Friday, January 10, 2014
*** JANUARY DISCOUNT ***
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.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
LOOKING FORWARD TO A BRAND NEW YEAR!
Happy new year, friends!
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!
Best regards,
Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Andy
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!
Best regards,
Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Andy
Thursday, December 5, 2013
LOOKING BACK AT AN EXCELLENT YEAR
Hello everyone:
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:
Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Lex
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.
Warmest regards,
Mary, Patrick, Daniel, Travis, and Lex
Friday, August 9, 2013
THE SUMMER OF LOVE IS BACK!
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
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
Thursday, April 18, 2013
SO FAR, SO GREAT!
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
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
Friday, December 21, 2012
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Seasons greetings one and all.
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
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
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
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