Tracking down a set

Saw this on the way in this morning:

"Biscuit" says the sign. OLV, On location Vacations, is one of the best resources for people looking to watch film sets. Most of the information and content is user generated. It provides addresses for those looking to find the sets or at lease vague information. It doesn't contain nearly every set out there, but only those that have been spotted already by the public. Checking the addresses posted there and seeing how close they were to where I was when I saw the sign is a way of figuring out what the yellow signs stand for. I've figured out that this particular sign is most likely for the show Parenthood based on its location. Maybe I'll have to go check it out, stay tuned...

Things seen around town...

First we have this nice "MOXIE" sign which I noticed right outside of the Emerson Building/La Verne University...

If you were to ask me what my first guess was as to what this sign was for, I would say Night at the Museum 3.  "Moxy" was a major plot point in Night at the Museum 2 and that's where my mind flew to. If I were to take an educated guess at this, given the known filming locations around town, I would say this is for the filming of the drama, Prime Suspect. I saw similar signs on Magnolia for "Trio films" all weekend. 

This next bit I actually photographed while I was near the Magnus Rex sets back in September and I did an "accidental" set visit to the set of Chuck. I've never been a Chuck fan, but I know they're filming the final season now.  Some of the set PA's and actors actually walked over from the Chuck set to The Dark Knight Rises set to see what was going on. Anyway in case you ever wondered what a real live permit looks like: 

Set Strolling on SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

I don't know a whole lot about Seven Psychopaths. I do know that it has Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell though, and it's from writer/director Martin McDonagh, whose last film, In Bruges, is one of my favorite films of all time. It's a shockingly underrated modern classic that more people owe it to themselves to watch.  I heard they were filming in Downtown LA and apparently other people beat me to the punch a day early judging by set photos of Colin, who I would have loved to have met.  Even so, I took a trip down there and saw some beat up cop cars. It's better than nothing.

One thing I'm coming to learn from set visits is that movies have their own schedules. Some shoot only on weekdays while others choose to do the big scenes on weekends. Looks like this one was a weekday shoot.

Set Strolling Do's and Don'ts, (and another trip to Pawnee)

As I was walking to the holding area for extras at an Equestrian Lodge the other day on the set of Parks and Rec the idea occurred to me to make a sort of guide for those who are hoping to watch film sets who might stumble upon this blog.  Having done this a while I thought I might have some pointers for those who simply see a posting online about a filming going on and seek it out.  There's more to it than simply walking in, and there's a lot of factors at play that people don't realize.  So here are some ideas I picked up:

DO's: 

• Have an iphone or video recording device on your phone 
• Master the art of recording or taking pictures with your phone in abnormal positions (close to your chest, at your side, in your pocket) so it doesn't look like you're obviously taking a picture. 
• Talk to people in the crew and set PAs. Befriend them as best you can always. 
• Walk slowly and casually.  Anytime someone is running on a set it appears like a crisis. 
• If questioned or stopped always act 100% clueless. 
• Think of your excuses for being somewhere ahead of time (looking for your car, work around the area etc.) 
• If you meet someone of importance or a talent, address them quickly and casually unless they're standing around obviously not doing anything. Call them by their first name so you don't seem like a starstruck fan. You never want to disturb whatever they're working on. 

DON'Ts: 

• Have your camera out as you walk up to a set 
• wear any sort of fanboy t shirts or clothing obviously visible 
• Hound stars or celebrities for photos or autographs 
• Argue with PAs or crew members. They're doing their job, you're just having fun. 
• Don't do anything that could get in the way of the filming or be considered disrespectful. If you're a true fan, you will let them make it the best it can be and not get in the way. 
• Don't ask questions or announce your presence when you first arrive on a set. Just casually walk in until someone stops you. 
• Don't use flash photography. 
• Don't ask the talent questions about what they're working on. 

That's about all I can think of.  The Parks and Rec set wasn't too impressive, but then again when you see a location that says "Equestrian Lodge" you don't expect that you'll be able to walk right in. I was able to pace around the trucks and the crew area for a while and see some wardrobes hung up, but I couldn't get close enough to see what they were actually filming or see the actors.  I wasn't about to walk right up to the room they were filming in and try to get in there.  Unlike the last Parks and Rec location, this was not a hotel, so I'm sure there's no getting the benefit of the doubt as a "hotel guest" hanging around here. That said I didn't even attempt it and I still felt awkward walking past a few times. 

