The Entertainment Capital of L.A.

I am lucky enough to be living with a Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., employee this summer. She said whenever I wanted she could get me into the park for free, and last Thursday I decided to take her up on the offer. I invited two other art department interns to join me, and we spent the day riding roller coasters and exploring the studios.

We first met up with the girl I'm living with. She took great care of us! She gave us free water and four front of line passes, each one being valid for up to 5 people. Our first, and probably my favorite, ride was the new Transformers 3-D ride. The special effects where really good. If you have ever been to Universal Orlando, it was similar to the Spider Man and Hogwarts ride. They had some of my favorites from Orlando, like The Mummy and Jurassic Park. One thing that makes the Hollywood park different from its Orlando counterpart is the Back Lot Tour. We got to go around the actual Universal Studios that they use for filming. It was so cool to see all these sets and props I had seen in movies before. It was especially interesting to see how fake the New York set looked in real life, but it always looks so real in the movies. That's Hollywood for you.

After a fun day in the park, we took off for the desert for filming. We were on location for the next few days in Lancaster, CA. It was HOT. And sandy. Go figure. I think I went through about ten bottles of water an hour and a whole bottle of sunscreen, but I came away with only a bit of pink on the back of my neck.

Heather: 1 Skin cancer: 0

Pausing

Have you ever had those moments where you just pause and kind of take a step back to look at your life? I've been having a lot of those lately, and I like what I am seeing.

They are most common while I am driving. It's not what I had expected. I'm not surrounded by a concrete jungle like I am in New York. Most of my driving takes place around mountains and rocky hillsides. It's such different scenery than what I am used to when driving around PA and NY. I find myself constantly marveling at my surroundings and thinking, "I actually made it. I'm in California. I'm living in L.A." Ever since last fall, I knew I wasn't going to be anywhere but L.A. this summer, but sometimes I still find myself surprised that I actually made it happen.

I've had those moments during my internships as well. Last Thursday, there was a Arts Walk in Historic Downtown LA that showcased over 30 art galleries. One of my internships, Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, works with the Los Angeles Center of Digital Art. I got to take part in the Arts Walk by assisting at LACDA gallery. I worked the red carpet, photographing gallery viewers as they walked and posed on the red carpet. I walked around the gallery taking pictures and filming the event.

That was when I had another pause. Here I was, working as a videographer at a trendy art gallery in downtown L.A. Seriously? Now if only I could get paid to do that. Obviously, I had my own moment on the red carpet before the night ended.

On Friday, I was on set for my internship in the art department. The scenes took place at a craft shop that was packed with rows and rows of supplies. It was cramped and hectic and so, so great. There were so many people. There were easily 30 people there, and they all had a job today. It was such a different experience from anything I'd ever worked on. At school, we have three person crews. Sometimes there are upwards of 8 people on set, depending on how many actors you have. I loved the atmosphere. It was like I was living in the film Living in Oblivion.

However, that was event the best part. I was setting up a "doll aisle" with various doll parts that I was sure I would have nightmares about later when I notice a group of people stop at the end of my aisle. They are being introduced to the director, but one stood out to me. I wasn't sure at first, because his back was to me, but he was wearing a hat that I had seen a certain actor don constantly. My suspicions were confirmed when he turned in my direction, and I was experiencing my third celebrity sighting. Standing before me was Josh Hutcherson best known for his role as Peeta in The Hunger Games. Apparently he is friends with the one of the producers and just wanted to drop by and check out the set.

My final internship has been enjoyable, due entirely the the people I am working with. I have been organizing cast and crew documents and updating the credits list for the film Beyond the Mat. This past week I got to meet the two leads of the film, as they are also producers. They told the other interns and I some tricks of the trade and how to get our start. It was useful advice that will definitely help me next year when I take the big leap.

I'm sure I am not done pausing for the summer, I just hope they continue to be in moments of awe and joy. I encourage you to pause as well and just take in your life for a moment. It's an interesting feeling.

Firsts

I've experienced many firsts in this past week.

I had my first celebrity sighting of the summer. I went to The Grove to apply for a job at a few shops, and discovered that is where they film Extra. Imagine my surprise when I learned I could come to The Grove everyday and see Mario Lopez's beautifully dimpled face. On this particular day, he was interviewing George Lopez about his new dating show.

I had my first day on my two internships. As a part of the art department, I have been working to make rocks out of paper and plastic. Once I taped giant balls of paper together, I melted layers of trash bag plastic around them, and then painted them to make them look more life like. Today, I finished up painting a bunch of props white for the opening scene in the film. It's fun getting crafty, and I'm learning a lot about what goes into making a film from the art department.

My work with the film festival as been primarily working on a social media outreach. I have been working with a team of interns to promote the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles. I get more and more excited for it each time my supervisor talks about the networking opportunities it will provide and the penthouse parties we will get to attend.

I took what is sure to be my first of many trips to Santa Monica. It is easily my favorite part of California that I have seen so far. It has everything, a pier, a beach, and great shopping. It is also where a friend of mine from Penn State just moved into a great apartment.

I booked my first trip to Vegas! The weekend following my 21st birthday I'm hitting the road with some friends to celebrate in style. We booked our weekend at Planet Hollywood, located in the center of the strip. I remember being 16 and having this crazy fantasy of celebrating my 21st birthday in Vegas. I never thought it would actually happen.

And finally, I am currently watching the Tony Awards for the first time, and it makes me want to get involved in Broadway productions. Or at least go watch them all.

The Bu

I had done a decent job fending it off, but the sun and it's powerful rays caught up to me this past Tuesday on my trip to Malibu. My shoulders and knees turned into tomatoes, but, with the help of my wonderful Aloe Ocean Potion lotion (say that ten times fast) I am getting back to my normal paleness.

It was a beautiful day! Not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze, and warm sand. The water is pretty frigid, but nice to walk in. I relaxed on an uncrowded beach with my Dublin roommate and the little boy she babysits while we ate lunch.

Malibu is not at all what I expected. There is no real town like in Santa Barbara. It is mostly just and endless strip of beach, some areas public and some areas private with beautiful houses. I picked out a few I wouldn't mind buying. If anyone wants to pitch in $5-10 million, let me know. I will happily accept housemates!

Before taking our trip to Malibu, we started the day with a nice hike up to a mountain top that boasted a breathtaking view of Simi Valley in all it's glory.

I did hear back from my interviewer at Voltage Pictures. Rather than bring me in early and have me writing script coverage, he said he passed my resume on to an Assistant Editor of the feature The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman. I looked it up on IMDB, and it has a few recognizable names in the cast such as Shia LaBouf and Rupert Grint. I am beyond excited at this opportunity. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, because I imagine there is a good chance that nothing will come of it. However, the fact that there is possibility has me dancing in my head.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the completely different world that is Beverly Hills. I was driving through West Hollywood on the way to an interview and was thinking how different it was from East Hollywood. Then I crossed into Beverly Hills city limits. Everything about it is so well-kept. You definitely get what you are paying for when you live there.

I also happened upon Paramount Pictures studios on my way home. I was tempted to leave my resume at the gate, but the traffic flow wouldn't allow we to make a left turn onto their lot. Typical L.A.