During the fam trip which has shown the Community of Madrid, Film Madrid interviewed James Lin, location manager who has worked in Universal and Marvel Studios blockbusters.
Film Madrid has organised a familiarization trip together with Madrid Film Office, as part of its collaboration in the third edition of Shooting Locations Marketplace, the market that brought together 60 international location managers in the city of Valladolid last October.
Among the location managers who subsequently toured the Madrid region, Film Madrid had the opportunity to talk with James Lin, an american localiser of taiwanese origin, currently SVP Physical Production at Universal Pictures. An experienced localiser with a long career in the american entertainment industry, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, specialising in Landscape Architecture, and has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2018.
In his extensive career since 1998, Lin has worked on major Universal and Marvel Studios productions, such as the Captain America, Avengers and Spider-Man sagas, Wonder-Woman 1984, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, among many other titles from both studios.
The american location scout repeated his visit to Shooting Locations Marketplace after last year’s edition, where he gave the inaugural conference, highlighting the importance of filming in real locations. In his words, «the great filmmakers are the ones who basically inspire us to want to travel to real locations, locations that can bring another point of view to the story and become part of the plot». In his opening speech, he did not forget the decisive economic factor in filming locations, highlighting how tax incentives are now the big driving factor in any region of the world that wants to be a filming destination.
– Welcome to Madrid Mr. Lin, and congratulations for your great career at Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios. Have you visited Madrid in any previous location?
I have not visited Madrid yet until this visit and it was impressive.
– How was the experience of working in Spain for the “Wonder Woman 1984” production? Any more filming in Spain?
I did not actually work as the SLM on WW 84 in Europe, but only the DC portion in the USA. I did not do any additional filming in Spain, but am excited to potentially bring a future production to Spain in some context.
– What can you tell us about your work as SVP Physical Production at Universal? Are you still involved in localization work?
My work as SVP as Physical Production at Universal is to make sure that once a project is greenlit, it is my responsibility to bring all the resources of the studio to make sure that the country we are filming in is a success. A portion of my responsibilities is to hire Production Designer, Costume Designer, 1st AD, DP, as well as some other key BTL Crew to make sure that our director is properly supported in their journey to deliver their vision to screen. I am still involved in location scouting both for my varied projects, as that has been my specialty for the past 26 years. Also I still dabble for producer friends in commercials for work on the weekends to keep my skill set sharp.
– What has been your impression of the fam trip? Any location has caught your attention in particular?
My impression of the fam trip, is that Madrid has some really varied looks all within about an hours drive of the city center. Unfortunately I was not able to go out and see more of the city (because of COVID -19) from the locations I did see, there are opportunities for infrastructures , long avenues for car chases, as well as beautiful quaint regional towns to all help set a context for great story telling.
– In your view, are the locations in Madrid really known by the major American studios?
In my personal opinion, the locations in Madrid ARE NOT really know by major American studios, however continuing to spread the word about Madrid thru these amazing Fam Tours, and going to see different locations on each tour, will drive more production to come to Madrid in the future. I do believe Madrid for local content being made the locals will really benefit from more international notoriety.
– Your work has traveled around the world, with shoots in Germany, Norway, Iceland, UK, Italy, Czech Republic, the Philippines… In your opinion, what would be the main factors for a major US production to shoot in Spain, and more specifically in Madrid?
In my opinion for a major US production to shoot in Spain, would be to not only have : 1) the right look that works in conjunction with the script/ story, 2) a deep infrastructure of local crew, equipment, cooperation with local permit agencies and housing to be secured by 3) a healthy tax incentive.
There are some amazing projects where the director is often given more “direction” and control than others, and in those cases, it is always the reason why the movie might be shooting in a location that may not have as competitive tax incentives as other locations. These are the best projects to work collaboratively on.
– Spain has implemented improvements in tax incentives, by the impulse of the institutional plan “Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe » in the last three years; could be the decisive reason for attracting more filming from the USA?
Tax incentives will be the determining factor for ALL big major US productions.
– What do you think about Film Commissions and Film Offices? Did you make use of these offices in your localization work in Spain or Europe?
I thought that all the Film Commission and Film Offices were super important in facilitating the interest of filming in their general region. I have worked extensively with Film Commission and Film Offices in my various work in Europe, as they would have a better grasp of what the local assets were and how they could benefit my project at the time.
– As location manager, how did you choose locations for the shows? Did you work with the producer and the director to figure out the kinds of places they want?
As the Location Manager, I chose the location for the various shows, by reading the various scripts that came across my desk. Often times early on during the design phase, my work with the producer, and director, often included the guidance of the production designer as well to figure out exactly what kinds of places were desired.
– Do you draw heavily on your location portfolio, or do you like to start projects from scratch in search of new locations?
I often times will start first on my location portfolio, and if there are additional images required to build a “location deck” I will draw upon relationships with the other film commissions, film offices, and the local location scouts to give my best rendition of what the location may have to offer.
– When finding locations, what are some of the least obvious things you look out for to make sure the site is best for filming?
I often look for the “unseen” things while on a location scout prior to having a tech scout. I listen for sound factors like trains, construction, etc… and can only be done with spending some time at the location. I look for support facilities that are close by: parking, fuel stations, hotels, restaurants, etc… This can all be done by just spending some time at the location to pick up on the “unseen” things.
– What’s your favorite thing about the job? And which production has been your best working experience?
My favorite thing about the job is to constantly be exposed and see more of the world so that when a production wants to go somewhere to shoot their movie I can deliver. Some of my best productions that have been my best working experiences have been (but not limited to) : Fast Five (Puerto Rico, Rio de Janeiro), Into the Blue (Bahamas, Caribbean Islands), Avengers Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (Brazil Sand Dunes, Philippines, Japan, Iceland)
– What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into location management?
To go out and “see “ the local culture of where one lives, so that one can be “versed” in everything that is their neighborhood. Then go thru travel magazines, and make a moodboard, and put it up on their wall and prioritize where they want to go, and see… that will ultimately drive their will to go out their and be the best location scout and manager out there.
