Frazier Park-A stand-in for the Swiss Alps or the Old South

Dear Reader,

In 1988 on my way back from San Francisco I discovered an alpine town off of Interstate 5 on top of what is called the Grape Vine. A winding pass that snacks north into the San Joaquin Valley; at times a treacherous road because of ice and snow in the winter and extreme heat in the summer.  Take the Frazier Park exit and head west past the Flying J, and the assortment of gas stations and fast food restaurants.  There is a flashing red light, turn right and you are now in the town of Frazier Park, a city that was incorporated in 1925.  The current population is 2,691; in the early morning commuters travel down Frazier Park Road either north to Bakersfield less than an hour or an hour and a half to two hours to Los Angeles.

Many of us who grew up in the 1970’s knowing Frazier Mountain as “Walton’s Mountain” in the TV show of the same name “The Walton’s”.  This was a fact I learned researching for this blog.  Frazier Park has not changed much since the 1920’s, the population is bigger, yet main street is the same, two lumber yards, a couple of thrift stores, Caveman Pizza 661.245.1474 (my favorite pizza place), two insurance companies, a bank, Sheriff sub-station, Kern County Fire Department, a market, gas station & mini-mart and other businesses.  A short ten minute walk and one can cover downtown Frazier Park.

What makes FP, the perfect place for a shoot is because it could stand in for a southern town, in winter an alpine village, it is non-descriptive place which is added bonus, it is not an over used location.  A park with a pond with resident ducks and geese, across the street is a new library.  There is a new Holiday Inn Express (661.248.1600) ten minutes away in Lebec, a Flying J for fuel with a dump station and a mini-mart, with a Denny’s and a Motel 6. 

When winter storms blow through the area, which happens sporadically, FP turns white, kids play in the snow and even the young at heart join in a snow fight.  The diversity of Frazier Park makes it an ideal place to film, if one continues to travel west on Frazier Park Road, the trees become denser, the elevation gets higher and soon you arrive in Pine Mountain Club the Beverly Hills of the area.  There is a small golf course, a pond and lots of high-end cabin type homes, a grocery mart and numerous real estate offices.  Pine Mountain usually gets more snow than FP because of the elevation and the way storms pass through.  PM is more rustic; it has a larger population and a different look than Frazier Park.  I like PMC because it is off the radar screen for most location managers, most have never heard of it, it has a lot more vegetation than Frazier Park, more homes and it can stand in for places like Virginia or the Rockies or an Alpine Village in the Swiss Alps.

FP is about an hour and half from greater Los Angeles in Kern County, as I indicated there are many lodging options including the Ramada Limited at the bottom of the Grape Vine in Lebec (661.248.1530).  There are also a Bread and Breakfast lodge called the Old Bear Bed & Breakfast (661.242.1622) if you want a down home type of experience.  Big Johns (661.245.2292) is my favorite place for an old fashion country meal.  With that said the food and the lodging in Frazier Park is something that you would fine in the South or the Mid-West, this is what makes this place so special.  If you have any questions about Frazier Park or the Mountain Community or if you need a motor home call me Mike Green at 818 317 7099, I will be glad to help you.

Locke, CA (Rustic Chinese Village)

Dear Reader,

It rained the day before, the roads were still wet as the sun slowly merged from the cloud laden sky.  I kept one eye on the road, the other eye on my GPS, the directions were complicated, one wrong turn and I would be searching for a turn out.  Fortunately for me I did my research the day before, I knew where I was going, a tiny Chinese town founded in 1915 in the heart of the Sacramento Delta.  This was the first time I did a shoot in the Delta, the roads are narrow, the two bridges I crossed was just wide enough and tall to navigate my forty foot RV over it.  It took me two hours to get there from Oakland, I was early, the rest of the crew did not arrive until an hour and half latter; they were delayed by one of the drawbridges.  I latter discovered an easier way to Locke, minus the scary roads and the bridges that made me want to say, “Hail Mary.”

