March 5th, 2014

Another great day in Los Angeles. We started off the day at The Lot. 

Panorama of LA from The Lot

Our tour started off by going to the hangar where films such as Seven Pounds and Austin Powers in Goldmember were filmed. It was even mentioned that The Wizard of Oz was scored in the same hangar as well. 

The Hangar

The white wall helps for green screen footage and for large scale productions to occur. Its so crazy to think that some very famous scenes were shot here and then the background footage was superimposed on the original shot to create the final scene. This is just one of the many examples in LA of services and utilities for filmmaking that OU simply cannot have for obvious reasons. Its for such large productions and requires such precise up-keeping to maintain its quality. I would love to work on a stage like this at some point in my career. In essence, if you can dream a scene, it can be done on a stage like this because of new technologies such as CGI and increased quality in green screen work. After touring the hangar, we were able to tour an ADR room that is used for dialogue replacement in films. They have a large screen to allow actors/actresses to watch the scene closely as they attempt to recreate the same emotion that they did when doing the scene originally. The last stop at The Lot was on the set of HBO's series "True Blood". Honestly, I have never watched the show, but that did not stop me from appreciating the kind of work that goes into maintaing a set for a permanent show. I like seeing large production sets and seeing how they differ from more independent ways of creating sets at places like OU. 

On set of "True Blood"

The next stop led us to Mandalay Vision, where we met with President and fellow OU alum, Matt Rhodes. If I could sum up his entire presentation into one word, it would be "WOW". Matt really knows what it takes to succeed in an industry like this. I could tell how extremely passionate he is about what he does. His ability to get to the point and be direct, while also maintaining an insightful presence is a quality I wholeheartedly respect. He talked a lot about how got started in LA: moving out here with $800, sneaking onto sets, making up fake names to meet people on the phones, etc. All of this showed what it takes to get your name out and connect with people in the entertainment industry. One thing he said that really stuck with me was the fact that this is a creative field, meaning to get a job or to get where you want to be, not only do you have to be creative in the work that you do, but also be creative in the ways you network and meet people. His initiative and strong work ethic (especially at such a young age) is so inspiring to me. He reiterated the fact that you have to be passionate to work here. Its the same advice alums have been giving to us all week. Don't come out here if you aren't completely driven by this field of work. Luckily I am, so I took all of his words of advice to heart. I asked him a personal question about what I should do as an aspiring DP to get started out here. He told me to look for work in camera and lighting stores, that way I can get familiar with equipment and really learn the technical side of things before I initially start work. Everything he said was useful and was exactly what I needed to hear. I really enjoyed talking with him today and hopefully I have the opportunity to work with him in some fashion at some point in my career. 

Next up was the Warner Bros. Lot

Warner Bros. Studio Lot

The tour around Warner Bros. was truly my favorite experience of the trip so far. From a fan point, it was incredible to see dozens of locations that films and shows I love have used for scenes. Everything from Friends, Spiderman, Austin Powers, Pretty Little Liars, Seinfeld, The Mask, Terminator 2, and so on. The list goes on forever. I can genuinely see myself working on a studio lot full time. The rich history of a lot like this was really a lot to take in. I was like a kid in a candy store, or rather a film student in a camera store. After today, I really find myself wanting to work full time on a studio lot. There are so many projects being shot day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset. I think working on a lot like this would expose me to a wide variety of different kinds of work because of everything from television shows, to features, to talk shows are all shot here. I was really moved by the whole experience. 

Still upset I got sorted into Hufflepuff

The retired "Central Perk" set from Friends

The rebooted cast of Friends. And to answer your next question, yes I am Chandler. 

Hermione was so happy to see me

Lastly, we attended a live taping of "Mike & Molly" starring Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy. This is both similar and different in regards to how "The Talk" is filmed. "Mike & Molly" was the first time I have ever seen a multi-cam television show being produced. It was interesting how they film the show and I found myself surprised at little takes it took to create the full episode, sometimes only spending two takes on a certain scene. I found myself really paying attention to what the DP, AD, and Director were doing while on set. After getting passed the fandom of just watching the acting, I started paying attention to how the crew worked on set. I really wanted to see how they carried themselves on a set. The AD was the most busy person on the set it seems, always making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be and making sure the crew and audience were quiet when a new take was about to be filmed. I don't necessarily see myself as wanting to work in television because everything seems very rushed, but I would absolutely love to try it sometime either way. I was amazed at how similarly the sets run in comparison to sets I have been on since being at school. There really was almost no differences other than the large crew size. I was also fascinated by the guy commonly referred to as the "switcher". Basically, they switch the camera angles during a scene depending on who is talking or whose reaction shot we should be looking at at that particular time. The ability to anticipate the next funny line or reaction is really a difficult thing to do and I wish a job like that was not so under the radar. To me, its one of the most important positions on a set even though they hardly get recognition for such work. In closing, I found it truly inspiring to see how a multi-cam television show is shot and I feel like I learned a lot about how to carry myself on a professional film set. Each day in LA is progressively getting better and I am constantly learning new information about how the industry works out here and I am so happy that I feel more inspired than ever to begin my life out here.