Dear Reader

As you know or might not know, I travel up and down the West Coast on a regular basis. Last May I had a chance to work in San Francisco and beyond for a motorcycle photo shoot. San Francisco is a challenging place to drive a car; a motor home or any large vehicle requires a lot of planning. I personally like to use Google maps and a good old fashion paper map; a good rule is, if the street is yellow it is a truck route, if the street is white it might be too difficult to navigate in a large vehicle. Google maps allow me to zoom into a specific location and do a 360-degree view of the area. This technique is not always perfect, but for the most part it really helps me to find the best route to any destination I need to access.

San Francisco is the only city I have ever done any type of production in; that the police department escorts large vehicles to location. It felt a little awkward at first speeding through red lights, having people stare at me, but after a couple of lights it felt great. I felt like Jesse Jackson, “I am somebody”, I even started to wave at my adoring fans and to my surprise they waved back. I could get use to this, but to my disappointment, my location was on the right, darn.

Twin Peaks is the second highest location in San Francisco; one can see downtown, the Bay Bridge to the east, AT & T Park where the SF Giants play, Fisherman’s Warf to the north and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge to the northwest. This is a favorite spot for photographers, especially on a clear day. It was the perfect location to show off the bikes, as the sun rose from the east, the bikers emerged from the low-lying fog in an orange hue.

The second location was off of Market Street; Market Street is an interesting street, there are lanes only for buses, trolleys and cabs, lanes for bikes and one lane for vehicles. Around 7^th Street heading east, all non-commercial vehicles and trucks must go right or be prepared for a ticket from SFPD. If one wants to make a left turn be prepared for frustration, because there are few points along Market Street that you turn left. This is why I’m glad we had an escort to our locations, SFPD allowed our caravan to access streets that would have normally been illegal to access from.

My best advise, San Francisco is a city that is a very friendly to do your next production, the city is beautiful, the crews are top notch, and the support is the best. If you are interested in shooting in SF, look at the http://www.reeldirectory.com/ online or call Lynette at 415-531-9760.

El Mirage Dry Lakebed in Southern California

Dear Reader,

One of my favorite dry lakebeds in Southern California is El Mirage Dry Lakebed. El Mirage is only an hour and half to two hours from Los Angeles; which makes it the closest dry lakebed from LA. It also has one of the best roads of any of the lakebeds in Southern California; only the last quarter of a mile is dirt. Once you are on El Mirage the surface of the lakebed is very smooth, just watch for a few dips and any place you see grass. The speed limit is 400 miles per hour and the CHP is looking for people who exceed the speed limit in F-16 jets, so watch your speed; last year one of my drivers got a nasty ticket for going 410 in one of my motor homes. (Please enjoy my sense of humor)

What makes El Mirage such a photogenic location is each angle offers a different perspective, east and west there are low lying hills, to the south is the mighty San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, in the winter these mountains are snow capped. To the northwest is Edwards Air Force Base. Don’t be surprise if a drone is spying on your shoot, the air force test drones at nearby Edwards and sometimes they fly around El Mirage. During the week, few people visit; so there is little interference from the public, plus the rangers patrol the area to keep the rift raft away. Just make sure you obtain the proper film permits or else your production will be shut down. There are only two restrooms on the lakebed, which is located at the entrance, so if you are planning on shooting, you differently will need a motor home or a porta-potty. The area is flat and void of any vegetation except on the outer edges of the lakebed.

Temperatures vary during the year; winter temperatures can dip in the thirties at night and in the summer 100 plus is the norm. During the warmer months few venture into the area, therefore one will have little interference from the public. El Mirage is closed when the lakebed is hit with heavy rains, which usually happens a few times a year at most. The only other concern one might encounter is Santa Ana winds that can cause a brown out, I have only experienced that situation once, but getting good weather forecast is important.

The best place to lodge your crew is in the town of Victorville and Sheri Davis from the Inland Film Commission can assist you with the most cost effective options. Davis can also help one find caters, crew and equipment rentals. For more information and film permits call Sheri Davis or Dan Taylor at 951 779 6700. If you need a motor home call Mike Green RVs at 818 317 7099.

