Grand Canyon-A great place to do your next shoot

Dear Reader,

Last month a good client of mine asked me if I was interested in doing a photo shoot in the Grand Canyon. I made a search on Google and discovered that the Grand Canyon is about five hundred miles from Los Angeles or about a seven and a half hour drive.  In my motor home it took me about nine hours because I had to refuel a few times and I drove about sixty, a lot slower than most people would drive. Actually I had enough range to make it all the way to the Grand Canyon, I can travel about 900 miles on a tank.  I wasn’t sure if there was a diesel station in town.  There is a Texaco in town that sells both gas and diesel; I discovered when I got to the Grand Canyon Village. When I am on the road in a motor home, I like to take my time; I like to conserve fuel, that doesn’t mean I don’t push it, when I need to.  I am not trying to set speed records.  There were plenty of troopers searching like sharks to prey upon any would be speeders.  

I left at five-thirty in the morning and arrived at our hotel at two forty five that afternoon.  I checked in, with the production coordinator and let her know that I arrived and waiting for further instructions, she indicated she would call me later. I decided to check out the town of Grand Canyon Village.  This is a McDonalds, Windy’s, Pizza Hut, a couple of steak houses, pizza places and a number of souvenir shops.  We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, it is nice, rooms are clean; staff is awesome, plenty of parking for large and small vehicles.  The breakfast bar was amazing; there were hot food items like sausage, bacon, eggs, pastries, coffee, tea, a large seating area, TV and a newspaper.  For dinner we ate at the Best Western, for a Best Western, this is the most upscale BW I have ever been to; it looked more like a 5 Star Hotel.  The restaurant had a great menu and the food was amazing.  The bar served pizza, chicken and finger foods, with a good selection of wines and beers.  

The Grand Canyon Village is a tourist trap and I found the food, lodging and other items on the expensive side. What do you expect, from one of the most amazing places on earth.  We are not talking New York prices either, compared to NY, the prices for lodging, food and other stuff is reasonable.   Most of the businesses are on State Route 64.  There is a tram that takes passengers from the Grand Canyon Village for free to the Grand Canyon.

The downside to my job is that I very seldom have time to enjoy the locations that I go to; I usually arrive the day before the shoot, work for however many days and when the project is over head back home. The Grand Canyon is on my bucket list, it should be on everyone bucket list, it is beyond breath taking, there is so much to see and do.  If I had the time I would like to take a helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon, a Jeep trip into the canyon, a bus through the canyon and my personal truck to explore the canyon.  All the above options are all available in the Grand Canyon; Village except for my truck, sorry I need my truck. 

My photo shoot was unusual for the reason that there was a lot of traveling in such a short period of time.  Sunday I traveled to the Grand Canyon Village, as I indicated about a nine hour drive for me, Monday we shot in the Grand Canyon, Tuesday we traveled back to Los Angeles, Wednesday we traveled to a film set in Palmdale.  Most of the crew flew to the “Grand Canyon”, except the driver of the production truck which had most of the gear and of course me.  There is a small airport in the village, most people fly to Flagstaff or Phoenix, then rent a car and drive the “Canyon”.  The flight is not so simple, if you plan in advance one might find a direct flight to Flagstaff, and then you would have an hour and half drive to the Village.  Our crew flew first to Las Vegas, a short one-hour wait at the airport, then flew to Phoenix an hour flight, then drove four hours to the Grand Canyon Village.  On the way back they had to repeat this process.  This was one time I can say my motor home trip was faster than a passenger jet with less hassle.  Personally if I wasn’t driving my motor home, the train is a better option, then rent a car. Amtrak stops in Flagstaff, and you don’t have to go through all that security hassle.

On Monday we left early to drive to the GC, we actually drove through it; then stop about a half hour outside the park at a Navajo reservation.  A couple of Navajo rangers greeted us at the location, showed the crew where to park and then we proceeded to get ready for the day.  This is when the fun started; first there was a little rain, no problem.  Then there was a little wind, no problem.  Then the rain and wind hit us like a Mack truck.  Tables, chairs, our catering gear, heaters, anything that was not tied down was blowing down the canyon.  Eventually catering was set up in the RV, since it was raining so hard, the photographer shot a few photographs with the model relaxing on the sofa, the Grand Canyon in the background.  By the end of the day they got all there shots, the rain and the wind subsided. 

As I drove back to the Village it started to snow, a light snow, it was a beautiful way to end one my most interesting days.  The next morning I headed back to LA around eight in the morning.  I stopped in Barstow to get my RV wash, it was so dirty from all the rain and snow from the previous day.  The next morning I was up at four in the morning, heading to Palmdale.  No snow and rain in Palmdale, just blue skies and sun.  Ten thirty that night we were finished.

As a service to my clients I can scout locations for them, provide a comprehensive list of locations to lodge at, nearby grocery stores, dump stations, service station, truck stops and other vital information.  Since I have been in the business for over thirteen years I keep a good data base of all the locations I have been to, so call me Mike Green if you have any questions.

