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fied costs. An additional 3% if the production uses a qualifiedproduction facility. The budget must be at least $100,000 andthe incentive is a direct cash refund.Stevie: WHAT ARE YOUR TOOLS OF THE TRADE?DR: For scouting, I use a Canon 40d and Leica D-Lux 4. I amusing the latter more and more as it will shoot a F2.0 and hasvery crisp images. The Leica is also less conspicuous whenscouting in less savory neighborhoods. I always carry a moleskinewith me when I scout as it has a pouch that I keep businesscards in and is great for making notes.For managing, I love my little Canon scanner and my CanonIP90 printer. The scanner is powered off of USB and my printeris Bluetooth and battery powered which makes working on thefly great. My iPhone and apps are probably the most importanttools to me. I have every contact list I have ever made inthe business in my Air Sharing app, the state of Michigan FilmOffice has an app that connects to its database of images andproduction crew list, my Genius Scan scans business cardsinto my contacts and Sunrise gives me all rise and set times.Stevie: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THE JOB?DR: I love the relationships that are built with both the crewand the locations. I love taking directors and designers aroundon scouts early in pre-production. This is the kind of thingthat I would have never imagined I’d be doing before I got intothis business. I love the connections that you make with cityofficials and power players in the area. Most of all, I love thelast day of a shoot when I can look back on the last severalmonths of work and smile knowing that I was an integral partof making the movie. I love that I get to see places that mostpeople never get to see like the world’s largest vacuum chamber,the loudest room in the world and an anechoic chamber(room so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat). I love thethings I learn like how garbage dumps collect methane, howcities’ catch basin drains work, how power plants and automanufacturing plants work. I love that every job has specificchallenges that need to be figured out. Even when filmingat a place a second or third time, there are new and uniquepuzzles to solve. I appreciate the mentor/protégé relationshipthat comes with the job. I have learned and continue to learnfrom some of the best location managers in the business andI pass my knowledge down to the folks that work for me.Stevie: WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE LMGA & HOW LONG HAVEYOU BEEN A MEMBER?DR: Nancy Haecker came back to Michigan in the fall of 2010to look into shooting an episode of House and I scouted forher. If you know Nancy, you know that she was not leavingtown without having me signed up. I have been a proud cardcarryingmember ever since.Photo by David Rumble, LMGA