Bombay Beach (Salton Sea-CA)

Dear Reader,

One place that is always in some form of transformation, both bad and good is the Salton Sea. In the years I have return to this Sea, an oasis the the parch Mojave desert in the Imperial Valley, just south/east of Palm Springs about an hour. Teaming with a wide variety of water foul, it is almost out of place in this harsh climate.

There are many places to shoot around the Salton Sea, the North Shore is one, Bombay Beach offers even more variety. Though like most of the Salton Sea area, it is always wise to scout in advance, because of vandals and construction Bombay is always changing. What one will find in Bombay are sinking buildings, graffiti, salt water that is percolating through the ground, an abandoned harbor, various structures in disrepair, a stunning view of the sea and a strange eerie quietness except for the occasional Union Pacific trains and birds overhead and on the water.

To get more information on shooting in Bombay Beach or the Salton Sea, call Mark Hilvaty at the Palm Springs Film Alliance 909 553 6881 or Sheri Davis at the Inland Film Commission 951 779 6700. If you need current pictures of the area and/or motor homes please call Mike Green at 818 317 7099.

Lake Tahoe/Squaw Valley a great place to do a winter or Christmas theme photo shoot or commercial

Dear Reader

I got a call from a very good Client of mine if I was interested in doing a job in Lake Tahoe; the job was to take place in late March. To the uninitiated, Lake Tahoe is one of the snowiest places in the United States, only behind Truckee; which happens to be the town one would have to exit from if they wanted to go to Tahoe City, or in my case, Squaw Valley. I checked the Weather Channel on the Internet for ten-day weather forecast, despite the fact that the previous week Tahoe received a record twenty-five feet of snow, the week of the shoot the weather was going to be mild. I agreed to the job, but to play it safe I bought my chains with me and some cash to have someone take my chains on and off for me.

Donner Pass on I-80 is the main route to Tahoe City or as in my case to Squaw Valley; if your destination is South Lake Tahoe you would take I-50 or Highway 395 from Los Angeles. I latter learned that you can also access South Lake Tahoe from I-80 to 89 S, but because of record snow, 89 S has been closed for most of the winter because of concerns of avalanches. I am used to driving in bad weather, though I like to use my common sense, I try to avoid driving at night or early morning, especially if the temperature drops below freezing. I gave myself a two day window to get up to Tahoe, I did not want to drive through Donner Pass at night; Donner Pass is steep and winding, and if you are going too fast you can meet your deceased relatives sooner than you expected. I tend drive very conservatively, especially in atrocious weather.

My Client put the crew up at the Resort at Squaw Creek, a wonderful resort, that had I had a couple of extra days in my schedule, I would had stayed there and did some cross country skiing and some hiking. I arrived a day before the shoot and took a bus to Tahoe City, a fifteen minute bus ride from the resort. Tahoe City is located on the most northern part of Lake Tahoe; Tahoe City is a combination rustic mixed with modernism. One would find small boutiques, ski stores, coffer shops, a post office, a small movie theatre, a Subway Sandwich and a grocery store and more. There was a park on the lake edge, but because of heavy snow, it was inaccessible.

Typically places like Lake Tahoe-California, Mt. Hood-Oregon, Sun Valley-Idaho, and Mt. Reiner-Washington are used as locations for fashion and catalogue shoots, especially for winter and Christmas issues. Since it takes sometimes up to eight months to produce a catalogue book, shooting for these books occur in March and April, when there is still snow on the ground. As in the case of this photo shoot, the unnamed company was shooting a winter issue. The weather was perfect low 50’s during the day, though it did get cold at night.

The biggest challenge to shooting at places like Lake Tahoe in early spring is the weather can be unpredictable, so in terms of planning; having a couple optional days built into the schedule helps take the uncertainty out of the equation. The Resort at Squaw Creek has ample parking for any size crew in the service parking lot, the rooms are spacious, the amenities are awesome and the people are extremely helpful.

If you plan to shoot in the Lake Tahoe area, call Kathleen Dodge 800 457 6279 at the El Dorado Lake Tahoe Film & Media Office. If you want to stay at The Resort at Squaw Creek call 866 635 7937. Of course, if you need a really nice luxury talent or production motor home for your next shoot you can call me (Mike Green) at Mike Green RVs 818 317 7099.

