hotel, it is a high-end individually designed hotel. We were lucky with our scheduling, as the hotel was brand new and still a couple of months away from the grand opening. The interior and exterior architecture provided the perfect match to what we were looking for—multiple levels, high ceilings, gor-geous chandeliers. It provided a sense of extreme wealth for our character because we presented the location as a private residence.


Brake: First and foremost, regardless of ethnicity and/or socio-economic class or culture, the way to the “yes” is primarily by showing respect, kindness and good manners to the individual or property owner. Second, by explaining as much as possible about the creative process of filmmaking. Third, I try to find out what the most important issues or concerns might be for the property owners and how our filming activities might impact them.

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Additionally, spending a little time studying the nuances of a particular culture helps as well. For example, by making the time and effort to learn a simple greeting or how to say “thank-you” in the local language (even if I don’t pronounce it cor-rectly) or by the way you hand your business card to a Korean businessman or woman is greatly rewarded with reciprocated respect. In Hawaii, it’s customary to bring a small gift when meeting someone at his or her home. In Vietnam (and Hawaii), you wouldn’t enter a home without first taking off your shoes. And in both Singapore and the Middle East, when I sit I’m con-scious of where the soles of my feet are, as it’s considered rude to point the soles of your feet at someone.

Primarily, I say the “yes” will come from showing sensitivity to cultural differences and at the same time being broad-minded enough to include them.


Brake: It depends of your definition of “tribal.” But as far as I can tell based on my personal scouting experiences, I’d say no. There are so many countries with culturally diverse communi-ties living together even within a single neighborhood, almost everywhere I’ve ever traveled, which leads me to believe that people are not inherently tribal.


Brake: In my experience, I’d say people are inherently friendly … especially toward film companies!

Stair: What’s your favorite type of neighborhood to scout in?

Brake: Historic for sure! In any culture and anywhere in the world, my favorite places to scout are the historic properties and districts.

Stair: How is the visual quality of a neighborhood af-fected by ethnicity and/or socioeconomic class?

Brake: Different cultures and ethnicities bring their own “visual qualities” which is a beauti-ful thing. And obviously within that, socioeco-nomic factors have their own influences adding depth and texture to the character of the loca-tion.

KEN HABER: FOLLOW YOUR NOSE

A feature film location manager for more than 20 years, Ken Haber has shot thousands of locations throughout the country for direc-tors such as Adrian Lyne, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood and Terrence Malick. A professional photographer, Ken specializes in shooting film and television sets in Hollywood.

He also enjoys shooting fine art photography. A member of the LMGA, DGA, Teamsters 399 and SDSA, Ken’s work has appeared in books and magazines throughout the world.

Stair: Give an example when you’ve used your local knowledge to find a location.

Haber: When working on Fatal Attraction, director Adrian Lyne told me to take pictures of the living environments and to show him what’s on the dressers, etc., and not just shoot pictures of rooms. This gave him better insight for character development.

If I’m stuck when scouting for a tough location, I close my eyes and visualize exactly what I’m looking for, then draw this image. Locking in on such a specific picture can be an immense help. I try to come up with location solutions that are outside the box. Finding interesting spaces that can be converted into solutions that enrich the story or characters. When scouting in a new area, I try to follow my nose and let my feelings guide me.


Haber: I always try to turn each negotiation into a win-win situ-ation. What is it that the other person needs or wants in order to agree and feel good about the project? This can be as cre-ative and rewarding as the scouting process.

Stair: How else have you found locations?

Haber: When scouting on the film Thelma & Louise, Ridley Scott gave me an early version of the soundtrack, which re-ally helped me connect with the emotional feel of the film. This proved to be an extremely valuable tool in finding the visuals.

I find that scouting is the visual process of subtraction. The world around us is a chaotic jumble, which must be sorted out and simplified. I try to create order by eliminating the extrane-ous and zeroing in on the right solution.

For me, scouting is a creative process that grows and evolves and must be nurtured through each step. You never know where the creative spark or idea will come from, and that’s the joy and thrill of scouting. Perpetual discovery.

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“A Rung for Others”After 37 years in Hollywood, Kokayi Ampah

reflects on his legacy in locations

When the call came from Amblin Entertain-ment in 1984, Kokayi Ampah was working with Mr. T as location manager on the tele-vision series The A-Team. The producers

at Amblin wanted Ampah, who had never worked on a feature, to come in for a meeting about Steven Spielberg’s next film. “I thought it was a joke,” Am-pah remembers. “But I went over there and met with Kathleen Kennedy, and she said Steven was doing a project that was unlike anything else he’d ever done.

