Can you believe that we're in December already?! Our last blog was in August, which is far too much time between our news blurbs. Please forgive the prolonged delay. The only excuse I can muster is that we have been slammed with work this year, which is by no means a complaint. This has, in fact, been our best year ever. We could chock up this success to our stages and sets, but we know that it's really the people--our staff, clients, vendors, and proteges--to whom we must give the credit.
Let's look back at some of LCS's highlights of 2013:
We kicked off 2013 with talent and beauty showcased in Sweden's Next Top Model.
The international theme continued with a British/U.S. sci-fi thriller entitled, THE LAST SCOUT. Watch for it!
Martial arts legends Dan Inosanto, Benny Urquidez, and Richard Norton graced our green screen in a family-friendly film about an aspiring young karate student. Every time the production took a break, these world-renown fighters were swarmed by adoring fans. And of course, we were among their admirers.
A slew of student and independent productions shot on our stages, and many of them took home top awards on the film festival circuit, including Sundance, Telluride, and the LA Film Fest.
So many car commercials! If only the productions would have left some of those lovely vehicles behind...
We always enjoy Comedy Central shoots here, and the Key and Peele episode had to be among our favorites. Watching those two comedians do their side-splitting sketch on our spaceship sets was a total blast!
Space... the final frontier... And the Star Trek saga continues right here on our standing spaceship sets. Star Trek Renegades, directed by Tim Russ (aka Lt. Commander Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager), was a labor of Trekkie love. Walter Koenig (Pavol Chekov from the 1960's Star Trek TV show), Sean Young (the beautiful android lead in BLADE RUNNER), and Edward Furlong (young John Conner from TERMINATOR 2) starred in this ambitious production. Coming soon to an internet near you!
Music videos of all shapes and sizes came through our facility. We were thrilled and honored to have music vid luminaries Justin Timberlake and Timbaland on our stages. Not only are they the poster boys of talent, they are super swell guys.
Being huge animal lovers, we really got excited when lions, and tigers, and bears...oh my!--and a wolf, too--came to LCS this year. These are only a few of the beautiful, wonderfully trained exotic creatures we've had here, thanks to Hollywood Animals of Santa Clarita.
Renovation of the Stage B kitchen, restrooms, and production offices expanded and upgraded the amenities we offer our renters.
LC Sound Services, an in-house audio post-production company, completed the upgrade of its ADR stage and a Final Cut suite. For your audio post needs, contact Les Claypool at (818) 394-9844.
I could go on and on, but I think that's enough for now.
On behalf of everyone here at LCS, I would like to thank our clients, vendors, proteges, associates, friends, and family for their continuing support. We wouldn't be here without you. We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year.
Peace, love, and harmony to all. Yes, the summer of love at LCS is back, because we love our clients. And to express our ardor, we are offering 25% off any of our lighting packages during the month of September. But wait, that's not all! Also throughout September, clients can take advantage of a discounted weekly rate on our 19' scissorlift--$300 for a 3-day week! Such a deal! Onto the latest and greatest news. I realize a lot of time passes between blogs, but we've been too bogged to blog. Since April, our stages have provided settings to a wide variety of productions, from student theses to large union gigs. Most recently, a family-friendly film shot on our Stage A. The storyline centered around young competing martial artists, and the talent was kick-ass! (no pun intended). Teen and pre-teen world champions did fight scenes that did not look humanly possible, and they made it look effortless. In my opinion, the highlight of the shoot was having martial arts figureheads on set, among them, Danny Inosanto and Benny Uriquidez on set. Danny was a star pupil of the late Bruce Lee, and Benny was a world champion kickboxer--he played an assassin who tried to kill John Cusack in "Grosse Point Blank". Aside from being icons in their field, they were all charming gentlemen who just enjoyed being a part of the film. Sci-fi is still going strong--our spaceship sets have never been busier. A dramatic feature entitled, "The Last Scout" shot here in May and is due to be out this year--watch for it. Our ships were also the setting for an alien bar and off-planet dating show in a fantastic music video lensed by Neil Johnson. One of my favorites this year was Comedy Central's Key & Peele, who taped some hilarious stuff on our both our stages. Check out our Facebook page for clips and downloads. We've had a number of brilliant student productions through our stages shooting film projects for school theses. If you are a student looking for a great stage, contact us for more information about our student discounts. We'll try not to let months pass before posting a new blog, so check in for new news and the latest updates! Until then, peace out! Mary, Patrick, Daniel, and Lex
