A Wanted Man

Chicago location director Mark Mamalakis shares his process for setting the perfect scene

by Carla Pisarro | Published June 27, 2008

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MM: Your latest project, Wanted, is a high-profile action flick, with locations in Prague and Chicago. What particular challenges did this movie pose for you?

MA: On Wanted I was the Chicago location manager and Michael Sharp was the supervising location manager for the whole project; he dealt exclusively with the filming in Prague. I can’t say too much about the project at this time but our scouting involved finding and managing main locations and also locations that would be filmed as plates to be incorporated with green screen shots.

I remember the night we were shooting a scene from Wanted, which we had planned for weeks and which involved the hero car being chased down Wacker Drive, one of the major downtown streets along the Chicago River. After weeks of preparation the day had come for filming. It was a warm summer night and of course there were onlookers everywhere who we had to keep safely out of the way. Twenty-three Chicago police officers had locked up blocks of traffic just after the noisy rush hour, the safety police boats were standing by in place hidden under the bridges, stunt cars were in position and suddenly everything was quiet. The radio chatter stopped, the camera helicopter was called into position and hovered in place over the river, behind it in the distance one of the camera crews waited in position on a distant rooftop. Nothing could be heard but the hypnotic whirling of the blades, then the tail of the helicopter tilted up like a cat about to jump, the AD yelled “Action” and the red hero car came screeching around the corner.

Sometimes dealing with logistical problems of location managing, meetings with the city about street closures, working with the safety people of the fire department, the barricade people, finding and coordinating parking, lunch areas, extras holding areas, talking with all of the buildings along the route, asking them to leave their lights on—all of these behind-the-scenes activities seem distant to the actual filmmaking process, but when that helicopter was hovering with the blades whirling waiting to start its run I remember thinking, “We actually are making a movie here.”

MM: This movie is the latest in a number of sleek comic book adaptations. How do you work with the moviemaking team to realize a stylish vision like this one? Who are your closest collaborators on the set?

MA: We were fortunate to have worked closely with John Myhre, the production designer, visual effects supervisor John Farhat and director Timur Bekmambetov as they created an incredible world. The end result is going to be very exciting and extremely cinematic.

MM: You’ve worked with a number of veteran moviemakers, including Clint Eastwood and Michael Mann. What are some of the most important things you’ve learned, or pieces of experience you’ve gained? Which movie has posed the biggest challenge to you?

MA: I used to joke that my job was like being a public relations director on a pirate ship. It can be very intimidating to see 15 trucks parked in front of your house and strangers entering your living room or bedroom moving furniture, wall pictures, carpets, kids bicycles, etc. Since the location manager or scout are the first crew members that the homeowners will meet, usually days or weeks but sometimes only hours in advance, it’s important for the locations department to build a rapport with the owner or tenants before the actual prep or shooting starts, making them feel comfortable and interested in what is going to happen.

The key is to create a situation where our crew can get their work done and hopefully the experience will be memorable for the owner (and it usually is, in a good way). I like to make the owners feel that they can help to be the solution to a problem, the problem being trying to shoot everything we need in the time we have. I remember on the William Friedkin film, Blue Chips, we were filming at the suburban home of an elderly widow who lived alone. She stood by watching everyone loading in and out, setting up the lights and camera and at the end of the day she told me she was apprehensive at first but watching the crew work as they did was like watching the Chicago Symphony. She had a good time.

MM: You’ve played an integral part in some of the most famous Chicago-set movies of all time—from The Blues Brothers and Home Alone to Primal Fear and The Lake House. Why is Chicago such a special city for movie locations?

MA: Chicago is a unique city. After the devastating fire of 1871, which destroyed more than 18,000 buildings, architects came to Chicago from all over the country to help rebuild. Chicago was like a canvas for architects and some of the greatest ones made their homes here. As a result Chicago has buildings from the early innovations of Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright and Daniel Burnham to their successors, Mies van der Rohe, Rem Koolhaas, Helmut Jahn, Frank Gehry. The city is known for its beautiful lakefront and architecture. But it also offers gritty urban landscapes, subways and elevated trains, distinctive neighborhoods and 20 miles of sandy beaches.