Around the World

The thrill of the chase

SIX LOCATIONS CHOSEN BY

LOCATION MANAGER JOHN RAkICH

1 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK During pre-production for Grand Army, I was sent to trace and photograph all the real world practical locations and feel of the areas of Brooklyn where the original play took place, both for our eventual New York filming unit and to help us in the world building of the show.

2 TORONTO, ONTARIO I’m one of those few lucky ones that gets to work out of my home geographic area, which has a wealth of so many location possibilities.

3 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK There really is no city like New York and it’s always a joy to be there, this time to scout locations for a small unit that would be sent to shoot establishing shots and some key New York City locations to use throughout Shadowhunters which was being filmed in Toronto.

4 OUIMENT CANYON, ONTARIO It’s always a thrill to tick things off my bucket list and the chance to scout the majesty of this location for SEE was one of them. The thought of being surrounded by the giant 300 ft deep gorge –the remnant of the glacial lake that covered the province –still makes me happy.

5 PLITVICE LAKES, CROATIA Being of Croatian heritage it was my pleasure to go back to my homeland to wander and take plate shot reference images –for a new project –of this incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the many lucky opportunities this career that I fell into has provided me.

6 CARRIE FURNACE, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA I’ve had a few chances to be sent to scout areas around Pittsburgh – including for Hemlock Grove and SEE –and the historic landmark Carrie Furnace. There is something beautiful and haunting about them and the stories they evoke, and being surrounded by the rust and decay. ohn Rakich was elected president of the Locations Managers Guild International in May this year. He has worked as a location manager and scout for over 20 years, with numerous credits spanning feature film and television projects such as SEE, American Gods, Pixels, Hemlock Grove and Shadowhunters.

Rakich is also a longtime member of the Directors Guild of Canada in the Ontario District Council, where he serves as a board member and their locations caucus representative. He was also the first member from Toronto to join the LMGI in 2015.