THE ART & FUTURE OF LOCATION WORK
thursday, 7 August
Registration & Coffee
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Urmas Klaas, Mayor of Tartu
- Külli Hansen/Signe Somelar-Erikson, Tartu Centre for Creative Industries/ Tartu Film Fund
Opening Panel: The Art of Location Scouting
Moderator: Kristofer Piir (Allfilm/Local, EST)
Panelists:
- Lori Balton (USA)
- Markus Bensch (GER)
A wide-ranging conversation on the evolving role of location scouts and managers, cooperation with creative teams, working globally, technology, and personal resilience in the industry.
Discussion: Scout & Production Designer Cooperation
Moderator: Kalev Smidt (Location Unit, EST)
Panelists:
- Markus Bensch (GER)
- Lori Balton (USA)
- Anna Hints (EST)
- Matis Mäesalu (EST)
This panel focuses on the collaboration between location scouts, production designers, and directors in shaping the visual world of a film. The discussion will also address productions where designers take on the role of scouts—examining the benefits, challenges, and implications of combining these roles.
Case Studies & Discussion: Film Friendliness in Practice
Moderator: Sander Lebreht (EST)
Panelists:
- Torgrim Ødegård (NOR)
- Teija Raninen (FIN)
- Jurate Pazikaite (LT)
- Tuuliki Oberschneider (EST)
- Markus Langi (EST)
Case study on Netflix’s Billionaire Island shot in Frøya, Norway & other productions in challenging areas. We talk also wider about film friendliness in practice, skills to handle production–community tension, on-the-ground problem-solving & building trust and long-term relations.
Lunch & Networking
Presentations / Q&A: Innovation in Location Work
Speakers:
- Mark Harald Männik (EST)
Modern location management case study featuring Locus Pro digital tools
- Jaan Kronberg (EST)
Jaan Kronberg explores how drone-based 3D models of real environments can streamline location scouting, planning, and even virtual production – making film prep faster, cheaper, and more flexible.
- Lori Balton (USA)
Lori will present Location Lounge: tool designed to preserve and enhance the vital relationships between location professionals and film commissions.
- David Zitzlsperger (GER)
David will present the Filmmakers System – a modular platform supporting film commissions and location scouts with integrated AI tools. His talk highlights how film regions can strengthen visibility and impact through smart location and talent infrastructure.
Panelists:
- Markus Bensch (GER)
- Kaur Kallas (EST)
- Jaan Kronberg (EST)
- David Zitzlsperger (GER)
This closing panel explores how emerging technologies are reshaping the entire production? What the changing role of location professionals looks like in this new environment? How production designers, producers, and scouts must collaborate differently in a world where physical and virtual locations blend? How film commissions and regional institutions can adapt their services and value propositions to remain relevant and competitive?
Speakers: Tartu Film Fund + Moderator
Summary, main insights, and invitation to evening networking.
Informal Evening Networking at Kalevi 15 – drinks and light bites, creative chats welcome!
Friday, 8 August
10:00 – 15:00
TARTU LOCATION TOUR
meeting point and start 10:00 – Tartu Town Hall Square, by the Kissing Students fountain
10:00 – 11.30
TARTU LOCATION TOUR
meeting point and start 10:00 – Tartu Town Hall Square, by the Kissing Students fountain
11:30 – 15:00
WALKING TOUR: TARTU OLD TOWN AND TOOME HILL
- University of Tartu – Main Building and Assembly Hall; 19th century, neoclassicism
- St. John’s Church (14th century) and Lutsu Street (18-19th century) – Gothic church with unique terracotta figures; narrow cobbled street with wooden and stone houses
- Ruins of Tartu Cathedral: 13th century origins, brick gothic, dramatic ruins open to the sky, surrounded by parkland
- Old Anatomical Theatre: 19th century, neoclassical / scientific functionalism; oval room with original wooden interior
- Gunpowder Cellar: 18th century, military architecture; vaulted ceiling, thick stone walls, subterranean feel
BUS TOUR (meeting point Tartu Market Hall parking lot) - Puiestee street Nuclear Shelter
- Estonian National Museum: the museum is anchored near a former Soviet military base becomes a continuation of the airfield – its roof is lifting and expanding towards ‘infinite space’
- Raadi military airfield: one of the largest military airfields in Eastern Europe. The main runway has a concrete surface, with a length of 3,050 meters and a width of 60 meters. The total area of the airfield is approximately 698 hectares.
- Annelinn residencial area: a district of Tartu, which is located in the eastern part of the city and is known for its prefabricated houses built mainly in the 1970s and 1980s
- Karlova district: a historic wooden district with a bohemian atmosphere, narrow streets, and early 20th-century architecture
- The Samelin footwear factory: former footwear factory with high-ceilinged halls, large windows, exposed factory structure
- Tartu railway station: built in 1875–1876, it is a representative wooden structure on a stone foundation, based on a standard design. The building features a rectangular layout with projecting wings and a wide central staircase, combining one- and two-storey volumes
- korp! Ugala fraternity house: built in 1938–1939; a plastered functionalist building with a rectangular layout. Key architectural features include a protruding entrance volume, vertical stair tower with narrow windows, tall second-floor hall windows unified by a cornice, and a double-winged front door
- Surprise location: visit to a private residence on Veski Street