Dear Reader,
I have had the privilege to visit some great locations in my lifetime, but one place that stands out is the Trona Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is located twenty miles east of Ridgecrest, California or about three hours north/east of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert. The tufa spires were formed between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago underwater, creating interconnected lakes from Death Valley to Mono Lake. The lake has long since evaporated, leaving topography best described as out of this world. This is what has attracted movie producers to this location, it is the only tufa in the United States, and it looks like an alien landscape.
In November of 2001 I was working on the last photo shoot for Marlboro UK, it was one of my favorite jobs. A small crew, they were photographing locations that one could only find in the western United States. One of the locations was the Trona Pinnacles, a location I knew about, but I never been to before, in fact I did not know the location was in Southern California. Once you get off the main road, the road to the Pinnacles is dirt and rock, I had to drive about five miles per hour so that I did not tear up my motor home, it took me about forty-five minutes to reach our destination. Once I reach the Trona Pinnacles I was blown away, it look like Scotty beam me to another planet, I thought for a second I would have to put on a space suit. The spires looked like volcanic cones some as tall as a skyscraper extending into the blue hot desert sky. It is hard to describe the Pinnacles, because the location is extremely unique, one of a kind, isolated from civilization. Other than one outhouse and a few roads, there are few signs of a human imprint. It was six in the morning as the photographer set up his camera on a tri-pod anticipating an eastern sunrise, it was cold, and I made some of my famous strong coffee to warm up the crew. They only needed one shot, but that shot had to be great, the sun had to hit the spires with the right amount of light and the right hue to work. The photographer shot one image after another, back then digital photography was in the infant stages, therefore professional photographers still used polaroid film to test their shots, and then once they were sure of everything they would use Kodachrome film. If you were on location the film would be FedEx to the nearest professional lab for processing. We were finished by nine in the morning; and we moved north to the town of Trona for the next location.
I have been to the Trona Pinnacles numerous times since that first shoot; I still find this place interesting it is a location perfect for fashion shoots, commercial, music video or feature films. The town of Ridgecrest is about thirty minutes west from the main road; this is a decent size town, with plenty of amenities and lodging for any size crew. For more information you can call the Ridgecrest Field Office at 760-384-5400. If you need a motor home and have any questions about the Trona Pinnacles you can call me Mike Green at 818-317-7099.
Dear Reader,
The other day I had a chance to do a photo shoot at the Inyokern Airport, about two and a half hours north east of Los Angeles or about an hour north east of Palmdale. This is a private airport in the middle of the Mojave Desert surrounded by Joshua trees and the Southern Sierra Mountains. A lonely place, unless you are a jackrabbit or a coyote. If you film on runway 18, you will have a great view of the Sierra’s, in winter it is not uncommon for the peaks to be covered in snow, occasionally the snow level drops down to the valley. Don’t fret, by mid-morning all the snow will melt and one will be left with a view of the mountains that will be stunning. Since Inyokern is high desert, in summer temperatures are hot, but not unbearable like one would find in Death Valley about three hours north/east. Since this is a private airport and film friendly there are not the usual restrictions one would find at public airfields. The staff is friendly and very accommodating; they really go out of their way to make sure your specific needs are met.
The town of Ridgecrest is about ten miles east of the airport; there is no shortage of places to lodge your crew. My favorite place to stay is the “Heritage Inn & Suites” (760-446-6543), the rooms are comfortable the pillows are soft; there is restaurant that serves great food. The Hampton Suites Ridgecrest is another great place to stay, or if you are really budget conscious there is the Motel 6, (760-375-6866) with parking across the street for large vehicles, rates are under $40, you can’t get cheaper, the rooms are adequate, cable TV, a table to do your work and a warm shower. My only complaint, the heater does not work well. In terms of food, there are plenty of good restaurants, check out YELP for your favorite food.
Dear Reader
My two favorite diners/gas stations near Los Angeles are the Four Aces and Club Ed. Locations are similar and have a unique look, Club Ed has the buttes behind the diner, and the Four Aces is surrounded by Joshua Trees. Club Ed is one of the most popular locations in LA County according to Film LA. The Four Aces is a lot easier to book, because it is not as well known. Hollywood has a tendency to over use prime locations, ignoring some of the gems.
Club Ed is on a large lot and has a lot more sets than the Aces, plus there is a giant parking lot across the street. Club Ed has two gas stations, a diner, a motel with a pool and rooms decorated in 50’s style. CE has a large parking lot across the street, ideal for large crews, though it is about thirty minutes further than the Four Aces.
The Four Aces is smaller; it is ideal for photo shoots; parking is limited and it is located on a compact lot. The FA has one gas station, a diner and a motel, and no pool. Like Club Ed the Motel is decorated in 50s motif, and is surrounded by Joshua Trees in the middle of no-where. Actually the Four Aces is only about an hour from Los Angeles, in LA County. Just watch your speed, the CHP is always looking for speeders on the 14. As I indicated before, the Four Aces is not as popular as Club Ed, but that does not mean it is not a great location. It is underused, therefore your audience won’t have a moment of déjà vu; though not as big, if all you need is a gas station, some old 60s and 50s car in the background, a motel, even Norman Bates would find this prime property for “Mother”. All you need is a big ice machine, just don’t take a shower, it might be your last shower.
My only complaint is the fire department tends can be a little overbearing, so make sure on your Film Permit do your check list for each shooting day, and have someone in charge of that duty; this rule is for any location in Los Angeles County.
If you have any questions about these locations; for the Four Aces 310-396-2211 or e-mail epun@mac.com. At Club Ed 310.839-5722, if you need a film permit call Film LA 213-977-8600. And of course if you need a motor home or have any questions please call me Mike Green at 818-317-7099, my Web Address is; http://web.me.com/mgreen2528/Site/About_Us.html
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 7th 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.
