Introduction & Research Project Team & support

Introduction • Introduction • Summary of Findings • Slideshow • Movie The film industry is a vital part of the economic, social and culture life of downtown Los Angeles. However, due to changing demographics in the area, the prospects for location filming over the next 5 to 10 years are largely unknown thereby presenting a risk to both the city and the film industry. In 2003-2004 we embarked on an urban research project to study these risks. This project had three principal components: 1) researching the urban and infrastructural requirements of location filming; 2) determining what social, technological, environmental, economic and political trends could significantly impact location filming downtown; and 3) developing infrastructural, political and urban responses to mitigate potential conflicts between the film industry and downtown residents. Location filming occurs throughout Los Angeles, but we focused on downtown because it is the most heavily filmed spot in the United States. By our assessment, there is ten times more filming per area in downtown than in the rest of Los Angeles. This is due to the age and variety of buildings types, the large quantity of vacant properties, the area’s generic quality (required for the film industry to “cheat” other locations) and the availability of surface parking (needed to set up base camps.) We are now looking for additional funding to continue this work. Our objective is to develop a comprehensive resource tool that will allow the film industry to work more effectively in downtown LA, while also improving the area for its residents and business owners. The development of this resource tool will involve collecting and analyzing complex urban data using GIS mapping, 3D modeling, diagramming and scenario planning techniques. This work will help film industry leaders and city officials read and compare development trends thus permitting decision-making on film industry innovation and urban infrastructure development in the area. Our multi-disciplinary team has the right mix of talent and experience to create a highly effective and executable proposal. Over the last year and a half, we have been collaborating with economic development expert David Bergman and scenario planner Michael Speaks, creating innovative methods of urban analysis. The team will also include multi-media designer and web programmer David Hartwell. This site includes a description of the project; a short 12-minute movie containing interviews with industry, political and business leaders about this issue; examples from our initial research study; and biographies of our project team. We have tried to cover each item thoroughly, but we would be happy to provide additional material or explanations as needed. Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully Yours, Sarah Lorenzen, RA Project Lead Plasmatic Concepts 6916 Camrose Drive Los Angeles, CA 90068 (323) 850-7640 sarah@plasmatic-concepts.com [ back to top ]