Set visit to PROJECT X-ITS THE NEXT SUPERBAD!!!

It's been a while since there's been sets really worth strolling on. The new comedy from Todd Phillips called Project X (the mind behind the Hangover) has been doing reshoots though in LA and since I have a unique perspective on the film I figured it was worth a trip.  I've actually seen the film, which is something that not many people can say.  I was part of a test screening audience for this film about 2 months ago which was the first to see it.  The movie comes out in March and now there's a poster as well as a trailer, and I think it will be pretty successful.  I've been asked not to post real reviews of the film, but in a sentence I think it's fair to say I thought it was "not bad."

Downtown in the jewelry district this weekend they were filming Project X.  As the premise of the movie is simply a gigantic house part that escalates into a block party that escalates into a riot, I was curious what they were shooting out in the open like this down at Main and 9th Street. Thankfully, I was able to "stroll" right onto and through the set with no one telling me otherwise.

The videos I got are not the best, but really there wasn't that much to see. Basically, the action was going on inside an apple store. Extras were waiting around inside the store.  As much of the movie is shot on handheld (and it's supposed to appear as if all of it was) there were no fancy cameras to be found.  One weird thing I found about this shoot was the total lack of filming signs.  I was thinking with a title like Project X they'd have some pretty unique yellow and black signs indicating the filming.  Sadly there were none.  I also didn't see any of the stars of the film, which makes this curious scene even curiouser.  If not for the address, I would think this shoot had nothing to do with Project X, having seen the movie and not knowing where they could fit in a scene at the Mac store.

I wish I could have been at the party set for this movie...as I think it would have been insane and I also think that they threw a real party and then just filmed it for the purpose of the movie.  Obviously a lot of it was staged and I know it's not a documentary film, but I am convinced due to the sheer number of extras at the party scenario that they just sent out an invite to a crazy party and then filmed it...which I respect.  

Im starting a collection

Who knows if I'll get more of them though? These were just a lucky find waiting to be thrown out. I think they fit the theme of the blog pretty well.

Public stunt shots in Los Angeles and more MR

Another day...another Batman shoot (DAY 14). As you can see though, this one went well:

Often times these big visual effects shots can be tricky to pull often, and more often than not they become the defining moments of the set visits.  Obviously not every set requires bit flashy stunts, But when you do happen to see them you have to keep in mind what they mean to the overall movie.  The following Los Angeles sets will all have big upcoming stunt projects that require the use of doubles:

-The Bourne Legacy
-Justified
-Sons of Anarchy
-American Horror Story

These are all high budget television shows or films.  Are they made better overall just because they have the inclusion of stunt shots and heavy visual effects?  in the case of Glee, which is also filming in Los Angeles) though primarily on backlots, is it made better because it's the opposite of sparse, and everything is flashy and overdone?  Are these sets open to the public more so than others, not because they have to be done outdoors but because they want to attract attention and buzz for the project they're working on?

I'm asking you, the readers which of these sets I should visit next yet again. Help send me to a film set.

I should also note, that I now own yellow filming signs. Pretty cool. I picked them up off the street after The Dark Knight Rises filming last night.

What have we here?

Come on readers...take a guess.

Send me to an LA set

Simply drop a comment on which set I go to and report on.

Here are the choices:

1. The Closer 
2. Gangster Squad 
3. Glee 
4. The Dark Knight Rises 
5. Scandal 
6. House 
7. Chuck 
8. Free Agents 
9. CSI Miami 
10. Prime Suspect 

MAGNUS REX PART 1

Living in Los Angeles there's ample opportunities to visit film sets...but there will only be one more Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan. Enter...THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, "the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight legend" (as the teaser so aptly puts it).  When I heard that I would be in town in time to see some of the filming of this spectacular film, I was extremely excited.  I thought maybe I'd get the opportunity to see a Gotham Police car or maybe a Batmobile at best.  The things I've seen though have exceeded my hopes and expectations.  It's been a wild ride...and there's still nearly a month left.

To do this entry properly, I've decided to divide it into parts, and within those parts, I'll divide it into the days I spent visiting the set. 

DAY 1. 

