For those of you either old enough or young enough to remember "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," this was Michaelangelo's typical greeting. And like the words to the song, "everything old is new again," so it rings true for TMNT. From the pages of popular comics, TMNT has evolved into animation, games, toys, a live stage event, a movie, and now a new feature extravaganza directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay.
The reason my blog is rippling with turtle excitement is because one of our favorite clients, Colossal Youth, just shot a TMNT promo on our Stage A to be released on Adult Swim. The production included miniature sets of New York City, a cat ("Shredder"), a rat ("Splinter," the rodent sensei), and, of course, TURTLES!
The reptilian stars were Billy, Franklin, Mocha, and Speedy, all of whom are renown method actors. Each creature was outfitted with a custom costume and scaled-down props. The turtles were soooo cute in their little masks and martial arts accoutrement. Animal performers were provided by Hollywood Animals, top-notch wranglers of domestic and exotic non-human thespians.
On the non-animal end, in recent weeks, we've enjoyed having Comedy Central's "Kroll Show" here, "Hollywood Divas," a slew of music videos, a couple feature pick-ups, and several student and indie productions. July and August are sizing up to be just as busy with a smorgasbord of productions. It keeps things interesting around here!
The last time I posted our blog, our big beautiful cyc had just been painted a wonderful white to meet the demands of renters who need this color. Now, in order to meet our renters' needs again, we have returned the cyc to glorious green. We have the capability to switch between colors quickly and affordably--rather chameleon-like, wouldn't you say? If you need green, then go, go, go and contact us for appointment to see our stages.
As usual, Stage B with the longest-standing science-fiction spaceship sets in the biz have been busy. A slew of student productions, music videos, indie shorts, commercials, internet projects, and photo shoots have shot here so far this year. We even had a pair of beautiful foxes--yes, real foxes--here during a recent production. Foxes in space--sounds like a bad '60's sci-fi with buxom starlets.
Every now and again, I want to acknowledge one of our business support companies. A big shout out to Bulldog Equipment Inc. in Santa Clarita. Bulldog is a family-owned and operated high-lift equipment rental company that offers a wide range of scissor lifts, boom lifts, fork lifts, and more for the entertainment industry. Great service, great rates. Check 'em out at bulldogequipmentrentals.com
Keep an eye open for our upcoming beat-the-heat summer specials!
Don't shoot until you see the whites of our cyc! Due to popular demand, our digital green screen is now snowy white. So many new and return clients asked us for a white screen, we decided to give them one. Because that's just the way we are. But hold on--this doesn't mean that we will no longer offer a green screen. We can repaint and restore to either digital green or white at an affordable price. How great is that?! Also, a reminder: Mention our blog, and receive 25% off any of our grip and lighting equipment throughout the month of April. Check back for more updates! Regards, Mary, Patrick, Daniel, and Travis
Hi everybody! Hope your year is going well so far. LCS has enjoyed a range of fun and interesting productions on our stages since the new year began. 2014 so far has brought in a line-up of music videos, student and independent productions, commercials, and a couple pilots to our stages. In January, Billy Ray Cyrus shot an entertaining, space-themed hip-hop reboot of "Achy Breaky Heart" on our spaceship sets, replete with a bevy of sexy aliens, and a guest spot by Larry King, no less. Check it out on Youtube. In between rentals, we always try to improve our facility and expand the amenities we offer. A few weeks ago, we modified an area of our space ship sets. A partially open area we refer to as the "truss room" that featured two diagonal floor-to-ceiling struts was revamped. The diagonal struts are gone, allowing more usable floor space for shooting and camera maneuverability. In addition, the set's ceiling now has movable sections, which offers greater functionality and lighting. One of the perks of our jobs around here is when exotic animals come to work or visit. Last week, Hollywood Animals paid a visit with two of their young tigers, Denali and Annika. Denali was here last October, and at the time was a mere 18-month-old cub. Now, she's a strapping Bengal/Siberian-mix tigress. Beautiful and well behaved, she and newcomer, Annika, scoped out our place sniffing every inch. The owners, Eric and Bettina Weld, occasionally bring their animal actors-in-training by our stages to acclimate them to production environments.
Just yesterday, Hollywood Animals brought another one of their furry performers--Bam Bam, a huge brown bear--for a comedic commercial shoot. As big and intimidating as he appears, the gently-trained Bam Bam is easy-going and always hits his cue, especially when his incentive is a marshmallow.
Even though we've been busy, we like being busier. As an enticement to renters, we are running a Spring special throughout the month of April: 25% off all LCS grip and lighting equipment rentals. Bookings must occur or begin within the month of April, and you must mention this discount in order to receive the promotional rate.
Stay tuned for more news, more discounts, and more updates. Regards, Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Andy
Attention stage renters! Book your stage rental with us this month and receive 20% OFF THE BASE STAGE RATE! But wait, that's not all--all LCS equipment rentals are 20% this month too! Such a deal! Bookings must begin in January, and you must mention that you read it on our blog. Contact our office for further details.
We hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to a great year ahead.
We ended 2013 as our best year ever, and 2014 is already shaping up to be excellent, too. Billy Ray Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball (lol!) and shot a fantastic music video featuring a host of music industry luminaries, none of whom we are at liberty to mention at this time.
Student productions are gearing back up, as our phones have been ringing off the hook with calls from colleges, universities, and film schools. LCS is student friendly, and we enjoy all the creative and enthusiastic young auteurs who pass through our facility. In case you didn't know, we offer student discounts on stage and equipment rental rates--call us for pricing.
Lots of pilots and spec projects are in the works, many of of which are slated to lens on our green screen stage and spaceship sets. There's a lot of energy and excitement in the air, and that tends to bode well for our local entertainment industry. Let's send out positive vibes that it keeps up!
More improvements to our stages and expansion of our support services and amenities are in the works, so check back for further developments. Until then, happy trails!
Posts