Locke is a small Chinese town founded in 1915 after a fire broke out in the nearby town of Walnut Grove.  Since Chinese Americans were banned from ownership of land at the time, they approached George Locke if they could build on his property.  Locke catered to farm workers and residents who lived nearby.  Very little has changed in this town, the main boardwalk looks like it did in 1915, and a small population still resides in Locke.  On weekends the town is bustling with tourist who search out the many bargains and unique gifts one could only find in this place.  At night one can enjoy a drink at one of the bars.  Across the street is a boat launch, so if you are ambitious and you own a boat, this is the perfect place to stop and enjoy a brew.  

What I like about this location is it offers something unique that you cannot find at San Francisco’s Chinatown, an authentic Chinese village from a bygone era.  A place one can utilize various backgrounds that are colorful and engaging, a boardwalk that beckons to be photographed.  Another plus, since this is a state park, it is an inexpensive location to obtain a film permit.  During the week is the best time to shoot at this location, the crowds are small or non-existent.  Weekends Locke is crowded with tourist, therefore I would not try to film during those times.  

For large vehicles from San Francisco, take the I-80 east to I-5 South and exit Twin Cities Road and go right.  At highway 13 go left, at Locke Road go left.  This is not the fastest route to Locke, however, in my opinion this is the best directions.  There is a parking lot that I was easily able to navigate my motor home into and room for other crew members cars or trucks. 

If you are going to do multiple days at this location, Sacramento is the closest place to base yourself at. In Lodi, there is a Flying J that has a dump station and fuel for large trucks and motor homes.  There are plenty of lodging and restaurants options in Sacramento and you won’t have the two and half hour commute to San Francisco.  If you have any questions about this locations or if you need an RV, call me Mike Green at  415.730.7127.

El Mirage Dry Lakebed-Revisted

Dear Reader,

El Mirage Dry Lakebed is one of my favorite dry lakebeds in Southern California; it is less than two hours from Los Angeles.  The surface is dry and flaky made of clay, surrounded by mountains.  The access road is paved and the approach to the lakebed is easy.  The only problem is rain, when El Mirage receives rain, the lake can be closed for days or weeks.  Recently that problem can up, it rain two days before our shoot; my client was informed that her film permit was declined because of the closure of the lake.  She was very upset, the photo shoot was about to get cancelled, we started to look at alternative locations, then I had a brilliant idea, I called Dan Taylor (909.888.9011) at the Inland Film Commission, this department handles permits for BLM properties.  I explained our problem and Dan came up with a solution for us; the lakebed maybe closed but the roads leading to the lake are opened (Mountain View Road, Bella Vista Road and Colusa Road).  Since I did not have any pictures of those roads on file, my client hired me to scout the locations the next morning.  I used my iPhone 4S to take and send pictures to my Client; by 10am we locked down the location and had our film permit.  I also learned from talking to the ranger that you can shoot the lakebed from Lake Road, accessing it from Colusa Road if you talk to the ranger first.  From experience just bring the vehicles that you need to Lake Road, do not bring any large rigs unless you really need it; those vehicles can easily get stuck in the clay surface if it rains.  You can park the rest of the crew on Mountain Road just past the asphalt on the dirt road.

Shooting at El Mirage without a motorhome or a trailer can be an unwise decision; the restrooms are crude and stinky and are located at the entrance to the lake.  If you decide to film in the center or the northern sections of El Mirage, it is a good commute to the bathrooms.  In the summer it can exceed a hundred degrees, in winter it can drop to the low thirties.  The sunrise is incredible; the sunsets are even better at El Mirage.  If you want some privacy, during the week is a better time to shoot at the lake, weekends and holidays are always busy times.  Because of

The surface of the lake is brown and smooth; the perfect place to see if your vehicle can hit 200 miles per hour, just watch out for the ruts in the road.  There are some basic rules I learned from Barbara the ranger about El Mirage, arrange in advance to haul out your trash.  If you don’t have a film permit you will be asked to leave, even if it is a student film.  Film permits are relatively cheap.  Lastly, a ranger will usually inform you about the rules, read the film permit it contains a lot of information about the regulations.

