Recently in New Mexico, the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) initiated a digital technology session at their annual Cineposium. This session allowed film commissioners to understand basic digital terminology and how it affects them.

Location manager Mike Fantasia addressed a group of film commissioners at Cineposium, informing them that he spends more time scouting on his computer then he does flying. "I can't impress upon you how important your websites have become" Fantasia says.

This digital scouting trend seems to be taking off as film commissioners, location services, and land owners are all getting on the bandwagon by digitizing their locations. In Los Angeles, a large amount of location services that represent private property owners are all showcasing their properties online.

Michele McRae the senior booking agent for Real to Reel Location Agency says that nine out of 10 bookings come from the Internet. "It's all about speed. How fast I can get the right photographs in front of the decision makers. They don't have time to scout. They often go directly on a director's scout right off the pictures." She says that Real to Reel will send pictures directly to the location scout working in the field.

The Pasadena Film Office has revamped its digital library, using software from VisionNet Solutions out of Vancouver, B.C., to help them organize their digital library. "VisionNet has really thought about how to network not just film commissioners, but the entire production community" says Pasadena Film Office’s Ariel Penn. "It's going to make it easier for people to find what they're looking for and they’re going to have a greater selection of locations."

Penn said that she is impressed with VisionNet, developed by Michael Gazetas, a former location manager. The software offers a slide-show multimedia display, a search box, a virtual production office suite, and a dedicated library, along with organizing the information in logical categories. In addition, Penn says location managers and property owners could upload their own pictures to VisionNet, which will help build a library.

Film commissioners are also signing up for the popular Reel Scout web site, an integrated contact and project management system designed for film commissions. According to Ed Henegar, president of Reel Scout, the system was originally developed for the Charlotte Film Office and is now being used by many more states and regions including Philadelphia, Maryland and Texas. Henegar intends to make it a national hub of locations for the entertainment industry. "A national database of locations is kind of the Holy Grail and I think we're really close," says Henegar.

Reel to Reel's McRae chimes in that with all the opportunities that are available through digital scouting it’s imperative to remember that photographs don't tell the whole story. "It's important to remember that digital pictures are just that, digital pictures," she says. "The truth always comes out when the location manager visits the location firsthand. That's where they truly see the complexities of the location such as parking, cosmetic changes, and access among other things."