York College students' Hollywood tales

NOTHING’S quite as it seems in Tinseltown. Take the sky, for example. The sky in Los Angeles is so blue it looks fake on TV, says York teenager Ella Brewin – especially if TV crews are shooting a scene that is supposed to be set in New York, where they have clouds.

The solution is typical Hollywood: paint a fake sky that looks more real than the real thing. “So at Paramount they have a giant wall painted like the sky,” said the 18-year-old.

Ella and her 16-year-old sister Lili were among 30 film studies students from York College who spent last week in Los Angeles touring the Hollywood studios with their tutor, Neil Smith.

They had a whale of a time – staying in the legendary Sportsmen’s Lodge in LA’s Media City, sitting on the famous sofa from the set of Friends, swapping high fives with James Corden, and getting a wave and a smile from Glee star Lauren Potter.

But they also learned lots about the film-maker’s art - and about ‘recycling’ Hollywood style.

And as you’d expect, they’ve returned home armed with their own tips for this weekend’s Oscars ceremony...

Ella and Lili Brewin

Sisters Ella and Lili Brewin

Ella is in her second year of the film studies A-level at York College, Lili a year behind, in her first year. Both sisters want to get into film and TV, as directors or cinematographers. “But Ella is more into the big blockbuster films, me more into TV,” said Lili.

Along with the other students, they flew into Los Angeles Airport (LAX) a week ago last Sunday, and stayed in Hollywood until last Saturday. “It was the best experience of my life,” said Lili. “I will never forget that.”

They toured the Sony, Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal studios, visited the set of Friends, got to stroll down the Desperate Housewives street, and bumped into James Corden. “He was doing filming for his Late Late Show,” said Ella. “We gave him a high five.” They also got waved at by Becky from Glee. “She’s quite small,” Ella said.

What struck Ella most about the Hollywood studio system was how efficient it is – and also how filmmakers can create an illusion of the great outdoors in a back-lot. “They don’t waste anything,” she said. “They showed us a little pond, and said: “We used that as the North Atlantic’. At Paramount, they have a giant wall painted like the sky, because the LA sky is too blue, it looks fake on screen.”

The studios can also recreate whole city blocks on a back-lot, she said. They have giant facades made of wood or brick, which can be covered with wallpaper to create different buildings. “They will do a scene, and when they’ve finished, they’ll take the wallpaper off, staple a new one up, and it becomes a totally different building. It could be New York one moment, Chicago the next.”

Lili was struck by the sheer size of some studio buildings.

“There were these huge massive hangars,” she said. “They told us they had built Boeing 747 sets inside them. They also have smaller studios, and really tall studios, where they can build big buildings like those used in the Wizard of Oz.”

Her favourite moment? Possibly the Desperate Housewives street – or visiting the Friends set. “I’m a massive fan. We got to sit on the sofa and take photos.”

Fresh from their Hollywood experience, the sisters naturally had their own Oscars tips for this weekend.

Ella: “I would like one of the British ones for best actor: Benedict Cumberbatch or (Eddie Redmayne for) TheTheory of Everything. Best director? Wes Anderson for Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Lili: “Best film: The Imitation Game. it was incredible. And best actor for Benedict Cumberbatch. I haven’t seen The Theory of Everything, but for best actress – because my sister and my mum said she was great – Felicity Jones.”

Harry Blackburn

Harry, 16, from Clifton Without, dreams of one day becoming a screenwriter. He’s in the first year of the film studies course at York College – and admits he had a great time in LA. They got to tour different sets, saw some of the vehicles from Ghostbusters – and the RV (motorhome) from Breaking Bad where Walt and Jessie cooked up their crystal meth. “It was really cool seeing these things: weird,” Harry said.

He, too, got to sit on the Friends’ sofa. But what struck him most about the TV sets they visited was ... how small they were. There were no roofs, so the sets could be lit properly and the cameras moved around. “And they were very small compared to what you’d think seeing them on TV. It is really clever how they film them from the right angle to make them seem real.”

Harry Blackburn on the Friends' sofa

The students were shown round by studio tour guides who explained how the sets were used and how crews worked. “I never really understood how they worked in such detail before,” Harry says.

His dad Grant said the tour was a ‘fantastic opportunity’.

“When I was that age, I didn’t have that kind of opportunity,” he said.

Harry’s Oscar tips: “I haven’t seen many of the films, but I have a few friends who have seen Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game. That’s got a good chance for Best Film and Best Actor.”

Terence Smith

Terence, 18, from Goole, is in the second year of his film studies A-level at York College, and hopes eventually to study film at the University of York or York St John.

The Hollywood trip was a brilliant learning experience, he said. “I learned that much.”

The studio tours were on non-filming days, he said – so the students didn’t see much filming. But he learned how big and complex the process of making a film or TV show is. “It’s a massive process, not just one man and his camera. So much bigger than it seems. They have people employed just to paint windows.”

He was also struck by the studios’ endless inventiveness – and their determination to make use of everything. “They closed off the Sony Plaza, Sony’s headquarters, for a day, put up a sign, and it became a school for the day. The Executive offices, they put up a sign and it was used for a graduation ceremony!”

The students were shown how filmmakers can create New York in the middle of LA, using facades with no back and no roof, just a front. “But you get the camera angle just right and it really works,” Terence said.

Like Ella, he was impressed by how quickly a building facade could be changed, so that it switched from a New York brownstone to something completely different. “It can be anywhere around the world in about 30 seconds.”

Outside the studios, the students saw the famed ‘Hollywood’ sign – and were taken on a tour of locations in LA . “We saw the drain system from Terminator 2, and the church from Sister Act. It was brilliant. It gave us a real insight into film-making.”

Terence’s Oscar tips: “Michael Keaton in Birdman for best actor, Felicity Jones (Theory of Everything) for best actress.” And best film? “Birdman or The Imitation Game.”

The big LA trip...

There is a Hollywood trip every year for students doing the film studies A-level at York College, says course tutor Neil Smith. “It is a trip of a lifetime, especially for students who wish to study the subject at  university, as well as work in the industry. The trip includes visits and backlot tours of Sony Pictures Studio, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers Studio.

“It develops the students’ knowledge of the Hollywood studios and informs their appreciation of the studio systems which helps them in their examinations.”

A-Level Film Studies students at the college study camera work, editing, acting, set and costume design, lighting, story structure and genre in a variety of films. They also research individual directors and shoot and edit their own short films. 

Oscar contenders

BEST FILM
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation game)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)