There was no script yet but they gave me a book to read. It was called The Color Purple. Ampah loved the book and told the producers he wanted to do the movie. “They were determined to get as many black people on that film as they could—in the cam-era department, wardrobe—every area where they could find someone with knowledge,” Ampah says. “I was the only black location manager in the union so I was given a shot. That was one time I didn’t mind being called for a black film.”

By Shannon Mullen


The Color Purple was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. The film marked the start of a career managing feature locations that’s spanned more than three decades, to date, and the count of Oscar nods for films on Ampah’s resume is up to 43. His col-laborations include work with top directors on such iconic films as The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby (one of six projects he managed for Clint Eastwood) and Amistad, his sec-ond film with Spielberg. But as Ampah eyes semi-retirement at age 64, it’s not these industry accolades that he counts among his highest achievements. “What I’ve done has already faded out as new generations have reached far greater heights, but for a brief moment I was a rung for others,” he says. “I believe, through a series of circumstances, that I was able to break a barrier in the television and motion picture industry, at least in Los Angeles.”

Ampah is quick to point out that he was given opportunities, too, along the way. He grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1968, the summer after he graduated from high school, he applied to Black Voices, a training program for television production at the local PBS station that was backed by the Rockefeller Foundation. “Each week you rotated through a different job—camera opera-tor, technical director, floor manager, producer—and then after six weeks, we produced our own hour-long weekly show.”

He also taught photography at the Inner City Youth League, a community-based organization led by Bobby Hickman, the

nephew of writer/director Gordon Parks. The connection led to an invitation for Ampah and a friend to visit the set of Parks’ second Shaft film in New York. “It was my first experience on the set of a major motion picture,” he says. “Seeing other peo-ple doing jobs on the crew like hair and makeup, assistant di-rector, that was something you didn’t see in Minnesota. That’s when I knew the bug was really in me.”

Ampah also worked as a boxing promoter, finding locations around St. Paul and coordinating matches. On the side, he got involved in political activism. “A lot of urban America was ablaze and we were dealing with town politics, the agencies we were protesting, working our way through the system. All these things connect to being a location manager.” He got together with some friends to produce a feature film, called Hampton Alexander, about a young man who comes home from fighting in Vietnam to learn that his father has been killed, and plots revenge for the murder. “I was the director of photography on that film and a lot of things were pretty poorly shot, but it’s in the local historical society as the first film produced in Minne-sota solely by African-Americans.”

In 1974, Ampah got another invitation from Parks, this time to come to Austin, Texas, where he was shooting Leadbelly. “By then we’d done some stuff of our own, and we were guests of the director so we were able to ask anyone on set about their jobs,” Ampah remembers. “Bruce Surtees was the DP and I

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spent a day just hanging out with him. I’d go around and talk to the prop people, too. By then I knew that I really wanted in.” One afternoon, some people who lived near the set were play-ing music and the sound department wanted it turned off. “It was a black family, and a white guy [on the crew] comes up to me and says, ‘Would you go talk to them and see if they’ll turn it off?’ So I went over and asked them and they turned it down. When I went back to set, the guy thanked me and I asked him, ‘What do you do?’ He said, ‘I’m the location manager.’ That was the first time I’d heard of the job.”

Ampah says his time on the Leadbelly set was like going to film school. He also met and kept in touch with a lot of people on the crew who lived in California. Those connections led to more unpaid jobs on sets, in multiple roles, whenever Ampah could get vacation time to fly to Los Angeles. During one production on a film with Ted Lange, Ampah worked as his first assistant director, dolly grip, set photographer and caterer. He decided then that the next time he came to the West Coast, it would be for good. “You know how there’s a day in the fall every year when something hits you and you know winter’s coming? Well, that year, on September 27, 1977, I moved to LA.”

An unpaid job stage-managing a play led to a paid position as a production assistant at Warner Bros., working on the television sequel to the first Roots miniseries. Ampah still clearly remem-bers the first time he stepped onto the studio lot. “I walked through the gates and people were everywhere—moving props and sets around, and I’m an office PA so I’m copying stuff and running it to another office.”

Soon he was sent ahead of the production to cast extras, and

when the location manager injured his back, Ampah was asked to step in. “The producers told me to call him every day and he’d tell me what to do. So I’d call him, he’d tell me and I’d get it done. At the end of the show the producers said, “We think you can make it in this business and we can get you into a union as a location manager. Would you want to do it? The next thing I know I’m taking the pledge and paying dues.”

