quote:

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The entire reason for the existence of a soundstage is for filmmakers to build a space bridge, a local bar, a living room.

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Aaaahhhh, now I understand. I didn't know that.

And now I understand better.

You have been thinking you need to rent a stage with the finished
set that fits the needs of your project. Thus the confusion.

Good news isn't it? When you rent space from a studio you get an
empty building in which you can build exactly what you need. Rent
a big enough stage and you have the your ships bridge and space
station main room built on one side and ever changing sets and
locations on the other side. You need a corporate office on Earth
for a couple of episodes you build it and then take it down to replace
it with the school you need for only one episode and then the bridge
of the alien ship you will need for two episodes. And you can have
corner where you're shooting your models.

When you need a big set for a couple of episodes - the huge alien
ship that threatens your heros and is destroyed - you have another
stage just across the way you can rent for a month, build, shoot, strike
and walk away from.

In addition to the big room you can rent office space, meeting rooms,
dressing rooms, model and set building space, and even editing bays
all in the same area. the bigger your show gets, the more money you're
making, the more space you can rent. something you really can't do if
buy a warehouse in an inexpensive area.

NOW I understand. Thank you so much. I should buy you lunch. 🙂

To continue this topic, I spoke to a soundstage manager today about renting his space, and he said the same thing, that I can build a space bridge, shoot the scene, and take it down to put in storage. I'm surprised to hear that, but he said the same thing everyone has. So I presume a bridge set like the Enterprise would be done so it can put up within a day, and, later, put in storage somewhere???

Is that how sets work?

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul

To continue this topic, I spoke to a soundstage manager today about renting his space, and he said the same thing, that I can build a space bridge, shoot the scene, and take it down to put in storage. I'm surprised to hear that, but he said the same thing everyone has. So I presume a bridge set like the Enterprise would be done so it can put up within a day, and, later, put in storage somewhere???

Is that how sets work?

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No. Not exactly. When you're talking about an episodic television show or a feature film, the main sets take weeks to construct. They are usually far too large and complicated to build in a single day or be on wheels to roll in and out.

This is part of the challenge of scheduling for the First Assistant Director and the Unit Production Manager. They have to break the script down to figure out how to group scenes together in the schedule so they can "shoot out" locations/sets completely before moving on to another scene. That way, when a specific set is finished with, the Construction department is given the wrap order and the set is deconstructed, usually entirely, so that the stage space can be used for a new set that needs to be built.

In the case of an episodic television show, when they are reasonably certain that sets will be needed for the next season, the set may or may not sit on that stage while rental is paid to the stage owner. Or, the set will be taken down carefully so that the pieces can be put back together later.

If you're thinking about building sets, you should make sure the Production Designer is consulting with the Director of Photography, the Gaffer, the Key Grip, AND all construction needs to be built to safety codes so that there is no danger of fire or the set falling over. ALL major movie productions have a Fire Marshall who inspects the set constantly to check for fire hazards and be sure that escape routes are accessible, generally by clearing at least a three foot corridor around the entire perimeter of the inside of the stage.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

I was wondering about that. I mean, renovating a house can take months, but

If I have a webisode series, it may be better just to buy the property in question, given interest rates and the price of real estate. But, then again, as CI rightly said, renting can be cheaper and allow for more mobility.

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul

I was wondering about that. I mean, renovating a house can take months, but

If I have a webisode series, it may be better just to buy the property in question, given interest rates and the price of real estate. But, then again, as CI rightly said, renting can be cheaper and allow for more mobility.

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Producing a movie, television show, documentary, or any type of production is all about managing and juggling resources. What works best for your location schedule may not work at all for actor availability or visa versa. It may be cheaper to purchase a warehouse for stages so you can leave sets up or it could be cheaper to rent a space and pay to store the sets when you're not using them. That's why all major productions have a First AD and a UPM who deal exclusively with schedule and budget in tandem.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com