Hi everyone! Good grief, it's already mid-April! This year is flying by! As you can see, a bit of time goes by in between blog updates, but it isn't because there's nothing to report. Quite the opposite, in fact. 2013 is proving to be our busiest year yet. A slew of music videos, internet pilots and webisodes, electronic game shoots, student productions, and independent features and shorts have been streaming through our stages. LCS also hosted a Digital Cinema Society seminar last month featuring new lighting technology. There was a splendid turnout of guests and exhibitors. The latest in lighting gear and technique were demonstrated by ARRI, Cineo Lighting, Hive Lighting, K-5600, Kino-Flo, Litepanels, and Nila. Plus, acclaimed cinematographers, Robert Schaefer and Joe DiGennaro participated as guest speakers. For more information about the DCS, visit www.digitalcinemasociety.org. Even though we've been busy, busy, busy, in our limited spare time, we continue to improve and expand our amenities. Our Stage B restrooms were recently revamped in a sharp new look. In addition, five second-floor offices on Stage B are now available to rent for production support. We've also just added a 19' scissorlift with extending platform to our inventory of rental equipment, so now our clients can avoid the hassle of renting a high-lift off site and save on delivery and pick-up fees. Just a reminder, we observe an open policy on gear--productions may bring in their own equipment without restriction. But keep in mind that we do offer a competitively priced inventory of grip, lighting, and electrical. For more information on our equipment, please visit our website at www.lcstages.com, or call us at (818) 768-8935. More good things are on the horizon, so be sure to check back for updates!
Best regards, Mary Claypool, Rental Manager Patrick Mason, Stage Manager Daniel Bither, Marketing
Well, this year has been extremely busy for us, not to mention filled with variety. We have enjoyed renting our stages to a wide spectrum of productions, from commercials, music videos, and webisodes to student theses, independent features, and photo shoots.
Our personal favorites involved animal performers. We were delighted by a charming Capuccin monkey, four magnificent tigers brought in for a green screen shoot, and a gorgeous South American tarantula. The creature thespians usually upstaged the human actors, but no jealously arose. In fact, the cast and crew were begging to have the adorable monkey sit on their heads, and the sweet-tempered simian happily obliged. The tigers were hypnotically beautiful, yet caution kept the crew at a respectable distance, and the huge felines (all female) were pampered like true divas. Although light as a feather and extraordinarily gentle, the harmless arachnid unnerved most of the cast and crew.
We've also had a slew of amazing music videos featuring huge names, which I am not at liberty to divulge until the videos are released. The History Channel group came in with a fun shoot, and Sweden's Next top Model had our male site reps lined up to work on the project. We never fail to be impressed with the original concepts and execution of the student productions that come in here--a lot of young talent will be making their mark in this industry. Although several car commercials were shot on our Stage A, we didn't get to keep any of the sleek new vehicles--bummer. Every rental we have had this year was unique, sometimes challenging, and invariably interesting. We love our jobs.
Overall, it has been a great year for us, and we just want to say thanks to our clients and vendors for helping to make LCS successful. We couldn't do it without you.
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy new year!
Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Lex
Friday, August 17, 2012
SINGING THE VALLEY'S PRAISES
More often than I can recall, prospective clients who contact our rental office for stage information or scout our facility end their conversations with comments such as, "Well, your stage sounds great, but the client doesn't want to drive all the way from the West Side." Or, "We love your place, but it's too far from our offices in Los Angeles." I won't argue with people, but I know that they are laboring under a misconception on this point. My attempts at guiding them toward the truth are usually dismissed, and we move on. And again, more often than I can recall, those very same clients come back, rent our stages, and become devoted return renters. Sometimes people just have to learn things for themselves.
Those of you who are familiar with traffic patterns in and around Los Angeles County know that the morning rush hours on the 5, 170, 405 and 101 southbound can be sluggish, exasperating, and even nightmarish. Travel time in minutes is like converting Fahrenheit to Celsius--double it and add 30.
