What would you want in your dream Film Studio?

Why isn't a pool table a good idea? You won't be filming or recording sound ALL the time. If you and someone else are editing late, it might be a nice way to get up, stretch, take a load off...etc.

At CafeFX in Santa Maria, they have a 2 lane bowling alley upstairs. When its crunch time and projects are due and everyone is around working late, it's a good way to relax a bit on a Friday night...
 
Then you you can also could build a screening room with 35mm projector, 2k cceing suite, film lab, dolby mixing stage...... ahhhh dreaming is great!

and you could also stock some lighting and grip material that you would rent as a plus, ideal for those small productions that don't have trucks to carry around material. At least I would love to get to a studio and have all the equipment already there. Obviously I'm talking of quality material that will last long and stand daily use.
 
a bowling alley ? wow that would be cool and unique... i love to be different, to have something that makes us stand out...

these are really great suggestions and are more helpful than you can imagine. I will be starting a thread here on dvxuser on may 1 when i move in to track the progress and supply pictures of how it all ends up.

any other suggestions?
 
In 2400 SF, which is very little, you have to really need to try and put all the space to production use if you expect to rent it. A pool table is fantastic if you have more room, but this particular amenity requires a lot more room than just the table itself. It is a really impractical idea.


My list would be:
  • 1200 - 1500 s.f. of sound-rated stage for insert / product work. Big enough to run a continuous infinity cyc along two of the walls.
  • Light grid with control and distro from small ETC style system. Just enough for two scenes from a single controller. A few bars of edison and or 3-pin stage pin power will conquer many of your common shoots.
  • 1-ton grip / electrics package and the room on/offstage to store most of it. Arri, Kino, Altman Pro, Mole, B&M, Lite Panels would be top fixture choices between 150w and 2k each. Baglight / Chimera options for good cyc lighting in-house would be a no-brainer if you're pushing that aspect of the facility. Stirrups, c-clamps, meat-axes and a fair amount of other basic light grid essentials should be included. Have a package price for the 1-ton per day and by 3-day week. Slash rates on pre-rig and consider comping the strike day. Make a la carte pricing just enough more expensive that they won't ever pass on the full package. You can broker this out through a third-party if you're willing to just take a percentage of the rental. Make any brokered services feel seamless to whatever extent you can.
  • Don't spend too much square footage on reception. Clients shouldn't be kept waiting. It's wasted space in a 2400 s.f. facility.
  • Bullpens are practical for most productions. In a small facility, you can have it divided up into a small seating area for meetings and then have a few desks / cubicle-like spaces for production managers / PAs to work in when a production come in-house. Infrastucture should include fast Internet, land-line phones, quality fluorescent overhead lighting.
  • One or two separate, small offices. These could be 8 x 10 or so - nothing huge or lavish - just enough space for an editor, a couple of make-up chairs, privates / dressing room. Could double as your own office if you can secure files during productions that need the space.
  • 2x Accessible Restrooms
  • Kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave, sink with disposal. Combine this with your bar / small enterainment space. What about a vintage upright videogame or something instead of pool? A good old game like Centipede or Asteroids might get heavy use from people who are of the age that actually run paid productions.
  • WiFi N... everywhere.
  • Get insurance certs ($2m GA; Workers Comp; Third Party w/ your facility as loss-payee) from every production that comes in the door. No Matter What. Every Time.
That's a start for what I'd look for. Sounds like a fun project. Oh, make sure you can pay rent for one full year minimum before signing the lease!

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Never been to many studios, but the accessibility by truck is very important IMO. Ideally if you can park your grip truck inside right next to the studio space (not in the studio space though, but less traveling makes life easier for everyone)- maybe even more space for extra vehicles and gear. IF not enough room, then just a good place to unload, easy, accessible, preferably a dock for trucks.

Umm, again, not too experienced, but the few times I was in a studio space the obvious things are a casual area, a place to eat and drink, a place for make-up (obviously)... a light on the door for shooting (which is obvious)... not sure what else...
 
A dream studio would be one that does everything for you and lets you do whatever you want, no deadlines, no overhead, no losses.....
 
1. A bar (stocked with plenty of absinthe)
2. Those awesome massage chairs you see in malls, Id have one of em
3. A computer that talked in a sexy female voice, programmed in the voice of Jennifer Connelly
4. Matrix style computers screens, several of them on the wall like out of the movie
5. Stiflers mum
 
Wouldn't your studio be IN the Tardis, then you can travel around the world or in time and record and edit anywhere!!!! One minute you're on top of Big Ben 2010, the next perched on T-Rex's ass in a prehistoric Jurassic Park while he's chasing a giant mosquito that just bit his huge balls.
 
I'm trying to think of a good unique form of entertainment for people during their down time... suggestions I've had so far:

rock climbing wall
bowling alley
mini golf
wack a mole
arcade game
hot tub
pool table
foosball

still haven't heard one that really tickled my fancy... any ideas?
 
ugafan said:
i've always enjoyed ping pong.
Click to expand...

oh yeah, someone suggested that too.

i know it is fun... i just didn't think it was that unique... but this is one of the ideas i like the best to be honest.. cheap, simple to get, and anyone can play it...hm.
 
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