Ampah says he still had a lot to learn about the job at that point, not to mention all the other positions on set. In a strange twist of fate he got his chance, thanks in part to Sidney Poitier. They met when Ampah was playing tennis at Poinsettia Park in Hollywood and he beat Poitier in a doubles match. “That didn’t sit well with him and he wanted anoth-er,” Ampah remembers. “I was tired but I was playing Sidney Poitier so I had to go on. I went for a routine shot and the next thing I knew I was on the ground.” Ampah had torn his Achilles tendon and couldn’t work locations while he was re-covering, so he took a job in the wardrobe department on a TV movie. “I learned a whole new perspective on the set, and at that point I really became a location manager.” (Ampah checked off an item from his bucket list two decades later when he got to work with Poitier, managing locations on his film Ghost Dad.)

By the early 1980s, Ampah was working a steady stream of jobs on TV shows, including The Fall Guy, Knight Rider and Cagney & Lacey. He had to leave The A-Team to take the job on The Color Purple but he says it was an easy decision, “no slight to Mr. T.” At his first pre-production meeting on the film, Ampah met with Spielberg, as well as producers Quincy Jones, Kathleen Kenne-dy and Frank Marshall, and production designer Michael Riva.

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From left: David Parks (son of director Gordon Parks), Richard Roundtree and Kokayi Ampah on the set of Shaft


“One of my jobs was to put together a train that reflected three different periods in the movie, and I’m in this room saying to myself, ‘Oh my God, there’s a train sequence,’ and I’d really never handled a train.” First, he had to find the basic locations for the film, and that meant scouting the south. “I’m a big, 6’3” tall black man heading for Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and I’m wondering how that’s going to go,” he remembers. “It wound up that I had to base myself in North Carolina but I couldn’t say I was doing this movie so it was kind of incognito. When I got there, the town still had a Ku Klux Klan registration desk.”

The desk went away as soon as word got out that a big Hollywood movie was coming to town. Ampah says that wasn’t the first or last time he encoun-tered ignorance or outright racism during his career, in his interactions with people both in and outside the industry. Later on The Color Purple, he had to temporarily relocate a small business so the production could use the original site. “When we finally found a space that the [owners] ap-proved of, the wife became very ani-mated and said, ‘I always say when you treat me like white people, I’ll treat you like white people.’ My assis-tant and the real estate person were both white, and they were so embar-

rassed. I was just relieved the process was moving forward and I told the woman, ‘I’m so glad you’re happy.’”

After The Color Purple, Ampah found himself managing mostly features. He says he made connections easily on each project, which led to collabora-tions on the next. When he was hired for White Men Can’t Jump, he hit it off with producer David Lester, who called Ampah next to do In the Line of Fire, and again to manage locations and su-pervise production of The Shawshank Redemption. “I’m really proud of that film,” Ampah says. “I worked 15 hours a day and spent 151 nights in a Holi-day Inn in Mansfield, Ohio, but it was such a good show. You enjoyed being on that set. In terms of adding to the look, my department found that fa-mous tree next to the rock wall where Red goes near the end, and of course, the beach for the last sequence. The blueprint for the film was there in the writing, the performances were excel-lent and what you saw visually worked as well. All three things came together but I didn’t know how big it was going to be.” Shawshank was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

As Ampah’s own resume grew, he says he made a point of seeking out and hir-ing qualified people of color to work in his department. “I knew if I didn’t, no

Director Joe Wright says Ampah did much more

than manage locations.

“He was fearless and kind in his

approach, his moral compass often guiding

my demented fervor.

Robert Downey Jr. and Ampah on The Soloist set. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

”


one else would,” he says. Location manager Alison Taylor was one of Ampah’s early devotees, starting out as his assistant on B*A*P*S. “Almost all the black people I know in this business have worked with Kokayi at some point,” she says. “He’s given a whole lot of people a shot. I didn’t start with him but he hired me and whenever people ask about me, I say I came up under Kokayi.”

Taylor says Ampah taught her to anticipate people’s needs on set before they think of them, especially the director and the ADs, and to be realistic but optimistic. “There are a lot of loca-tion managers who say something can be done when it can’t, or that something can’t be done before they’ve even tried. But Kokayi doesn’t misrepresent. When you’re talking to him, you feel like you can trust him. I think that’s why people love him; he works hard, he tells the truth and he cares.”

On The Soloist, a film about a world-class violinist with schizo-phrenia who becomes homeless, director Joe Wright says Am-pah did much more than manage locations. “He was fearless and kind in his approach, his moral compass often guiding my demented fervor,” Wright remembers. “Through many hours of wandering the hot streets, looking with a lover’s eye, listening carefully to the sometimes funny, often tragic stories of Down-town LA residents, we found the film.” Wright shot parts of The Soloist on Skid Row and hired members of the homeless com-munity there to work on or act in the movie. He says Ampah was instrumental to telling the film’s story truthfully. “He be-lieved in what I was trying to do and the potential of the people we were meeting. I doubt if watching a film ever fundamentally changed anyone’s life but Kokayi did change people’s lives through the process of making that film.”

