"Let the police know, let the police know, when in doubt, let the police know!" This was one important tip we learned at the April MCA meeting.  Our hosts, producer and writer Wyatt Weed, location scout from Up in the Air Ron Duran, and still photographer Tuan Lee, gave some pointers on creating unique locations, dealing with building owners, as well as the technical side of booking your ideal location.

Many people maybe unaware that the city of St. Louis and surrounding areas have a variety of location options for films including those for a period film, war flick, or New York City themed movie.  Our hosts gave us options on how to trick the audience into creating the locations and theme your looking for.  Tuan Lee showed us an example of how a simple daytime picture can be manipulated with special effects, and costuming to achieve a film noir theme.  Wyatt demonstrated how an establishing shot could be achieved by building a miniature model.  He said all you need to scout for a location is your map, camera and compass. But what happens when the building owner doesn't feel like staying another hour for the crew to capture that magical shot?  What about when the police think the actor holding a gun is an actual criminal? Wyatt gave us the inside scoop on outtakes and mishaps with locations and police and proper location etiquette.  Ron Duran talked about Up In The Air and the difficulties of shooting at a highly security monitored location such as the airport.

These tips and warnings about scouting and reserving your location as well as permits, location releases, and insurance were all discussed.  Who knew there could be so many obstacles when searching or securing that dream location for a film? Learn more about more logistics of filmmaking and other areas of media at the next MCA meeting!