Spring 2025
“Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.”
–TONI SORENSON
Our spring issue, just like the season, is crafted in the spirit of renewal and resilience. As the dreary days of winter give way to a symphony of color and scent, we hope that our industry will also revive and thrust more of us into an intoxicating burst of work
In our cover story, Toyota’s “Present From the Past,” Chris Evans delves into the making of an LMGI Award-winning commercial with SLM Mark Freid and LM Paul Riordan and explores the unique differences between scouting and managing a commercial vs a feature film or TV show.
This spring also marks the opening of the annual LMGI Award submission period. Despite a worldwide production slowdown, scores of submissions have been received, and the film, commercial and TV awards subcommittees are relishing the yearly ritual of learning where everything is filmed and why. The Guild exists to celebrate our creative contributions that help build the world of the story with film locations that draw fans from all over the world and seep into the great global consciousness.
Which is why our feature story, “In a City of Angels,” resonates on so many levels. LM/scout Jill Naumann chronicles the location community’s response to the apocalyptic January wildfires that devasted a large swath of Los Angeles. The streets and homes of oft-filmed Altadena exist now only in the images we helped bring to the screen. Jill speaks to location professionals who lost everything. Yet, in the face of this citywide disaster, she also finds many caring and uniquely equipped helpers in our location community.
“In the News” reports on the COLA Awards, FOCUS in London, a Brooklyn Garden Party for our New York members and a look at our annual “Locations Behind the Oscars” panels. There’s also Fam Tours to Egypt and Tucson, the annual LMGI Board election results, member Masanori Aikawa’s visit to the European Film Market and the LMGI Oceania Region’s recent get-together at Sydney’s Hickson House.
Past LMGI Board member JJ Levine has graciously agreed to step in as an LMGI Compass guest editor to help with our spring and summer issues with deadlines that coincide with those of the awards, and on whose subcommittees some of us also serve. We are fortunate to have JJ’s keen editorial eye on our team during these exceptionally busy months.
LM Kei Rowan-Young captures a strikingly graphic look in Palm Springs, CA, in our “Martini Shot.”
Until next time,
Stevie Nelson, Diane Friedman, Paul Messana, Edward Mazurek, Dodd Vickers and JJ Levine