On the lot! So the Summer of Lisa has been going on for a week, and I must say I'm having a wonderful time. Summer of Lisa might extend to all four seasons. At some point I'll probably publish a record of everything I did every day, just so we can all remember that I actually did stuff. But today was a particularly fun day, since I ventured up to Los Angeles to visit with some friends and talk about movies more than normal people should. Course, we're not really normal people. We're full on movie freaks.
So anyway, I ended up at Sony Studios, which is the first time I've ever actually visited a major film studio not as a tourist. You see, I know someone on the 'inside'. His name is Chris and he works in Sony's Repertory division, which means he takes care of the Sony's titles after their initial theatrical run. That means that when White House Down is finished playing in your local multiplex, Chris takes over and keeps track of it and makes sure that people will still be able to see it for a long time to come. This is pretty amazing when you realize how many truly wonderful films have come from Sony; films like Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Annie, and old classics like On the Waterfront. I'm really simplifying what he does, but that's basically it. He's part of a talented team of people that keep films alive.
So anyway, I ended up at Sony Studios, which is the first time I've ever actually visited a major film studio not as a tourist. You see, I know someone on the 'inside'. His name is Chris and he works in Sony's Repertory division, which means he takes care of the Sony's titles after their initial theatrical run. That means that when White House Down is finished playing in your local multiplex, Chris takes over and keeps track of it and makes sure that people will still be able to see it for a long time to come. This is pretty amazing when you realize how many truly wonderful films have come from Sony; films like Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Annie, and old classics like On the Waterfront. I'm really simplifying what he does, but that's basically it. He's part of a talented team of people that keep films alive.
There's gold men behind them thar doors! He was nice enough to invite me up, and he took me on a private tour of the lot, which is an enormous place. Somewhere in my brain I knew that studio lots were big, but standing in front of the doors of the sound stages, big enough for T-Rex to walk through without ducking, it kind of made my brain hurt. Those sound stages aren't just big, they're enormous. They make warehouses look cute. We walked into an empty one, and I wanted to run around and scream and do some cartwheels. I didn't (I was trying to be professional), but if I did, I could go on and on for hours and still not get all the way around it.
And because of Sony's connection to Columbia Pictures and MGM, the lot has so much history. The sound stage where Esther Williams did most of her films? Yep, it's there. There's also a stage that fills with water, where Lifeboat was made.
And the building I'm standing in front of in the picture? That's where they keep their Oscars (for Best Picture). All ten of them.
We went in to look at them, and even though they're just small gold men with movie posters behind them, it was still pretty impressive. There's a lot of history behind that glass. I couldn't help but ask the security guard if he sometimes takes them out just to hold them for a few minutes.
"Only for cleaning, which doesn't happen as often as it probably should."
Well, if they ever want to hire someone to do that job, I'll be the first to send my CV.
And because of Sony's connection to Columbia Pictures and MGM, the lot has so much history. The sound stage where Esther Williams did most of her films? Yep, it's there. There's also a stage that fills with water, where Lifeboat was made.
And the building I'm standing in front of in the picture? That's where they keep their Oscars (for Best Picture). All ten of them.
We went in to look at them, and even though they're just small gold men with movie posters behind them, it was still pretty impressive. There's a lot of history behind that glass. I couldn't help but ask the security guard if he sometimes takes them out just to hold them for a few minutes.
"Only for cleaning, which doesn't happen as often as it probably should."
Well, if they ever want to hire someone to do that job, I'll be the first to send my CV.
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