Hollywood has always been known as the home of film, with such
landmarks as the Hollywood sign and the Chinese Theatre concretely
in place to maintain it’s star-studded reputation.
But what many people might not know is that the campus of UCLA
has also been a film star, often serving in different roles and
never playing itself.
Forest Whitaker’s new film “First Daughter,”
staring Katie Holmes and Marc Blucas, much of which was filmed here
on the UCLA campus, opened in theaters everywhere last week. The
story of a president’s daughter’s journey to college,
UCLA served as a perfect replica for creating the college-type
atmosphere in the movie.
Countless producers in the past have used the UCLA campus as
their very own movie set. From much of central campus being used in
the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy “Old School” to the
botanical gardens being used as some of the jungle set in the 1995
action-adventure film “Congo,” the campus is able to
and has been transformed into almost anything within a
director’s imagination.
But with producers looking for exotic locations to shoot their
films, is UCLA’s future as a backdrop for major motion
pictures as certain as it once was?
For many like adjunct associate professor of producing, Myrl
Schreibman, the answer is simple.
“The whole idea of runaway productions is nothing
new,” said Schreibman. “There’s a trend now
happening where it’s coming back to people really paying
attention to cost of making a film. More and more projects are not
going away unless they have to.”
While it’s difficult to determine whether future producers
and directors will give up the comfort of sleeping in their own
beds for the long nights of a shoot on the road, one thing that is
clear is the financial incentive for having film crews use the UCLA
campus in their movies.
Producers interested in using the UCLA campus in their movie
must issue a request for a permit, which is processed by the Events
Office, which ultimately decides if the shooting is cohesive with
the student academic calender, according to UCLA Events director
Jack Raab.
“It means revenue for the university,” said
Schreibman. “(As a professor), I would like to see some of
these companies that come to shoot here at UCLA go a step further
and offer the students the opportunity to take place in these
shoots.”
But the simple knowledge that the shoots occur so close to home
is enough for many students, especially when the information can be
used to brag to starry-eyed friends.
“It impresses people, especially depending on where
they’re from,” said third-year psychology student Susie
Trinh. “It’s a good point of interest for students who
are interested in film because it shows them that there’s a
lot of opportunity (in the industry).”