CBH Talk | Scouting Brooklyn: Inside the CBH Film Location Archive

Before digital files, databases, and location-scouting apps transformed the industry, New York’s production world ran on hard copies—real photographs, taped into real folders, stored in real boxes. In the 1980s and ’90s, this analog system became an improvised but indispensable collective archive: a constantly expanding trove of panoramic shots of exteriors and interiors across the city, labeled everything from “Dark Alleys” to “Bowling Alleys.”

This command-central workspace was where location scouts shared the day’s work, taping freshly developed prints into hand-labeled folders and studying one another’s material—saving countless hours of duplicate shooting. Decades later, this remarkable visual record of Brooklyn’s streets, storefronts, and neighborhoods has been processed, preserved in the Center for Brooklyn History archives, now accessible to all researchers, filmmakers, and curious Brooklynites.

Join four veteran location scouts, Joe Guest, Lyn Pinezich, Eric Papa and Malaika Johnson, who helped build this one-of-a-kind resource, as they reflect on the origins of the collection, the collaborative culture that created it, the lost craft of that bygone era, and the art of location scouting today. CBH archivist Alice Griffin, who spent more than a year processing and organizing the files, will highlight standout images and surprising discoveries. Moderated by CBH Director of Programs Marcia Ely.

View CBH's finding aid for the Brooklyn Location Scouting Photographs Collection. Above photo courtesy of Lyn Pinezich.

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Participants

Alice Griffin, MSLIS is an archivist at the Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library. In her role, Alice processes archival collections, making materials available for people to use, and manages questions about copyright and reproductions. In 2025, she completed processing the Brooklyn location scouting photographs collection (CBHM.0017), the collection which inspired this program. Previously, she worked on the digital asset management team at Clinique and was Metadata/Digitization Assistant for the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club Archives.

 

 

 

 

Joe Guest is a New York-based producer with over 25 years of experience in film and television production. He has worked with award-winning filmmakers including Bong Joon Ho, Steve Zaillian, Gus Van Sant, Ridley Scott, Mike Nichols, Ben Stiller, Shawn Levy, Jodie Foster, Todd Field, Ang Lee, Jonathan Demme and Todd Haynes.  Recent credits include Executive Producer on the upcoming movies I PLAY ROCKY and MARTY SUPREME, Line Producer on RIPLEY (Netflix) and Co-Executive Producer on BLACK BIRD for Apple TV.  He also line produced THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA for HBO, as well as Jenny Deller’s FUTURE WEATHER. 

As a Unit Production Manager, credits include ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA, THE STAND, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, OKJA, Chris Rock’s TOP FIVE, as well as New York units for MADAM WEB, SPIDERMAN, AVENGERS & GHOSTBUSTERS. Joe began his career as a Location Manager, on projects ranging from the more intimate (DOUBT, LAST DAYS, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, LITTLE CHILDREN) to period and large scale (THE BOURNE LEGACY, MILDRED PIERCE, EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE, SALT, AMERICAN GANGSTER).  Joe grew up on an organic vegetable farm in Vermont.

 

Malaika Johnson is a life-long New Yorker, born and raised in South Ozone Park, Queens. She's been in the film industry for almost 30 years, with more than 20 of those years working as a Location Scout in the Tri-State area. She's worked on big budget feature films, such as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and WALL STREET 2, as well as prestige dramas, including THE LEFTOVERS and BOARDWALK EMPIRE.

Malaika is a member of the Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 Union, and has served on their negotiating committee to fight for fairer contracts for her fellow union members. She is also a member of the NYC Film and Television Production Advisory Council, which serves to advise and help shape city policies to both keep and grow the film industry here in New York City.  She graduated Queens College with a B.A. in Media Studies, and a minor in Music Theory.

 

Eric Papa is a Location Scout, photographer and filmmaker living in New York City. In 1999 Eric began his film career with the NYC-based independent film company Good Machine working in international sales as an Acquisitions Executive and then moving into film production as a Creative Executive with the indie film production house This Is That. In 2006, he transitioned into the world of locations, eventually becoming a Location Scout.

With 25+ years of experience, Eric has collaborated on over 60 feature film and television productions. In so doing, he has wandered and explored countless miles of city streets and landscapes around the globe. He is a member of the Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) and his photography was recently featured at the Photoville Festival in Brooklyn, NY.

A keen observer with an insatiable curiosity for discovering hidden stories in the world around him, Eric is frequently drawn to the often-overlooked details and the subtle rhythms of daily life unfolding amidst the bustle of urban environments. These fleeting moments of quiet beauty inspire his cinematic work, transforming the ordinary into extraordinary visual narratives: beautiful still moments in a moving life. His approach is guided by the belief that "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it" – seeking to capture the unseen in a way that resonates with audiences. 

 

Lyn Pinezich is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker with a decades-long career in feature films and television.  Lyn has extensive experience filming in New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut, and has also worked throughout the United States including Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington DC, as well as overseas in Thailand.

She began as a Location Scout and Manager on such movies as SCENT OF A WOMAN, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, MAID IN MANHATTAN, MONA LISA SMILE, MUNICH, and WAR OF THE WORLDS.  She then moved into Production Managing working on large scale projects such as AMERICAN GANGSTER, SALT, BOURNE ULTIMATUM, EAT PRAY LOVE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, ARMY OF THE DEAD, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, THE GOOD NURSES, MR. & MRS. SMITH, and JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH.

Lyn has had the pleasure of working with many prominent directors including Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Tony Scott, Zack Snyder, Ryan Murphy, Ava DuVernay and Guillermo del Toro. She is proud to be a long-time member of the Directors Guild of America, and for five years served as the Chair of the DGA’s Council for Assistant Directors, Location Managers and Unit Production Managers for the Eastern United States. She is currently an Alternate to the DGA’s National Board.

Lyn has been a guest lecturer at Brooklyn College for eight years, is a long-term member of New York Women in Film and Television, and in 2018 she was honored to win First Place in the Scriptapalooza Fellowship screenwriting contest with her romantic-comedy, JULIE AND ROMEO.

 

Marcia Ely is the Director of Programs at the Center for Brooklyn History. She has held senior programming and marketing positions at the Brooklyn Historical Society and the New York Transit Museum. She began her career as a television writer and producer where she created award-winning programs for networks that include Nickelodeon, AMC, TNT, Showtime, and The Movie Channel.