The work has taken its toll on Ampah over time. When he was

starting out, he says alcohol and drug abuse were much more rampant in the industry than they are now. He faced addiction himself and he’s been sober for 27 years. “People in this busi-ness, we are all adrenaline junkies,” Ampah says. “That stress, that strain, is what we live on. We are circus people in the way we live—here now, gone tomorrow.”

Ampah recently added prostate cancer survivor to his reper-toire of life experience. He was diagnosed in 2012 and last Feb-ruary, he celebrated one year post-treatment. He’s starting to slow down a little now, but considers himself only semi-retired because he still has a few good features in him. “I’m like the firehouse dog,” he says. “If some really nice project comes, I’ll answer the bell and do that. I do miss the adventure of going new places, but working at four a.m. on back-to-back-to-back shows, I wouldn’t want to do that now.”

Meanwhile, he’s helping develop a few passion projects and keeping an eye out for historical or thriller scripts that reso-nate. He also leads annual training seminars for the Directors Guild of America on “Diversity in the Workplace” alongside Ruby Little, Warner Bros.’ Executive Director of Labor Rela-tions. The seminars are part of the DGA’s New Trainee Orienta-tion for the Directors Guild-Producer Training Plan. They focus on standards of conduct for location professionals representing major studios, particularly in minority or economically disad-vantaged communities. With an ever-increasing range of finan-cial incentives driving production to far-off places, Ampah runs another popular DGA session called Working on Distant Loca-tions, covering everything from the pre-production research process to cultural do’s and don’ts. “Ultimately, it’s really all about showing common courtesy and respect to a community, wherever it may be,” he says.

Ampah laments that so many films are now shot in states or countries where producers can find the best incentives, as opposed to the best locations, and that truly great films are fewer and far-ther between these days. “Accountants have taken over to the point where they’re producers now, and you find a lot more producers who really haven’t spent much time on the set. When you worked your way up, you knew what it took to get a film made.”

That said, Ampah adds, it’s an exciting time for aspiring filmmakers trying to break into the business, with so many new high-tech tools available for pro-ducing low-budget content with high production value. But he believes one thing holds just as true today as it was the day he moved to LA—there’s still no substitute for a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard. “So many people helped me along the way. I gave them the effort and they gave me the boost. Everybody needs to help some-body, ’cause you don’t get where you’re going by yourself.”

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Ampah with DP Roger Deakins (center) and director Frank Darabont, from Shawshank Redemption. Photo courtesy of Kokayi Ampah


Scouting, the Road Less Traveled…It’s Pretty Simple

By Fermín Dávalos


EXT: MONTANA TROUT STREAM. A COUPLE IS FLY-FISHING

It sounds easy enough. A quiet river, no explo-sions, no boats, a simple shot. How hard can that be to find? Drive around the countryside, find

some pretty rivers, take some pictures—enjoy the day.

Six weeks later, the movie is in production, the shot is on the schedule, we have not found the river and the director has had a moment of inspiration.

Two actors fly-fishing in a river.

There was a time when that could be accomplished with a dozen people, camera on sticks and available light. All of it loaded on a couple of small trucks and some automobiles.

Now a standard production consists of 18-wheelers for grip, electric, props and wardrobe. Two-room trailers for makeup, hair, actors, producers, and the director, with stake-bed trucks to move them around. A 10-ton truck for camera, two genera-tors, a honeywagon for the crew, a trailer for sound, a trailer for the crane, condors for lights, two catering trucks, a craft-ser-vice vehicle, and a tent with tables and chairs for 120 people. Oh, and parking for the crew plus vans to shuttle them. That is all you need—two actors fishing in a river.

If you work in locations, it is not enough to find a great location. You also have to figure out how to get it shot, come up with a plan, communicate with everyone involved, do a budget, get contracts, permits and insurance in place. It is a team effort by the Location Department, no one person can do it all.

I had never scouted for a river before and I learned that things are not what they seem. The placid beauty of a mountain stream belies the turbulent permit that lies below the surface. It is one thing for me, as a member of the public, to walk out into the water. It is quite another for an actor, with lights and cameras in tow, to do the same thing.

The movie was a straightforward comedy of manners. At the beginning of the film, the characters are introduced, each in their own environment, doing something that reflects their per-sonality. One of them was to be seen fly-fishing in the moun-tains, accompanied by her romantic interest.

