“Usually when I’m making a movie, what I have in mind first, for the visuals, is how we can stage the scenes to bring them more to life in the most interesting way, and then how we can make a world for the story that the audience hasn’t quite been in before.”
–Wes Anderson/Filmmaker
Do viewers fully appreciate just how deliberate everything they see on the big or small screen really is? Can they imagine the absurdly detailed conversations that take place around a conference table as talented storytellers, artists and craftspeople seriously dissect every element of a scene?
The script reads, “Sally is holding a coffee cup.” Fine. But what size, color and style? A vintage jadeite mug or a dainty porcelain heirloom? That same level of scrutiny applies to every descriptive detail on the page: what car a character drives, what they wear, how they style their hair, the shrubbery lining the path to their front door, and as pertains to us, the places where they might work, play or dine.
Every choice is considered. Each element becomes a building block, deliberately assembled to create a world shaped by who the characters are and what drives them.
In this issue, we celebrate our role in building those worlds, bringing stories to life through real places chosen with intent and purpose.
In our cover story, Shaun O’Banion explores the oil fields and boardrooms of Landman and the Montana countryside of The Madison, through the eyes of location managers Dustin Daniels/LMGI and Paul Knaus/LMGI and their teams working in the Taylor “Sheridan-Verse.”
“Where Worlds Collide,” by Compass editor and TV Awards Subcommittee Co-Chair Diane Friedman, captures the lively, star-studded atmosphere of the 13th Annual LMGI Awards gala, where location professionals, film commissioners, industry partners, sponsors and honorees gathered on a warm Santa Monica evening in August to celebrate our craft. Rachel Llewellyn profiles the honorees, whose work has shaped lasting legacies in our industry.
“In the News” visits the LMGI panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con 2026, where fans were eager to learn how we help bring fantastical sci-fi worlds to life. Sasha Alvarez Denisoff/LMGI takes us behind the scenes of “Meet the Finalists” 2026, while award nominees, local members, film commissioners and sponsors gathered poolside for the “Prelude to the Awards” happy hour the night before the event.
And in “Martini Shot,” Graeme Blatherwick/LMGI offers a beautifully lit portrait of a flower against a green fence—a gentle reminder that even in our frenetic business of building worlds, it’s worth pausing every now and then to stop and smell the flowers!
Until next time,
Stevie Nelson, Diane Friedman, Paul Messana, Edward Mazurek, Dodd Vickers and JJ Levine