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.

San Francisco a great place to do your next shoot

Dear Reader

San Francisco is probably one of the most beautiful cities in the world, especially as a location. In 2010 I had the privilege of working on a number of photo shoots, commercials and a feature film in the Bay area. What I discovered, there are so many places in San Francisco and also around the Bay area for doing a shoot. Twin Peaks for instance, the second highest point in San Francisco; has probably the best view of the city. One can see the Golden Gate Bridge from the west, a view that is uncanny from this angle. To the east, one can see the Financial District, the Oakland Bay Bridge, China Town, Pier 39 and more. The view of the bay from this angle is spectac

ular; it is almost like one is in a helicopter. From the perspective of someone who drives a large vehicle for a living, motor homes, access to Twin Peaks is easy; just take Market Street west, Market Street turns into Portola Drive, and make a right at­­­­­­­­ Twin Peaks Blvd., in a few minutes you will have access to one of the best views of San Francisco.

Baker Beach has one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge looking to the east. If one continues to walk east along the beach, one would see a bridge that appears to emerge out of a fog bank. In late afternoon on a sunny day, the sun covers the Golden Gate Bridge in an orange hue. This is probably one of the most popular locations to do a shoot because of how it highlights one of best-known bridges in California. Parking for large and small crews is not an issue; there is a large lot and a sub-lot. Baker Beach is just west of the Presidio and thirty minutes from most of San Francisco Hotels.

Fort Point has one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge looking west. There is a bluff that allows a great shot of the bay and the GG Bridge. If one is lucky, they can get a great shot of the bridge with low-lying fog. Big plus, there is a dirt lot with lots of parking, however this lots fills up quickly and one needs to get permission to use this lot for staging and crew parking. Shooting on the Golden Gate Bridge is no easy task, especially if you plan to block lanes. Though it is not impossible, the City of San Francisco can be a little testy about their little bridge, do not take no for answer, it will just take some time to get clearance. If you want easy access to a similar bridge, the Fremont Bridge in Portland, Oregon; was the prototype for the Golden Gate Bridge, it crosses the Columbia River. This was the Plan B if our Producers were not able to have access to the Golden Gate Bridge. The Fremont Bridge does not exactly look like the GG Bridge, but from the right angle it can pass.

If you cross the Golden Gate Bridge to the north, there is scenic point on the right; that has a view of San Francisco and the GG Bridge. A number of tour buses stop here and for good reason, below ships enter and exit the bay, Alcatraz Island, formally known as the “Rock” is located to the east. San Francisco emerges from a fog bank in an array of hues; the city is bustling with activity, even at night. At night San Francisco glows like the neon lights in Las Vegas.

San Francisco has a bad rap in terms of the cost to film at this city; this was true in the past. Because of the economy, SF needs the revenue that Hollywood brings and they are willing to work with producers. There is an abundance of qualified crew, support equipment, generators, grip and lighting rentals. Tim Ramaham (510-268-3500) rents grip equipment, tables, chairs, steamers, etc.… Tim is also a good contact source for other equipment needs. The Reel Directory (Lynetta Freeman 415-531-9760); is the best source for obtaining crew list, venders, location needs, etc.… Motor homes and portable restrooms I recommend my company Mike Green RVs 415-730-7127, I know the Bay area and I know how to give my clients that personal service they crave.

For still shoots, San Francisco is a very friendly place to shoot; SFPD are nice to crews in terms of blocking traffic, safety and parking needs. With that said, San Francisco is a crazy place for parking; from experience, make sure you secure parking in advance. Most of streets have limited times for parking and some of those streets are very narrow. With planning San Francisco is a great place for your next shoot.

Seattle Locations