The task: find a shallow river that looks like Montana near Los Angeles, a difficult but not impossible location to find. This kind of assignment requires some homework, a pair of hiking boots, a good eye and driving.

The first place that I scouted was Piru Creek, located about an hour north of Los Angeles. It is close to a freeway and only requires a US Forest-ry permit. The creek is wide, from a spe-cific angle you can see mountains in the background, and it has a large area nearby where we could park equipment. When I ar-rived, I found a fisher-man in waders out in the water fly-fishing. It seemed perfect. I got some great pic-tures, the light was good, the creek had a very nice curve to it, mountains in the background, and as a bonus, a fisherman in the shots. Great. “This is good,” I thought. I made some phone calls.

The next day, I showed the pictures and everyone loved it, but I had not received a return call from the person that I needed to speak with to “clear” the location. That means that I was not sure if we could shoot there. My biggest concern was the equipment in the parking area, a specific gate that I would need opened, and whether the Forest Service would grant a permit. Shooting this scene was weeks away but until someone in au-thority says that it is possible, I always voice my concerns.

It turned out that it was a good thing that I was so cautious. The problem, as is often the case, did not come from where I expected.

I got a call from the Forest Service. My permit application had come across the desk of a wildlife biologist. Our filming dates fell within a period of time where a species of trout would be spawning up and down the river. When will the fish spawn? That was a natural question and it came with a natural answer. The trout will spawn whenever they are ready.

At this point, we could film at Piru Creek but we were not al-lowed to place a foot in the water. Having the actors fishing from the bank was not an option because I knew that sooner or later someone from the crew was going to need to go out into the water.

Generally speaking, a wildlife biologist is a very reasonable per-son, they are easy to get along with, friendly, happy to share information, but the one thing they will not do is negotiate.

This was about protecting skittish fish and their delicate eggs from our filmmaking hoard. The biologist offered an avenue for progress. He said that we could hire a private biologist to survey the river and make an educated assessment of when the trout were likely to spawn. This assessment could take

Drought conditions opposite page: Nojoqui Falls in Santa Barbara County

Below: Author Fermín Dávalos


weeks and in the end there would be no guarantee that we would be granted a permit. Piru Creek and any tributaries were out.

Back to square one. Back on the road I went.

Southern California was in the second year of another drought and water levels were low everywhere. Nothing was as good as Piru Creek. I could not look at a river, stream or puddle without wondering what trouble lurked beneath.

Many potential locations were rejected because the trees along the banks looked like California. A big part of movie magic is picking your angles, show what you want the viewer to see, to create the illusion of being somewhere else. A location scout needs the ability to see things for what they could be, and for what they really are.

The movie went into production with a big question mark in the production schedule about the location of EXT. MONTANA TROUT STREAM. In the TV series Futurama, professor Farnsworth often enters the room and announces, “Good news everyone.” That state-ment is then followed by something that is going to complicate the lives of everyone in the room. That is what drama is all about, complications. And so it was that my boss, Bob Craft, entered the Locations office one afternoon and announced, “Good news everyone, it’s no longer a Montana trout stream.” A sigh of relief, we can set that aside.

Every movie has a story behind it that is about the making of the movie. That story is filled with twists, turns and Hollywood characters. It is a real-life drama without the benefit of having a

writer making it up. There is a huge amount of money at stake, a deadline that will not move, and the possibility of really mess-ing things up. “What is the shot going to be now?” we asked. Bob replied, “The Montana trout stream is now a waterfall!”

A waterfall? Here in sunny southern California, in the middle of a drought? Bob said, “It’ll make a great picture.”

EXT: MONTANA WATERFALL, A COUPLE FLY-FISHING

So now the assignment was to find a waterfall that could be easily accessed by the crew, have a parking lot nearby for the equipment, would be safe for a high-profile actress, and it shoots in a few weeks.

Technically, any situation where you have water falling from one level to another can be considered a waterfall. I found myself walking up creeks only to find a dribble of water com-ing down moss-covered stones. One situation had me climb-ing down rocks to get to the bottom of a stream where at least some water was falling but there was nothing cinematic about it. And getting a crew into a ravine only to shoot into a rock-face, where no one in their right mind would be fishing, seemed like a stretch of the imagination.

I drove out to a farm between LA and San Diego where I found a picturesque man-made lake, the waterfall was created by a small dam. It was pretty, but the waterfall was only three feet high.

I got a lead in the Santa Monica Mountains that, I was told, had a great looking house in the background, an interesting bridge, and water cascading under the bridge and down into a creek. It seemed to have a lot of promise. When I arrived, the house

Drought conditions: East fork of the San Gabriel RiverPhoto by Fermín Dávalos


was there, the bridge was there but the creek was bone dry. The owner then informed me that it is a spectacular waterfall right after it rains.

