The Official Magazine of the Location Managers Guild International

Hassan II Mosque promenade used on Syriana
Errachidia Drakkar. Photo by Robert Elswit
At the airport, I waited to hear
my fate. It was a nervous two
hours, scouring the bookshop,
looking at travel guides. Then
the call came: head to the
Royal Air Maroc desk. So I
bought The Rough Guide to
Morocco, had a few glasses
of wine to steady the nerves
and I closed my eyes. When
I woke, the travel guide was
open on the center pages:
“The History of Cinema in
Morocco—From Lawrence
of Arabia to Kundun.” Wow,
there it was in the guide, all
the movies that had come
to Morocco. I soaked up
the information, clinging
to my camera bag, seeking
inspiration.
Morocco is the closest African
country to Europe, but it felt
like another planet. The heat,
the chaos, the traffic, the call
to prayer, the shouting, and
the hustle and bustle of the
Arabic world, all rolled into
one magical city: Casablanca.
My images of a small romantic
Andalusian city were crushed
upon landing. A local team
who normally worked in
casting picked me up. The
camera was on my knee, the
hairs up on the back of my
neck. I was simultaneously
terrified and exhilarated,
yearning for the ultimate
challenge. And then the
panic and pressure of Tony’s
22 • LMGI COMPASS | Winter 2017