With that said, El Mirage is a great place to do your next project.  If you have any questions about this location or any other dry lakebed in the area please feel free to contact me (Mike Green) at 818 317 7099.

Dear Reader,

It is early morning, the fog hangs low in the Sonoma Valley, just north of San Francisco.  I take my foot off of the accelerator, the exhaust brake kicks in, the gate to the race track is in sight.  I pull over and wait for the crew to arrive.

The Infineon Raceway Track is an interesting place, off of Lakeview Highway (Lakeview Ranch) it has green rolling hills, a two lane road that is on private property.  It can be any where in the world, add artificial snow and you got New England or Germany in the winter.  If you are shooting a new car or an A-list celebrity and you need a secluded location without spying paparazzi this is the perfect location.  It is out of sight from any major highway or road, yet the race track is only fifteen minutes from Novato or Sonoma.  The actual Infineon raceway is made up of two tracks, a drag strip and a road course.  It has several huge parking lots with ample parking for any size crew.

They position my motor home off the track next to a straight away, as the stunt drivers whizzed by, tires screeching, engines roaring, I had an uneasy feeling about a runaway test car hitting my motor home.  The Producer had that same feeling, after lunch we moved the RV behind a barrier.   

As I looked to the south; I could see the fog hanging low towards the southern end of San Francisco bay, at Infineon, it was sunny, clear and warm.  The sun was starting to set, the crew was wrapping for the day, I turned the generator off and locked the motor home.  A van takes me to my hotel for the evening, the Best Western Plus in Novato (800.625.7466), the perfect place to lodge a crew.  The staff is extremely accommodating for large vehicles, just call them in advance and explain your needs.  The pricing is very competitive and is only about twenty minutes from the raceway.

If you have any questions about this location or you need a motor home for your shoot call me Mike Green at 415 730 7127.

Joshua Tree National Park (Substitute locations) & Film Permits

Dear Reader,

I recently had a client call ask me if she needed a film permit for a location on private property.  I did not know the answer, though I assumed the answer was yes; as usual I like a challenge.  I contacted Sheri Davis (951.779.6700) of the Inland Film Commission, a person who I know very well.  The answer is yes one does need a film permit in California for any location, private or public.  The cost of the permit varies from a couple of hundred dollars to five-hundred (approximately), plus monitor fees, peace officers fees, etc.…. depending the location and size of the crew.  Most locations need at least five days to pull a permit.  If you plan on shooting in a national park like Joshua Tree, you will need at least two months to pull a permit.  The reason, most parks, national or state do not have the staff to handle all the permits that come into their offices, so one needs to be patient.  There are always substitutes for Joshua Tree; in Pioneer Town, there is a wonderful butte that looks like the park and it is on private land.  Sylvia from Locations Unlimited (760.861.4144) can assist you if you have questions about these locations, plus she can assist you with other locations.

There are always other options when you can’t find the exact location you need, and I understand that sometimes projects come up at the last moment.  Recently I had a client call me and they needed to find a location for a music video that they were producing in a couple of days.  My client wanted a diner somewhere in the Mojave Desert.  My two favorite diners is the Four Aces and Club Ed (310-839-5722), because of the budget, Club Ed was the more affordable location.  I went scouting with the client and his team was blown away with Club Ed.  Club Ed is larger than the Four Aces; there is a motel, with several rooms in 1950’s décor, a swimming pool, a diner and a gas station, plus several 60’s era trucks.  For an additional fee you can shoot at the buttes behind the motel.  If you shoot on 150^th Street, you will need the appropriate film permits and the CHP for road closure.  There is plenty of parking across the street, there are no restroom facilities, so you will need a portable restroom or a motor home, and the nearest town is thirty minutes away in Lancaster.  Lancaster is a great place to lodge your crew; there are plenty of restaurants and a mall.  Club Ed is about an hour and half from Los Angeles.  Film LA (213.977.8600) will handle your film permits, make sure to make two copies and assign someone to fill out the paper work, and have it ready.

California in general is a very affordable place to do your next project; the rules are different than other states, but very film friendly.  If you have any questions about this blog or location ideas please feel free to call me Mike Green 818 317 7099.