Production Scout FL

12/22/2020

"The voracious appetite for original content has never been greater — just look at the Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and other brands popping up daily. There has never been more money available to create new content," and they are deciding to spend it right now in other states like New Mexico.

In recent years Florida has lost more than 70 major film and television projects that would have spent more than $1.3 billion.

08/11/2018

True audio professionals always have a few equipment tricks up their sleeves. Luckily, they don't always have to be expensive.

05/02/2018

TAMPA — Hillsborough County interim film commissioner Tyler Martinolich has a unique approach to channel surfing. He searches for two kinds of commercials: those made in his county and those he think

04/13/2018

Nikon Inc. and Atomos have partnered to bring creative professionals the ultimate full-frame DSLR video setup – the new D850 Filmmaker’s Kit with 4K Ninja Flame 7” HDR monitor-recorder. This new kit provides essential gear filmmakers need to create UHD video in a one-box solution.

Nikon Inc. and Atomos have recently announced the D850 Filmmaker's Kit, geared to bring creative professionals the ultimate full-frame DSLR video setup.

12/30/2017

12/22/2017

For every needed location, the Location Scout (usually the Assistant Location Manger) finds typically a minimum of 5 – 10 options. Before we present them, we have to make sure that the owner is definitely open to filming, and we have to get access to take photos of every essential part the property (usually panoramic photos). Then we print out the photos or upload them to a website, so we can present them.

The director picks his or her favorites, and then we take them to scout them all personally. They finally make a decision based on the locations with the best look, or sometimes it is more based on logistics.

Behind the scenes of AMC's hit TV show.

12/22/2017

The video below demonstrates what goes into a location scout and how this impacts a video project. The video provides a “behind the scenes” look into a location scout and shows how much fun we have with this phase of a project.

We recently did a post explaining what a location is and how a project benefits from this process. Since location scouting can be difficult to subscribe, I decided to develop a video and show what it’s like.

12/22/2017

The Tools of Location Scouting

Whenever I go out on a location scout, I bring a defined set of tools:

A good still camera with some video capability and a tripod with a small lateral slider under the camera for taking 3D pairs .
An iPhone or iPad with the Sun Surveyor app by Adam Ratana, the Clinometer app by Plaincode, the Maps app from Apple, the pCam app by David Eubank, and the Sensor and Lens and SD 3D apps by Affonso Beato, ASC, ABC.

A laptop loaded with the full Adobe Creative Suite of applications with the “Photomerge” automated photo stitching utility.
A 50-foot Rabone cloth measuring tape (a good Rabone is hard to find, but classy—any model will do) and a goniometer for measurement of angles, such as the pan angle looking across two actors in a car when doing background plates for driving shots .

I also recommend having on hand a number of other useful apps: Helios, a powerful sun tracker; Artemis, a director’s viewfinder; and Toland, an ASC digital assistant app from Chemical Wedding; CineMeter by Adam Wilt; Pocket LD for the photometrics of many lamps; iSee4K, a data calculator for Red; SkyView, a free, very simple, and powerful sun tracker; PhotoMoon, a great moon tracker; and KataData, a great all-around data calculator.

A good still camera helps me to visually record the proposed location specifically for shoot planning. In addition to lots of photos of details in the location, I always do numerous 360-degree panoramic panels to be stitched together later, in order to fully establish the geography of the location.

Depending on the budget and schedule, location scouting can begin far in advance of the shoot, or just as the ...

12/22/2017

The Ultimate Location Scouting Cheat Sheet for Producers and ADs from StudioBinder

Learn how to identify potential logistic issues when tech scouting any location. Includes FREE Location Scouting Checklist for producers, ADs, DP’s and UPMs.

12/22/2017

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HOLLYWOOD LOCATION SCOUT

Siobhan Reid caught up with the high-flying location scout Caleb Duffy to talk movies, travel and what he misses the most about LA when he’s on the road. Caleb Duffy’s resume reads like our “Recently Watched” list on Netflix: True Detective, Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brokovich, Traffic. One of ...

12/22/2017

A looks at the fascinating, yet often invisible world of movie location scouting.

Anthony Mason looks at the fascinating, yet often invisible world of movie location scouting.