At another place in the mountains, the owner took me on a quarter-mile hike into his property and showed me where a waterfall could be. He told me that up on the hill he had a large water tank, once a year he would drain it, and the water would come pouring down the hill and a waterfall formed right here. “Great,” I thought. I asked “How long does it last?” “A few minutes,” he replied. “How long does it take to refill the water tank?” “About three days.”

No scout is a waste of time. Finding a good location is detective work, you are looking for a thread, a clue, a sign, anything that will point you in the right direction. What you are looking for is out there, you just have to find it, or find a way to make it.

This went on for three weeks. Day after day driving far and wide in search of a waterfall worthy of filming. As each day went by, the shooting schedule ticked on. Some leads were so far up a hiking trail that it was not worth pursuing. If I can’t get a crew up there, there is no point. Throughout this time I was talking to people, a lot of people. The entire Location Department was involved.

I was at the end of my rope when my boss suggested that I try looking at the Kern River, coming down from Isabella Lake in Kern County. It was a long drive and truthfully, I expected another dead end. When I got there, I saw what I had not seen before—water and lots of it, pouring down the mountain. But there were very few places where I could pull over, and the el-evation of the highway was far above the river. I could see fast-moving water but there was no way that I could get down to it.

I scouted all of the roads that I could find around the river. I found gated roads, closed to the public, which seemed to lead in the direction of the river. I found Sandy Flat campground where I could get down to the river, but for some reason the water was calm and ran slow. As I hiked around, I found an area of flat rocks that had very little vegetation, and what remained looked as if it had been pushed over. It was an anomaly.

Above the campground I found a man-made open-air canal that carried a lot of water and then disappeared into the mouth of a channel. Below I could see a facility of some kind, but again, it was behind a gate and without any signs as to what it was.

I needed to find local help. One of the gates that I had en-countered had a sign belonging to Southern California Edison. I made a call to the film liaison for the power company. I ex-plained what I was looking for and requested access through their gates to get down to the river. Southern California Edison was kind enough to get me in touch with one of their local su-pervisors, John Kennedy.

One of the few benefits to the job of location scout is that you get to go to places where most people do not get to go, you

get to do it for the oddest of reasons, and nobody thinks twice about it. That is, unless you have never had contact with a lo-cation scout, in which case, we have a lot of explaining to do.

“You want to do what?” said John Kennedy. “I want to go down to the river and look for a waterfall.” “Do you know how danger-ous it is down there?” “Well no, not really, but I’m sure that what you say is true, so I need to find a safe way to do this.” “And this is for what?” “It’s for a movie that we’re making with some major Hollywood stars.” “Are they going to be here?” “Yes, but only if I find the right waterfall.” This kind of conversation is usually followed by a short silence as the person that I am talk-ing to is taking a moment to think, size me up, and decide if I am for real or not. I then usually say something like, “Let’s go take a look and we’ll know if it’ll work or not.”

John was very familiar with the area, we got into his truck and went scouting. He had keys to all the gates and we drove down dirt roads to the river. He showed me spots where the water ran fast, cascading over rocks, and splashing against the banks. All very exciting and more than a little treacherous.

I then had to go out into a rushing river to look for a shot where I could place the actors, find a camera position where I could see something interesting in the background, and do it while stepping on rocks that were slippery. John was more than a little nervous. I, on the other hand, was just plain scared. “This is ridiculous,” I thought. The water is too fast, sound is going to be a problem, there is no place to put the equipment and it is not a great place to put the actors. Most of the river downstream had no access points and therefore not a viable location. It was a beautiful area and it looked right for the shot. All of the pieces were there but I was missing something.

The scout had taken all morning and I asked John if I could take him for lunch for his troubles. We had spent a lot of time in the truck together and I think that he began to realize that even though I was doing some nutty things, I was not, in fact, a nut.

As we were eating, we talked about what I do. Most people find the job of a Hollywood location scout interesting. From the per-spective of someone looking in, the scouting job seems exciting and glamorous. From my point of view, it is a lot of hard work with no guarantee of success, and the prospect of failure ever-present. The people that I work for also work in Hollywood, and they are not impressed by the job of location scout, they just want results.

As the meal was coming to an end, John asked me once again what exactly I was looking for. I replied, “What I would like to find is a river where I can put two actors that are fly-fishing. In the background I would like to see a spectacular waterfall with maybe a view of a mountain. I also need to find a position where the camera can film from far enough back to get a nice big wide shot, and then a camera position for the tight shots.”