MIKE GREEN RVs

818 317 7099 LA/Palm Springs/San Diego

415 730 7127 San Francisco/Nevada

541 619 3934 Portland/Arizona/Colorado

206 777 5192 Seattle/Idaho/Canada

323 927 1546 Fax

mgreen2528@sbcglobal.net

Mikegreenrv.com

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Village

Grand Canyon Village

Fort Ross-A great place to do your next photo shoot, commercial or film

I had a chance recently to work on a feature film shooting at Fort Ross, about one-hundred miles north of San Francisco off of Highway 1.  Fort Ross is unique to California, unlike the other forts that were built by the United States government, and protected by US troops.  Fort Ross was built and managed by the Russians.  This was the Southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of the North American continent.  Fort Ross was a settlement from 1812 to 1841.  The architecture is very Russian, most of which was built in Russia, then shipped to Fort Ross.  

The film I worked on is called “Fort Ross”, a time travel tale shot in Russia and other locations in Europe.  The filmmakers built a replica of Fort Ross in Russia for the film.  Personally I wished they would had filmed “Fort Ross” on location, it would had helped the local economy and the local Bay Area crew like myself.  On the positive side they shot one day in Sausalito, one day at San Francisco Airport and two days at Fort Ross. Working with a Russian crew was an awesome experience, the Russians are very charming, and they were curios about Americans and America.  I am half Russian, second generation on my mothers side, so it was great talking to Russians about Russia.  

I regress, what makes Fort Ross such an interesting location is the fact it is uniquely Russian, not American.   The towers are rounded, there is a small chapel on the eastern end of the fort. There is a cannon for protection, but not a lot of cannons one would see on American forts.  This outpost was so remote for Russia, even if it had a thousand cannons, it would eventually be over run by enemy forces.  (Though I am not aware if Russia had anything to fear, California at the time was part of Mexico and they were trading partners.)  This was an outpost for fur trappers and hunters.  Since roads at the time were primitive, the Pacific Ocean was the best way to transport people, goods and equipment.   

There are so many great places to shoot at Fort Ross, not only in and around the fort, there is a small forest just north of the fort, next to the museum.  Beneath the cliff, there is a small beach, a windmill, a rock formation overlooking the coast and the forest to the East.  

For lodging there is the Fort Ross Lodge 707-847-3333, the lodge I stayed at; it was comfortable with a deep bathtub one could almost swim in, the room was spacious if not elegant.  Fort Ross Lodge is a series of cottages connected together in clusters of three to four units.  If you want something more high end The Timber Cove Inn 707-847-3231.  I did not stay there, but I did eat at the restaurant and the food was amazing.  The stars of our film stayed at the Inn, they were very happy with the accommodations, again this is more upscale and there are more rooms at this establishment.  We had a sizable crew about forty, therefore our crew stayed at several hotels.

There are a few gas stations on highway 1, there is one in Jenner, there is one in the town of Fort Ross.  If you are driving a diesel vehicle, you should fuel up at the Petaluma 76 gas station located at 4998 Petaluma Blvd, Petaluma.  There is also a dump station at the 76.  The best way to get to Fort Ross from San Francisco is to take the 101 north across the Golden Gate Bridge and exit 479 Railroad Ave and go left. Right at Stony Point Rd, left at Robber Rd, make a right at Valley Ford Rd and continue on CA-1 past Bodega Bay.  From my experience highway 116/W, is difficult navigating some of the turns without going into oncoming traffic. Highway 1 north of Jenner is winding with some very tight turns, if you can it is best to travel during the day if you are driving a large vehicle.  

There a no major super markets near Fort Ross, so if you need supplies you might want to pick it up in Petaluma.  If you have any questions and or you need a motor home please call me Mike Green at 415.730.7127 or 818.317.7099. 

Hoover Dam & Boulder City, Nevada (A great place to do your next Film or Photo Shoot

Dear Reader,

A client of mine wanted to book me on a job in Boulder City and Hoover Dam, a two day job.  Last June I did a job for the same client in Boulder City, Colorado about forty-five minutes north of Denver.  I was very happy to learn that this was the Boulder City in Nevada, because the other Boulder City would be a twenty hour drive from Los Angeles and it would mean I would have to travel though a very snowy interstate 70, not fun a place to drive in winter.  Boulder City, Nevada is about five hours from Los Angeles, the weather is nice and cool until you get into late April thru October when the weather is best described as very hot.  Ironically the best rates for hotels and casinos is in the fall and spring, except for major holidays.  I like cool weather over hot weather anytime.