My first day visiting the set was the shoot at the 3rd Street Tunnel in Downtown LA.  The 3rd and 4th Street Tunnels have been used in many film shoots over their long history, including in the Terminator franchise.  Most of the streets were blocked off for this location shoot, but I started getting excited as soon as I saw the smoking wreckage of Gotham PD cars piled up outside the tunnel and the "Magnus Rex" crew signs and trailers.  Magnus Rex, "A futuristic dinosaur film with Paulie Shore and Carrot Top" is the alias for The Dark Knight Rises, to not draw attention to the project.  Not much to see from the first night I visited...still enough to pique my interest though. 

DAY 2. 

My second day on set still ranks as one of my favorites so far. I returned to the 3rd Street Tunnel location only to find that they had slightly moved over into an adjacent blocked off parking garage. Nothing online had been posted or known about this particular shoot, and the only way to get at it was through the parking garage of the West Promenade Hotel.  Then I came upon these Batpods...

I was able to snap this pic quickly before the PA told me no pictures.  This kind of startled me, but I'm used to PAs attempting to assert some kind of authority (of which they have none) at this point.  From the West Promenade 4th floor Balcony was able to get a good look at the shoot in the parking garage across the street. I was treated to a look at Anne Hathaway doing some takes saving a boy from a thug and Christopher Nolan directing her to do so. There were also piles of destroyed GPD cars outside the 3rd street tunnel.  After the shooting we saw Christian Bale leaving the set.

DAY 3. 
The filming moved on day 3 to Sante Fe and the 6th street tunnel location.  This was a good day...

The mysterious new vehicle of the movie, The Batwing was out in full view underneath the 6th street bridge. Hundreds of cops and squad cars stormed into the tunnel after it as we watched a few takes. Christopher Nolan was at the helm of the IMAX camera like the captain of a ship. 

To the right of the set was a wall of fake rubble and destruction on wheels. 

My fellow onlookers and I watched patiently before I had to call it a day. I returned the next day and got a clearer pic of the tunnel where they were shooting. A pedestrian access tunnel...but I had no idea what all this scene would entail yet. 

 

DAY 4. 

DAY 5. 
This was a long day, one of the longest ones I put into the shoot. A rewarding one though, and the first time I got to see Christian Bale in the batsuit on set. When I first arrived, they were doing takes of the Batwing swinging under the bridge o its cables and firing mortars extremely loudly.  They did this six or seven times and then started shooting dialogue under the bridge.  It was an unrewarding business trying to get picture of any of this. Christian Bale sat in the batsuit getting his makeup applied about 100 feet from me and I was able to get an extremely clear view of the whole process.  When he walks around on set in the cape and cowl, there's a certain magnetism to his presence and you just know it--he's Batman.  The difference between Bale and a stuntman is instantly clear just in the way he carries himself on set. A platform of ice was built under the 6th Street Bridge where the dialogue scenes were shot.

While I'd already seen great things on my 5 days on set, the best was yet to come...and it might still be yet.

PAWNEE 9-2011

For my first entry I'll talk about my experience visiting the set of PARKS AND RECREATION on NBC. Lovingly codenamed, "Pawnee" after the fictional town the show is set in, it wasn't too hard to figure out what was shooting at the Burbank Holiday Inn as a fan of the show.  While my first goal was just to get a picture with the sign (which I did), I figured I wouldn't see too much lurking in the lobby of the hotel, but as it turns out I was in luck.

When I went through the lobby drinks were being passed out to extras with Knope campaign buttons. Leslie had given a speech in one of the conference rooms in the lobby and posters of her and huge posters of Tom Haverford and his entertainment company adorned the walls. A highlight was seeing a flyer for Ron Swanson's alter-ego Duke Silver on the side of a grip cart.

Retta, who plays Donna on the show was texting in the lobby as I walked past, and Amy herself seemed to be walking at a distance ahead of me.  In the areas beneath the lobby, they had rooms marked off for table reads with the whole cast.  I decided to take one last spin through the set when I ran into Aziz Ansari (who plays Tom Haverford) in the lobby. I had a brief exchange with him and was on my way.  Great set visit. Wish  I got one of those Knope campaign stickers, but I talked to one of the extras and apparently they took them back as soon as the scene was done being shot.

As I wanted to appear to be a clueless hotel guest, I took no pictures on this set except this: