Late last night, four of my classmates and I returned to LA after spending the weekend at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin for the first ACM Film Festival. The weekend was full of student films and cold weather. While the trip was enjoyable, it was busy and it was cold. I am from Colorado, so the cold doesn’t bother me, but for some reason, Wisconsin didn’t feel right. Upon returning late last night we were glad to return to the warmth of LA. Getting back into the van we are often stuck in for long rides in traffic, it felt comforting and normal. The same was true when I entered the apartment we are staying at for the block. It is strange to me that I found myself returning to a place that I have always thought I wanted to avoid – Los Angeles. Before this class I never thought I could spend this much time in LA and be happy about it. Returning last night made me realize that for the moment, LA is my “home” base, full of exciting adventures and great company.

Tonight a few of us went downtown for dinner and attempted to watch a movie at the RedCat theater by the Disney Concert Hall. We wandered around the downtown area for a bit searching for food. While walking we came across this area that was more pristine and had carefully designed spaces. The walk was lovely and we passed the bench from (500) Days of Summer that is currently inaccessible due to the fence around the park it is in. I always feel that it is important to walk around a new place in order to get to know it. Even though LA is large and we did not walk around that much, I feel like I have a better sense of the downtown area.

Also, through wandering we discovered some interesting spaces. After discovering the Central Market was closed (and that many other restaurants happened to be closed on Mondays) we settled down in a restaurant with great a view. We sat outside and looking up would see tall, looming buildings. There was one in particular that looked like a flat panel standing straight up, ready to fall over with too much wind.

Unfortunately, the movie was sold out so we did not get the chance to see it. Regardless, the evening was enjoyable. I appreciate how throughout this class I have been slowly discovering treasures within the city. While LA is not home and I am still not sure I want it to be, for now it was been a gracious host sharing its wonders with us. For now I am content being here and am glad to be back from Wisconsin. A little warmth never hurt anybody.

Today is Easter. Unsurprisingly, I woke up late and missed morning mass. Thankfully there is an evening prayer I can go to. I don’t attend church religiously, but I don’t mind going occasionally. I’m not really sure what an evening prayer entails, but it doesn’t matter. I’m meeting someone special there.

The church is beautiful. It is also empty. I follow a voice to a tiny side chapel. A priest is reading a prayer in front of about six people. I have, of course, arrived late. My entrance is not subtle as I awkwardly make my way to a chair in the front. Apparently evening prayer is not a widely attended event, even on Easter. Towards the end of the service the priest starts reading the prayers of the people. Basically, they read aloud the names of people living and dead that you/ the church collectively, is supposed to say a prayer for. I listen for his name, though I know he passed before I was born, too long ago for it to be read. I am surprised. People with HIV/AIDS are mentioned twice, once for those living with it, once for those who have died from it. I wonder at the impact the disease had on this church’s community, its psyche. The impact it still has. This is my Uncle Christopher’s church, and though his name is not read specifically, he is one of the many who has died of AIDS. The priest pauses for a moment of silence, and I spend some time with my uncle. My version of Easter.

After the service I wander around a bit looking for a plaque I have been told is there with my namesake on it. I can’t find it, but I don’t want to go home yet. I walk a few blocks away from this serene church and reach Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. The streets are packed as always. I enter a huge souvenir warehouse blasting today’s latest hits and buy a bright pink, sparkly Hollywood shot glass, which I find amusing. After a bit more meandering I grab some coffee and retreat into the lobby of The Roosevelt. Uncle Chris used to work here, managing talent. Sitting down on a large couch, I try to make sense of my past and present, and this strange city that has somehow managed to weave itself into both.

Most, if not all, of the previous blog posts grapple with the dichotomies that we are finding in LA. Fake vs. real. Luck vs. hard work. Success vs. failure. Business vs. art. Old vs. new. Acceptance vs. Intolerance. Calm, beautiful church vs. sparkly pink shot glass. Personal reflection vs. good ol fashion consumerism. Long standing communities still recovering from tragedies vs. tourists, coming and going, yet still a permanent Hollywood presence. Whiplash is a word we have been using a lot to describe our experiences here. It is not necessarily a bad thing. It is exhausting, but it certainly makes you think. The whiplashes of the day and week have given me a lot to mull over as I continue to try and make sense of this city professionally as well as personally.

The offices of Creative Artists Agency are all marble and glass. Every surface reflects. Jordan Peele sits across from our class in the lobby—gray hoodie, hood up, and candy-colored Reeboks. Someone’s assistant walks over to him, heels clicking, and shakes his hand. I cannot tell if this is the first time they have met, or if this routine has been performed many times before. They enter one of the elevators; each elevator has a glass back so that you can see every level you rise above fall down below you. A couple minutes later, our class takes the same elevator several floors up to meet with an agent at CAA. We meet in a beautiful conference room that looks onto skyscrapers reflecting sky.

Then, an hour or so later, our class is at an In N’ Out. There’s a massive line and half of it hangs out the front door. Outside, I watch a spilled milkshake melt in the sun and run towards the trashcan, pooling around some french fries and pieces of lettuce. I’m not entirely sure why, but I find this incredibly comforting.

Days later, I keep returning to that day, when we visited sparkling CAA and followed it up with a sloppy fast-food lunch. I came to Los Angeles knowing only what I’d heard from friends and prepared mostly by what I saw in the movies. I wanted LA demystified. But it’s a complicated place, and the fraction of it that I have seen has given me no easy answer. Parts of it have reinforced the glamour and mythology of Hollywood. Other parts have revealed something more ordinary and uninspiring. It’s kind of like whiplash, between the decidedly dressed-up CAA offices and the greasiness of the In N’ Out. I have found this both intimidating and reassuring—kind of like the term ‘business casual’.

However, I have been most surprised by and thankful for the kind people we meet. Yesterday, our class met several Foley artists at Warner Bros.—they are responsible for creating sounds and soundscapes for films from scratch. They were hesitant to talk to us at first. But once we piled into their studio, they were like kids, excitedly showing us how old handbags and broken tables pressed and pulled in the right ways sounded like a creaking ship’s mast. Just this afternoon, my Uber driver was an actor who had small parts in The Walking Dead Ep. 602 and the upcoming film about Anita Hill. He insisted we become Facebook friends when he told us he was from Denver and discovered we went to school in the Springs. It’s these people I meet who will leave more of an impression on me than any serene corporate lobby or messy fast-food joint. They are the reason this sprawling city breathes, and the reason I might come back.

I have always secretly obsessed over music and scores in films, and today made my Monday one of my favorites. This morning we met with the accomplished composer Guy Moon at his beautiful house in the Valley. He is widely known for his work scoring The Fairly Odd Parents, but he has also worked on numerous other cartoons and films throughout his career. When we arrived, Guy toured us around his personal sound studio that he built next to his house. Everyone there welcomed us with warm smiles and hellos as we poked our heads into new rooms and stared in awe at the equipment and the employees working there. He then took us into his personal office, which was surrounded with computer screens and speakers pointing towards a center chair. He proceeded to show us the mysterious process of composing a score.

He works closely with directors and producers, and depending on the person, he usually receives notes about what they generally want. One producer humorously sends audio of himself singing over the soundless picture to help Guy get the general sense of what he is going for. Guy then quickly constructs a melody to match the tone and action of the characters, and polishes it off with instruments on top.

Creating sound for cartoons seems incredibly difficult. Characters switch moods within the blink of an eye and Guy needs to shift the tone quickly back and forth to help the story flow. To show us the power of a soundtrack, he showed us a film without background music. Sound is so important! Seeing the film without a score was drastically different, and made me realize how undervalued it is. The score is usually buried behind the busy motion picture, dialogue, and even sound effects, and if done well, it blends right in unnoticed. However, sound hits our emotional strings and plays the audience right into the emotional content of the film. A scary moment can be made horrifying, a happy moment becomes thrilling and inspiring, or an action scene makes us sit on the edges of our seats chewing our fingernails. It expands what is happening in the picture and is truly an incredible craft.

Seeing behind the scenes was amazing insight to how many different kinds of artists this industry supports. Everyone associates being a director with filmmaking. But there is so much more that meets the eye. Costume designers, cinematographers, writers, composers, makeup artists, wranglers, stunt doubles, PAs…etc. The list goes on forever.

The beauty of it all is that everyone is dependent on everyone. Yes, being the PA is maybe a little less impressive than being an Assistant Director, but the PA’s job is just as crucial to making sure the film gets done. Making a film is a true team effort and everyone depends on everyone else to pull through for the pieces to come together at the end. People are dedicated to the final product of the film, and if that means one day they step outside of their job to get coffee for everyone else, they will happily and readily do so.

Sometimes it’s hard not to get lost in the rat race that seems to tint the air around studios and offices. However, at the end of the day everyone is here because of his or her love for film or passions that pertain to film. It’s amazing to see people doing what they love. The artists here inspire me. From successful and well-established artists and businessmen like Guy Moon, to my friends sitting in the van seat next to me, everyone is here to pursue their passions, and I am inspired by their ambition and aspirations.

It’s called “the industry” for a reason.  Hollywood film is, first and foremost, a business.  When creative people move to Los Angeles to be in the film business, they should recognize that the art is secondary to the business.  In Hollywood, there would be no art if that art does not make money.  What matters to the people in charge is filling the seats, no matter how unoriginal and unnecessarily serialized the superhero movie of the month (ahem Batman v. Superman).  That said, art does come out of the film business.  The art of film can be thought provoking, emotionally evocative, thematically nuanced, and downright beautiful.  Our first weeks in Hollywood have been defined by a mixture of advice among those in the industry, providing the opportunity to objectively see both the business AND the art of Hollywood film.

First, the business.  We have been advised to read about the business.  The implication is that if you can teach yourself the business, you can make it in Hollywood.  Furthermore, you need connections.  Network, network, network, and maybe, just maybe,  you can get a job.  Work hard, climb the ladder from the lowest rung and make connections all the way up.  Do good work, have an endless supply of optimism, and you might keep your job.  Perhaps you will even get another.  Hearing this type of advice, while practical, useful, and certainly full of truth, becomes disheartening.  Does anyone get a job in this town who actually merits it? Is it even possible to distinguish yourself by your art, or is it just who you know?

Now, the art.  Frank Spotnitz, in particular, discussed the creative skill-set required to be a writer in Hollywood.  While not denying the power of the business, Spotnitz’s advice is the sort that makes an aspiring filmmaker breathe a sigh of relief with the knowledge that the Hollywood business is more than money.  Spotnitz advises aspiring writers to remember that the audience is always smarter than you are.  He tells writers not to aim for good (if you aim for good you will attain mediocrity) but to aim for the best episode of television ever (and if you are fortunate you will attain good).  He says that the harder you work, the more energy you gain to work harder.  The more people we meet in the industry, the more evidence we have that this advice is valid.  Work really hard, really love what you’re doing, and you may just squeeze some art out of this business.

Today was the start of second week of the On Location: Hollywood class and one thing that I continue to notice throughout our days is the appearance of luck: both as the tangible word and the invisible presence. Most noticeable is the fact that by the end of the day I feel so lucky to be this exhausted after running around to different corners of the city in order to meet with a CEO in the morning, a composer by noon, and a TV writer at night.

The word luck also crept up in today’s conversation with Tim Marx, the co-executive producer of Freeform’s (original ABC Family) sitcom series Baby Daddy, as well as a CC graduate. Tim gave us a tour of the Radford Studio lot, which included getting to meet the cast of Baby Daddy and watching them rehearse their newest episode on set. He also showed us the New York City “street” that they use for the series and have used for a variety of shows in the past, including Seinfeld. The New Yorker in me screeched with delight as we walked past the 2 and 3 line subway station- maybe if I waited long enough Kramer would waltz out one of the apartments in the spastic way he had for so many years.

After the tour was over, Tim began to answer some of our questions about the production side of the show. He explained how he got from being an environmental science major at CC to the co-executive producer of a major network sitcom, and one of the words he used was luck. After graduating from CC, Tim started bartending in DC to make some money before deciding if he wanted to go to law school to expand on his environmental science degree. While bartending one night, Tim overheard a woman complaining she needed someone to help her with all the work she had to do. Lo and behold, this woman worked for the public TV network in DC, and Tim offered to step in – this was the start of Tim’s career in the film and TV industry.

With most of the people we’ve met with since being in LA, there has been a success story involving some sort of luck. When I first hear the hard working people say things like, “my two psychology major friends in college ended up in the film industry,” or “someone just told me I should give the film industry a try,” and other stories along these lines, I felt a little lost and slightly discouraged. I mentioned this concern to my roommate, Kaitlyn, who told me she had also been feeling a little helpless about the conversations mentioning luck. Then she told me this quote: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

No block at CC has made me equal amounts of exhausted, amazed, and excited every day. There are few times in most college experiences that students get to go out on a trial run in whatever industry they’re looking to enter. To be in the film and TV industry does not only require luck; it is a combination of lots of preparation, some luck in what opportunities are available, and a whole lot of passion. I can confidently say that we are ten lucky students.

Big screens, big names and even bigger archives, day three of the block was a big day to say the least. After more than an hour of some of the finest traffic the world has to offer we arrived in ‘Silicon Beach’ at 9:30 am where we were greeted by IMAX Entertainment’s CEO Greg Foster. After experiencing the big screen for ourselves and gawking over the big filmstrips we headed to Hollywood Blvd for lunch. Next we were off to the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study. Named after a founding member of the Academy, Mary Pickford, the archive is responsible for storing and preserving over 80,000 titles of film. After a very full day we headed back to the apartments for a little R&R.

I wanted to describe how big our day was because even though it is only day 3, and we’ve already done so much, the thing I am most excited about may just be the smallest; my roommates. I am extremely excited to experience Los Angeles in a new way while meeting new people, but I’m especially excited to do it whilst surrounded by incredible people. The four wonderful ladies that I am rooming with, in addition to the other apartment of five, are making this trip even better than it already is. For the first time I am able to completely commit myself to my field of study while living and eating with students who share the same passion.

When deciding where I wanted to go to school I knew I wanted to take a break from Los Angeles, but I also wanted to study an art that is dominated by Hollywood. The block plan lets me experience the best of both worlds by allowing me to attend school in Colorado while also being able to take advantage of opportunities like this class to experience my major hands on.

The films of Hollywood have taken us around the world and to new places in time. However, there are many interesting film locations right here in LA. Yes, LA is overused in countless films, TV shows- you name it. The more intriguing part is that several locations in LA are not what they seem.

Our class so far has visited some very iconic and informative places, and passed many more on our joyous car rides in LA traffic. For example, yesterday we went to Union Station (built in 1939), a very beautiful building, that has a very large open space to the left just as you go through the main entrance. This spacious room is decorated just like the rest of the station, but has doors that almost look like they are from 50 years ago. Across from the doors is a very long ticket counter made of dark wood. The counter also looks like it is from a previous era.

On one of our car rides today we passed the recognizable Johnnie’s Coffee Shop Restaurant, a “googie-style” architecture restaurant from the mid-century. The restaurant looks like it’s full of nostalgia and delicious, typical diner food.

Here’s the spoiler – these are spaces that do not function in the way they seem. The intriguing massive room in Union Station is blocked off from entry, teasing passersby with its grandeur, and is currently mostly used for filming. Sadly, as Corrina mentioned in her previous post, Johnnie’s is not a place where you can go an eat. It is now just a facade and a film set. Many – I mean many – movies have been filmed there.

Here is a link to a website that shows six locations in Hollywood that have been re-used many times and some are now used only for movies: http://www.cracked.com/article_20173_6-places-youll-recognize-from-background-every-movie.html

And here is a link of a mash up of the various scenes shot at the Quality Cafe, another restaurant place now only used for filming: http://gawker.com/5609169/movie-scenes-from-quality-cafe-a-skilled-mash-up

Also worth mentioning, we have meet some incredible people who have been willing to share some of their time with us and answer our eager questions. This morning we went to the Hollywood Heritage Museum and met George. He knows a lot about film and is more than willing to share. George works as a drapery man for film and TV productions. He told us stories of working on sets and how the need for people who have drapery expertise is becoming less and less of a necessity. George had a lot to say but there is one thing he said that stood out. He repeated a few times that you have to “adapt or die.” While that is a scary thought, it makes sense. For any career, you have to be able to adapt to whatever is thrown your way or success will not come easily.