I regress, our first day we shot in the City of Henderson, about twenty minutes from the Vegas strip, in the afternoon we shot in Boulder City on Old Hwy 95.  Old Hwy 95 runs parallel to new Hwy 95 for a few miles until it becomes Hwy 95 again.  The Old Hwy has less traffic or none, so it is the perfect place to do a car chase, show off a new car or have models walking down a lonely road without being harassed by speeding cars and trucks. I have been to some interesting locations, I found this place very unique, the highway is paved, surrounded by volcanic mountains to the West.  The landscape is parched with little vegetation other than scrub bushes.   Downtown Boulder City is to the North/East.

I stayed at Hacienda Casino (702-293-5000) just east of Boulder City, but not in Boulder City.  BC is one of only several cities that forbids gambling in Nevada.  Somehow some smart person figured a way to get a casino built near Hoover Dam, in BC, but it is not in BC, but everything around is Boulder City.  This is way too confusing to ponder, so lets not ponder.  The Hacienda is an old casino probably built in the nineteen-sixties and it looks old.  The charm about this casino and “hotel” is it looks like the sixties.  If your film, or your look is something retro, this is the perfect place to film.  The Hacienda has slot machines, gaming tables, a small movie theatre that shows theatrical films in 35mm.  The Lakeview Cinemas, it is called,  reminds me of those old theaters from a by gone era, when films was the main source of entertainment.  There are old posters that cover the walls, a snack bar with affordable goodies, matinee are $3.00 for adults, prime time is $6.00 for adults (prices might change).  There is plenty of parking for large and small vehicles, an added plus if you have a commercial license you ten percent off on food and lodging.  If you park a commercial vehicle on Saturdays lodging is free.  Repeat free.  (Pricing and discounts might change.) There is also a truck stop across the street for fuel and additional parking an added bonus.

The Hacienda is just minutes from Hoover Dam, is one exit from Hoover Dam.  Because of 9/11 be prepared for an inspection of your vehicle and make sure you have current identification or passport.    Parking for large vehicles is limited, a monitor will be assigned to your crew, I found the monitors very nice and very film friendly.  The monitors allowed us to have a private parking lot to ourselves which enabled us to have a spacious base camp.  Hoover Dam is an amazing one of a kind location, beyond just the dam, we were able to shoot at one of the unused power grids, on top of a hill that overlooked the dam and the road below.     There were few if any limits imposed on the filming at Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

On set

Colorado River

Bridge over Colorado River

Old Highway 95

Old Highway 95

Looking north on Old Highway 95

Regarding lodging, personally I liked the Hacienda, but some members of your crew might prefer something more upscale like the Lake Mead Resort 702 293 2074.  I did not stay there, therefore I cannot make a review. There are a number of lodging options in Boulder City, restaurants grocery stores and more.  Of course Las Vegas is only thirty minutes away. If you have any questions about these locations, or you need a motor come please call me Mike Green at 818 317 7099. 

Locke, California-A charming place to do your next photo shoot or film

Dear Reader,

One of my favorite locations in 2012 was Locke, located on the Sacramento Delta, about an hour and half from San Francisco or forty-five minutes from Sacramento.  What I found so interesting about this location is; the architecture from a bygone era looked as it did when the city was founded in 1915.  Locke is not an amusement park, it is a real town, with real residents, with businesses that sell things beyond cheap souvenirs.  It was one of those places, unless I knew a good tour guide or got lost somewhere on the delta, I would never had discovered this gem.  

Last winter one of my clients booked me on a fashion shoot in the town of Locke, I had to look this place up on Google maps.  None of my friends or my sisters heard of this place, normally for parking purposes I like to scout the location in advance, unfortunately I was in LA at the time and I did not have the time to drive to the location in my car.  I relied on my GPS and directions provided by my client, I decided to leave extra early in case I hit any heavy traffic.  The strategy work out, there was an accident on the freeway and it delayed the rest of the crew by an hour, I had plenty of time to set up and do a little last minute cleaning.  

Form a fashion standpoint, Locke offers photographers many options, which is important if you are trying to create a certain mood or you need a place that could be a city in Italy, France or China without the passport.  Locke doesn’t look fake, it is not some facade on some Hollywood lot, it is alive with people who call this place home. Beyond the main street where all the shops are located, there are small residential homes, rustic, with their own personality. The grass is green, the trees form a nice canopy to keep everything cool, even on the warmest of days. For a moment I thought I traveled to the South on a lazy summer afternoon. I could smell the Sacramento River from across the street as it snakes its way to San Francisco Bay.

If you plan on filming in Locke for more than a day, Sacramento is the best place to lodge and feed your crew, it is about forty-five minutes from Sacramento.  There are several ways to get to Locke from San Francisco, for large vehicles, this is not the quickest route, this is the best route and it will take a good two hours without traffic.  Take I-80 east, to I-5 south, exit Twin Cities Road, make a right at Twin Cities Road, left at Hwy 13, travel half of a mile, Locke is on the left.  

If you have any questions about this location and or you need a motor home for your next shoot, call me Mike Green at 415.730.7127 or 818.317.7099.