On Location

I was in Seattle this weekend and reminded of all the adventures I have had as a filmmaker "on location." Going "on location" usually has me working outside of California in beautiful, interesting settings. So on top of being able to tell stories, I get to see and work in incredible regions that I wouldn't necessarily otherwise even visit. 

Working on location is a lot of work but also a lot of fun. You have to try to set up as much as you can from your home base and then head to the location and start living there as much as three months before filming. It's important to live there and get the lay of the land, hire the crew and lock in the equipment. 

It can wreak havoc on your personal life, especially if you have kids. But it's definitely doable. My husband and I have the rule that if I am out of town, we need to make plans to see one another at least every three weeks. So if I'm on location for six months, I either fly home every third week or my husband visits me. 

The first thing I do when I pick a location for filming is reach out to the film office in the region. They usually have a production guide with a list of all the vendors in the area as well as crew lists of regional crew. 

From there, it's a juggling act -- life, work, art, home -- and a whole heck of a lot of fun and adventure along the way.