ON LOCATIONS

An in-depth account of one man’s experience with the film and TV industry from the point of view of the crew.

Kamine, award-winning executive producer of The White Lotus, chronicles his career through various set locations. He started in 1993 as a location assistant for the film Quiz Show, and he later moved on to become the set location manager for The Sopranos, on which he worked for all seven seasons. The author describes the ups and downs of balancing a family life with the demands of “a typical roving movie career,” which began with moving from job to job with little initial pay or stability, to a successful career working with David Chase on The Sopranos and on films such as Men in Black II, which, at the time, was projected to “have the biggest budget of any movie in the history of the world.” Film buffs will be fascinated by Kamine’s focus on elements that viewers are never meant to see—location scouting, gatekeeping politics, “the blurring of professional and personal lines that people in power often cross,” and even the occasional surprise, such as the author receiving a small speaking part in an episode of The Sopranos. The author shows exactly how much work goes into scouting, securing, and filming a location, ensuring that all those involved are appeased, often with cash, and how the costs go up significantly when the film or show becomes increasingly popular. “I don’t mean for anyone to think that I am claiming, based upon the fact that I worked on what is widely regarded as one of the best series in the history of television, personal credit,” he writes. Nonetheless, his detailed examination of the behind-the-scenes work on these projects is illuminating.

An engrossing, unique look at one man’s journey through the production of film and TV.