Key Highlights
• Set industry standards for fair contracts and daily fees for academic locations.
• Defined the role of 'location agent' and secured first-time on-screen credits for student interns with Walt Disney Studios, creating career pathways.
• Launched innovative campus marketing with a major film shoot: coordinated Scream 2’s East Coast premiere and boosted student recruitment through the “Scream Room” tour.
1997
East Coast screening
Wes and Neve - The 'Scream Room'
Scream 2 - 1997
Scream 2 - 1997
1997
The 'Scream Room'
Scream 2 cast on the quad at ASC - 1997
Scream 2
Scream 2 is part of one of the most successful horror film series ever. For more than six weeks under the hot Georgia sun, we filmed on-location at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. I was the Location Agent. At the time, I was the only person in the industry specializing in academic film locations. I represented the College for all on-set production. I supervised all sets, being the first on set and the last to leave every day. I also handled all pre-production phases of the shoot, scouted locations with producers and director Wes Craven, and negotiated the contract with Disney. According to the New York Times, the contract was the largest per-day location fee in the history of university on-location filming. This contract reset how locations were treated for major feature film shoots and became the template for many state film offices in America.
During the long shoot, I developed opportunities for the Agnes Scott community. I supervised a few dozen students and community members who played bit parts and extras. I managed a team of student interns and negotiated their on-screen credit, the first time Walt Disney Studios (owner of Miramax Films) credited interns. Several students went on to work in the film industry following this shoot. I also organized the East Coast premiere, which ran concurrently with the Hollywood premiere. Agnes Scott Admissions built recruitment strategies after the film's release, and we developed a direct mail brochure. The 'Scream Room,' the dorm room used by Neve Campbell's character Sidney Prescott, became a highlight and a draw on the campus tour.
Here are clips of scenes at Miramax's website shot at Agnes Scott including: "Think I Love You," "You'll Never Be the Leading Man," "Diane Sawyer," "It's Worth a Look," and "What Am I Supposed to Do?"
My favorite memory on set: When Wes Craven walked on set the first day, he was speechless at the already installed set dressing and the crane hovering over the quad for the crane shot. It was the largest budget he had ever been awarded for a film in his long career. When the props master started unloading five-gallon containers, Wes leaned in and said to me, "You know it's a great day when they bring out the buckets of blood." Fake blood, that is. Seeing this former English professor turned master of horror so delighted and in wonder on his own set was endearing and very sweet. It set the tone for a wonderful shoot.
Location Manager Testimonial: “I had the pleasure to work with Mary on the feature film Scream 2. She was selected as the liaison for the college during our filming there. Bringing a full feature film to a college is no small undertaking. Mary made it one of the smoothest experiences I have ever had in my 25 years as a location manager. From the onset, she had a grasp of what it was we would need. Although tongue in cheek for the most part, Scream 2 deals with some touchy subject matter that needed to be conveyed honestly to the administration yet still have them approve our activities. Her political savvy made it possible for us to accomplish all that was needed and more throughout our [six] week stay at the campus. We needed to park 23 trucks as well as having up to 200 background actors on certain days. Parking, holding, feeding all went off without a hitch. Mary stayed cool, calm and collected in the Georgia heat making even the most difficult situations a pleasure. Anyone would be fortunate to have someone with the skills of Mary Zimnik as a part of their organization.” — Timothy Hillman, Location Manager
2004
Jim Caviezel in ASC's Reading Room2004
Caviezel and Malcolm McDowell at ASC
Caviezel rides across the quad at ASC
1996
1999
1999
Dare to Compete - 1999
2000
Young Americans on the ASC quad
Young Americans production - 2000
Other Film Projects
In the eight years I worked as a Location Agent, I managed about 50 projects, including feature film, documentary, and commercial works. My first major film project and an intense three-day shoot was A Season in Purgatory, where I first negotiated the largest per-day fee for a university or college (I then surpassed that with Scream 2). Purgatory was a 1996 CBS mini-series based on the 1993 novel by Dominick Dunne inspired by the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley. The film was directed by David Greene on his final project. The impressive cast included Patrick Dempsey, Craig Sheffer, Brian Dennehy, Sherilyn Fenn, Edward Herrmann, David Marshall Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, and Blair Brown.
The Peabody Award winner in 1999, HBO's Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports was a meaningful shoot for Agnes Scott, as it is an all-women's institution. The documentary chronicles the achievements of women in sports from the Victorian Age to its present. Agnes Scott served as a location for part of the modern interviews and additional B-roll work.
The pilot for The WB's Dawson's Creek spin-off, Young Americans, was partly shot at Agnes Scott College. The series introduced young actors who would eventually become in high-demand in Hollywood including Kate Bosworth, Charlie Hunnam, Katherine Moennig, Michelle Monaghan, and Ian Somerhalder. As usual, students and community members worked as interns, extras, and bit players. An Agnes Scott student served as Bosworth's body-double. During the shoot we discovered her doppelgänger on campus walking past a set — a happy surprise.
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius was my final film. It was an outstanding experience. Agnes Scott College played a school, hospital, and other characters. As usual, we had student interns working the set, always a bonus on these projects.This biopic starred a stellar cast who were incredibly gracious to the college community including Jim Caviezel, Claire Forlani, Jeremy Northam, Malcolm McDowell, and Aidan Quinn, but the production team was especially a delight. Some of the producers and Caviezel had just come off the success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. (Among the accolades, Gibson's film is the highest-grossing Christian film and highest-grossing independent film of all time.)They were a well-oiled machine. Having the great Malcolm McDowell on set made it very special. He was engaging, warm, kind, and generous with his time with the students. I soaked in every moment on that set, knowing it would be my last.
A few studios offered me jobs, but my passion was representing locations. I had done all I could to make improvements on film projects over those eight years, including refining a very strong contract for locations. I knew it was time to go. Leaving on such a great shoot as Bobby Jones was a good call. I went back to teaching, and it was the right choice. That said, I wouldn't trade a single moment of those eight years for anything. I landed work in this fascinating industry, had a chance to do something very special with some of the most memorable people I've ever known, and I am grateful.