John thought for a moment and then said something com-pletely unexpected. “You know, we have a small power plant


up above the Sandy Flat campground. Once a year, we have to test the emergency bypass for the generator. If it ever gets jammed, we need to have a way to divert the water. I bet you that would make a pretty nice waterfall.”

The picture came together in a moment. The canal with wa-ter. The power plant that took in the water. The campground where I could park the equipment. The anomaly that I had seen by the campground three days earlier.

My only thought at that moment was, “You would do that for me!

“Exactly how much water are we talking about?” I asked. “About 300,000 gallons per minute” he replied. “That’s a lot of water.” I said, trying to maintain composure. “Could we go take a look at it after lunch?”

We got to the campground and walked upriver to a point be-

low the power plant. I looked up the rock-face and I could see evidence of water-flow. I turned around and saw a cam-era position across the river, a small area of flat land. The camera crew would have to be transported by raft across the river.

Making a motion picture is an extraordinary undertak-ing. Movies are ideas that get talked into existence—they are an act of sheer will. It is a collaborative effort by many people, both inside and out-side of the production, work-ing together to make some-thing that will entertain for years to come. Every person who is on the crew, or helps with the show, makes a con-tribution. As I was sitting in the shadow of a large boulder,

changing the film in my camera, all of these thoughts were present as I wondered. “Can we do this?”

I was going to have to ask a lot of people to do something that had never been done, based only on an idea.

Turning that idea into a movie requires working out lots of details. I had to come up with a plan and speak with a lot of people to make this happen. I started with my boss and then began to build a circle of supporters, both inside and outside of the production, to sign onto the plan. Did I have my doubts? You bet. Were there problems? Yes, lots of them starting with the permit and going all the way to the Safety Department at the studio. The one common thread was the same question, “You want to do what?”

“I want to make a waterfall. I want to put the camera, crew and equipment on rafts and take them across a river to get the shot. I want to rent an entire campground for the day. I want to ask a power company to trip an emergency bypass switch and com-pensate them for the electricity that they would normally gen-erate. I want to put two actors on a big rock in the middle of a river, and I need to do it really soon. It’s pretty simple.”

There is nothing really amazing about this story. It’s just an example of what location professionals do every day on most projects, whether it happens to be shooting in LA, or around the world. And as films have gotten bigger and more logistically complicated, we still manage to get the job done.

The result of this team effort is the feature film Hanging Up, starring and directed by Diane Keaton, and also starring Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau.

“ I want to make a waterfall … I want to put the camera, crew and equipment on rafts … I want a power company to trip an emer-gency bypass switch … really soon … It’s pretty simple.”

Movie magic: Man-made waterfall on the Kern River

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The press release read: Animal Planet is pleased to announce a new reality show this summer, as an in-your-face, full-throttle competition series that

splits 10 expert anglers into two teams and pits them head-to-head in a series of wild, never-before-seen fishing challenges. The Top Hooker challenges will range from fish-ing with outlandish tools to contestants netting fish with their mouths!

There is often a non-negotiable extracurricular education one receives as a location manager that goes way beyond what you think normal job boundaries might entail—es-pecially if you work in the field of reality television. For in-stance, I recently had the unique privilege and opportunity to learn more facts about California fish than I would ever have dreamed could be necessary in my lifetime when I was asked to location-manage this unique competition for Ani-mal Planet. And even though I have never caught one, I’m pretty sure I am now the fishing scout expert in this great state of California. After this last series, my trivia mantra has forever changed from “You can’t grow corn in the des-ert in January!” to “We don’t plant trout in California waters above 67 degrees!!”

Only a location professional would go where angels dare to tread in attempting to convert a producer’s fantasies to the practical applications of the real world. First things first—where to start scouting? There are 337 lakes and 1,200 riv-ers in California to choose from. Stats for choosing a region include time of year, weather, fish migration patterns, travel costs, certain union practices and standards among hun-dreds of other factors.

What was different and exciting about this show for me, was rediscovering great bodies of water in California for these competitions that would encompass a wash cycle that sounds like lake pond, river, ocean, rinse and repeat! Top Hooker promised “You will get wet on this one!”

Scenic beauty has much to do with the choice of locations, sure, but like every great American contest, it’s all about the talent, in this case, just as much about our other talented cast, THE FISH! How high do they jump? When do they sleep or are most active? How big or small? What shadows in wa-ter are they most likely to hide in? What color water? How fast do they travel thru the region? What species to what waters?

