Pasadena, CA--LMGA members Kayla Thames-Berge, Robert Mendel and Beth Tate, along with Martine White of the Santa Barbara Film Office, participated in a panel discussion at this year's Cineposium put on by AFCI.

The discussion, "Roles and Responsibilities - Film Commissioners & Locations Scouts," was held at the Pasadena Civic Center on October 28th and was moderated by Ariel Penn of the Pasadena Film Office.  Discussion topics ranged from "what do location managers expect from film commissioners" to "how best can a film commissioner capture the next big production."

Each panelist was asked to share their thoughts and what they expected of a film commissioner. Beth, a commercial scout, said a commission, no matter how large or small, should respond quickly to the first call. "Even if you tell me you are not available to speak until x time, at least I will have made contact and can start to schedule my day.  And, know your locale. Start with the locations that are chosen over and over again. Usually they are the best ones."

Rob, a first AD, as well as a scout/manager, mentioned that providing "a functional and fast, web-based location library with high resolution, professional quality location photos," was paramount in these days of limited pre-production time."  He also suggested offering free production offices or staff support whenever possible as a kind of soft incentive.

Kayla, who spent nearly a decade with the CA Film Commission before joining the LMGA, added that it is important to be an effective red tape cutter. "A good commissioner knows how to facilitate logistical requests of the most difficult kind, who the right contact is for intervention and expedition, e.g. the fire department liaison for FX or the engineer to approve a bungee tie-off to a bridge, as well as how to get polititions on the phone. Maintaining a contact list is good but cultivating relationships is even better--that way, you don't have to make a cold call in a time of need."

Other points covered were:

--Developing relationships with residents and merchants

--Getting to know local scouts and managers

Ariel turned the tables by asking, "What do commissioners want from location managers/scouts?"

Martine replied that what would really help is NUMBERS. Commissions can live and die by hard numbers they share with their funding sources about the economic benefit of each production. This can include what is spent on location and parking lot rentals, hotel rooms, gas, restaurants and other expenses. Being able to provide or have your line producer provide these numbers could effect whether a funded commission will be there when you return in future months/years.

Of note, this year's Cineposium was the largest ever, with over 300 Film commissioners attending from around the world.

--Beth Tate