Conversely, northbound freeways go against the vehicular tides, and traffic flows with ease. Once, I timed a morning trip by car from Wilshire Blvd. and 26th St. to our stages in Arleta/San Fernando, and it took me 26 minutes. Yeah, okay, I have a lead foot, but I was only going a few miles over the limit. The point is, 26 minutes is nothing when it comes to going from Santa Monica to San Fernando. LCS seriously puts the meaning in "freeway close."
A client recently told me that a shoot he booked in downtown L.A. was difficult to get to, parking was a huge pain, and the location fees and permits were costly. After shooting at LCS, he's totally sold on us and The Valley. What us Valley-ites know, and have always known, is that you can find anything you need here in the Hinterland just beyond the 405 and Cahuenga passes. In fact, most entertainment industry support services are located on this side of the Great Divide. Within a 10-mile radius of our stages, there are hundreds of companies, small and large, that serve the film/video, marketing, and web content communities. Prop houses, set vendors, grip and lighting, audio and visual post-production houses, theatrical fabrics, caterers, break-away glass, cranes and high-lifts, rental trucks, rental animals, rental body parts, rental zombies, you name it...it's all right here in The Valley, just a stone's throw away from our front door.
The next time you or someone you know needs a great shooting stage with a beautiful greenscreen, science-fiction spaceship sets, nearby top-notch support services, and an easy drive with plenty of free parking waiting for you, just remember--The Valley's got it, and it's a lot closer than you might think. Regards Mary Claypool, Rental Manger Patrick Mason, Stage Manger Daniel Bither, Marketing
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wow! Here we are past the mid point of May, and June is peeking right around the corner. Time to start thinking about summertime, summertime, sum- sum- summertime!
Back in March, we ran a hot promotion that people jumped all over: 10% off our base stage rental rates, plus our basic 3-ton grip package was included with every rental. So, thanks to popular demand, we will be doing our part to stave off June gloom by running this same promotion next month. Be sure to mention this great deal when you call or email us to book your next stage rental.
As usual, we've enjoyed a varied mix of productions at our facility over the past two months. College Humor was here again, this time shooting their own unique and hilarious version of a popular kids' show. The best part of the shoot involved a beautifully trained cappuchin monkey that thrilled cast and crew by perching on their heads during takes.
Sofia Coppola and her talented cast and crew shot a spectacular car crash gag for her upcoming feature, "The Bling Ring." The film is based on the real-life band of teen thieves who burgled the homes of several famous celebrities.
During the month of April, our Stage B spachship sets were working at warp speed with three separate companies shooting on them; One lensed part of a feature, one returned for pick up shots for a film festival entry, and the other shot a huge webisode project. After 20 years, these vintage sci-fi sets are still going strong.
Check back for more updates, promotions, and news in general. Until then, y'all take care.
Spring has sprung. The season is bursting with newness and vitality, much like recent productions being shot here at LCS. I'm referring to the recent film and video projects produced by university and film school students on our stages.
A number of students have shot their theses or film/video shorts here for their school course work. Although their hands-on production experience may be limited, their fresh ideas and enthusiasm are boundless. It's exciting to see exceptional work being done by aspiring young filmmakers, and we are happy to be a small part of it. We encourage the budding auteur by offering student discounts on our stage rates and equipment, plus our experienced stage managers offer guidance and support. Students from Biola University, Cal State Long Beach, Los Angeles Film School, and Chapman University recently lenses their projects here.
In addition, we will again proudly host Los Angeles Mission College's Cross Fade Film Festival on June 9. Screenings of student films will be showcased on our Stage A, and prominent industry vendors will be displaying their products and equipment. Visitors will also get to see our sci-fi spaceship sets, once used in the immensely popular TV series, FIREFLY. Check back in May for film festival updates.
FYI, our March Madness promotion is nearly over, and we still have a few rental days available before the month ends. Book now, and get 15% off the base rental rate, plus our 3-ton grip package is included. Such a deal!
Until next time. Best regards,
Mary Claypool, Rental Manager Patrick Mason, Stage Manager
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