Where do you go for such in-depth coverage with authentic-ity for the fisherman’s quest of perfection? For one episode, we chose the magical pools of Tulare County along the Kern

Catch of the DayBy Jill Naumann

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River. Jim Matthews, the show’s fishing consultant, says about Kern, “The Kern River is one of the finest trout rivers in the Western United States and it’s one of the best-kept se-crets.” And indeed this was proven true during a tech scout week, when one of our own caught a seven-pound class wild Rainbow trout, giving all us high hopes for unpredictable “on-camera” victories. “That is as good—no better—than most of the big-name trout fisheries in the country,” Mat-thews reported.

After interviewing individual fishing experts as well as of-ficial agencies’ experts, I headed up to the Kern, stocked with maps and guides. To learn the best river sections, I enlisted the expertise of local guru Tom Moore of the white-water adventure company, Sierra South, whose reputation is well known throughout the state. Artie Colson is the film liaison for the forest area that surrounds the Kern River. We relied heavily on his team of knowledgeable and film-friendly rangers. Film Commissioners Dan Hook and Joanie Haenelt provided film permits as well as all advisory for production to Kern County. I quickly learned that scouting a natural environment for the sake of competition was actu-ally trickier than it sounds. Controlling reality cameras in uncontrollable element such as the Kern River meant focus-ing on safety, as much as actual camera placement during movement for viewing, as well as which section could afford us the action we need?

For three glorious days, our contestants stayed on the Kern River hitting the best spots along a 44-mile stretch of the River sprawling over Kern and Tulare counties. Up before dawn, the competitors endured a chilly frosted morn, with hot cocoa by the campfire just like any viewer might expect to experience on their own fishing expedition.

The town of Kernville provided lodging for the crew; we filled every room in town. The crew’s per diem more than two nights poured an additional $7,500 into the local econo-my, on top of what we spent on hotels and other area busi-nesses. Production worked with the Location Department to ensure the use of local vendors whenever possible. The Blue Bear Coffee House, in the center of town, was extreme-ly helpful acting as a sort of communication base for relay, in addition to a coffee fix, because certain cellular sources, along with texting, and walkies just did not cover the area I needed to travel in a day running from the Ghost of Produc-tion Past to the excitement of Production Future.

Eric Coyne of the Tulare County Film Commission proved invaluable as a wealth of knowledge streamlining that part of the permit process for the northernmost part of our area, reaching up to the bottom of the Sequoia National Forest. We were able to showcase the beauty of the area including

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Johnsondale Bridge as the focus for two of our three compe-titions, including the final elimination. The AD raced to see that our soon-to-be-famous “Top Hooker Bus” was silhou-etted to the full moon, providing a backdrop that married into the feel of the show celebrating sportsmen in the great outdoors.

Filming the series Top Hooker ultimately took a crew of more than 100, filming six days a week with sometimes two locations a day. Including “after hours” reality, there were days of almost 24-hour filming. Our hectic schedule re-quired us to move every two days, through seven different counties from Tulare in the north, to San Diego in the south. Location areas included Corona, Temecula, Long Beach, San Pedro, Rancho Palos Verdes, Moorpark, Oxnard Channel Is-lands Harbor, Dana Point, Brawley and Mission Bay Harbor. The Location Department secured 28 multi-jurisdictional permits for 25 days working with forest, sky, land, fire and ocean, with speed boats, outriggers, aqua tricycles, pods, kayaks, rafts, zip-lining, helicopters, jet ski races and hot-air balloons. Our activities had to be in compliance with Fish & Game, OSHA, PETA, the Coast Guard, and the military, in respect to jurisdictions and wildlife protection. Top Hooker worked with every level of government top to bottom to en-sure a successful shoot.

Maybe nobody will ever agree on the best way to catch a fish, but everybody on the first season of Top Hooker agreed that the feel of the Tulare County episode was a fa-vorite. Not only was it hailed as the most scenically beauti-ful, it certainly was the most unexpected fun!

Director Ian Stevenson said it best, “My filming experience at Kern River was surpassed only by the natural beauty of the location. Everyone who helped us during the film-ing including rangers, government officials and local river experts, made the filming process a whole lot easier. For a director, juggling multiple things on a shoot, that helps us achieve our creative objective, on schedule and on budget.”

Who knows which way the wind will blow through the Tor-rey Pines of the upper Kern River, or whether we will be back to our ‘no longer secret’ favorite fishing spot “Willow Point” (for all you anglers, that one is a freebie). But I do know that if I expect to catch a seven-pound trout in the lower Sierra Nevada, it surely won’t be in August, as it is now forever branded in my brain that “We don’t plant trout in California waters above 67 degrees!” You see, I have learned that maybe not all trout are cre-ated equal, however, fish-ing is a discipline in the equality of men; for all men are equal before fish!”

Jill Naumann was awarded the Reality Production of the Year Award by the California on Location Awards (COLA) for Top Hooker in 2013.

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