Blue Sky Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita, CA

Dear Reader

One of the best kept secretes in Santa Clarita is the Blue Sky Movie Ranch. The ranch is about forty-five minutes north of Los Angeles. There is an old fashion gas station, a cave and did I mention Iraq, yes nestle in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains is an Iraq. The perfect place to film your next block buster film or an exotic photo shoot in the Sahara desert without ever needing a passport.

Rene Veluzat runs the Blue Sky Movie Ranch (661-296-4572), he is one of the nicest guys you could meet, the stories he can tell will keep you laughing; Rene is a pro, he is constantly tweaking the ranch, adding new things and updating buildings. If you watch the "Dukes of Hazards" back in the 80's you have seen this ranch. It has easy access for large and small vehicles and the location is perfect from the smallest photo shoots to the largest block buster movies. Check it out.

Technology in Motorhomes

Dear Reader,

The one thing I like about technology is how it evolves; back in the eighties I learned how to edit films on a Steinbeck Moviola and latter on a flatbed. Today one can shoot and edit on an iPhone and produce a good quality short film, perfect for film festivals. When I first started working in the photography side of the business eleven years ago, photographers were still shooting on film and using Polaroid to test their shots. Today DSLRs and high end digital back rule the photography world. Labs have gone out of business and digital capture companies have emerged.

The business of motor homes have changed too, larger more grandeur motor coaches have replaced the aging Bounder. Motor homes with ramps and extra doors have become the norm. The needs of the entertainment industry have changed; fax and printers are a necessity, wireless Internet access is a must. With 4G networks coming online, this allows clients the opportunity to send large raw camera files or uncompressed video to their offices anywhere in the world almost at real time. Almost, though 4G are fast, there is still a long way to go before we reach one gigabytes or more. Still, less than twelve years ago, dial-up was the norm and for some people dial-up is their only option.

I plan on installing iPad 2s on my motor homes and connecting them to the Internet with my 4G router. This will allow my clients and crew to access critical information that they may need for their production, along with wireless printers that are smart phone and iPad friendly.

As an owner and a driver, it is my responsibility to under technology and how to integrate into my motor homes. It is also important that such technology is easy to use and easy to explain to my Clients, crew and drivers. Plug and play is always better than plug and pray. At the end of the day, my Clients want the best motor home for their needs, as well as a driver who is helpful and understands the equipment on the RV.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

MIKE GREEN RVs

818 317 7099 LA/Palm Springs

415 730 7127 San Francisco/Nevada

541 619 3934 Portland/Arizona

206 777 5192 Seattle/Idaho

323 927 1546 Fax

mgreen2528@sbcglobal.net

Mikegreenrv.com

http://web.me.com/mgreen2528/Site/About_Us.html

Victorville-Lodging Ideas

Dear Reader

Clients ask me from time to time the best lodging for crews in Victorville area. One of my favorite hotels in Victorville is the Hawthorn Suites Hotel Victorville. Misty Linton the assistant manager handles the entertainment accounts (760-949-4700). The Hotel has a pool, a

meeting room, high speed internet access, free hot breakfast buffet, fitness room, laundry room and most important for any shoot, parking for motor homes, buses and trucks. The rooms have kitchens, oversized work area, dual phone lines with data ports, a bed that is extremely comfortable, with a flat screen TV. The living room is large and clean with contemporary decor, some rooms overlook the snow capped San Gabriel Mountains. What I like most about the Hawthorn is the proximity to restaurants, stores, the freeway, a truck stop two exits south of the hotel with dump station. The staff is very friendly and they understand the needs of the entertainment industry.

Victorville is near El Mirage Dry Lake, Lucerne Valley, Wrightwood and less than an hour and half from Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. As I indicated in previous Blogs, the town of Adelanto, is a bad place to lodge your crew, this innocent looking town is very misleading, the crime rate is high and their is no guarantee your equipment will not be molested.

Victorville on the other hand has more resources from lodging, food, catering, supplies and crews. Speaking of crews for the Victorville region, the best resource is the Inland Empire Film Commission, call Sheri Davis or Dan Taylor at 951-779-6700. Sheri can also handle all your film permit needs too. Victorville is only two hours east of Los Angeles; winter temperatures can warm up to the 70's in the winter and drop to the low thirties at night. Summer temperatures can exceed a hundred during the day and drop to a comfortable low seventies at night.

Whenever you plan to do your shoot, consider the Victorville area a place to do your next project.