BURBANK STUDIO VOWS TO KEEP PRODUCTION IN CALIFORNIA.
Charlize Theron behind the scenes on “Prometheus”
(Burbank, CA): Television and feature film production has been defecting from their traditional roots in California to other states in order to take advantage of attractive tax credits and other incentives. This has caused a slowdown in all levels of businesses associated with production; from camera operators to caterers.
Star Wars Speeder Bike on Loyal Studios Burbank green screen.
Producer and studio owner, Bob Bekian, has just finished an extensive re-modeling of his Loyal Studios location in Burbank, incorporating the latest technical tools into his facility in order to provide a reduced cost to producers. “We are a leader in Green Screen technology, and have installed one of the most advanced 360 degree lighting systems in our industry,” Bekian says. This allows for very quick set-ups in our studio, saving an average of 20% on preparation time, which leads to more shots completed during the day.
Jaeger suits from “Prometheus.”
Another important feature the studio has developed is a fully-integrated control room with the studio. This allows for editors and file managers to work in tandem with the camera operators to assemble and edit footage immediately during a day in the studio, allowing for immediate revisions and notes. “We have incorporated the latest HD storage and file management technology into our facilities so that producers can reduce costs and keep production value high.” The strategy is paying off with several of the big studios turning to Loyal Studios to augment their production slates, recently Pacific Rim, Movie 43, and Prometheus have all shot sequences at Loyal Studios.
For more information about Loyal Studios, visit loyalstudios.tv
For more information on Bob Bekian, visit his website here.
YOLANDA PECORARO CAST AS LEAD IN “VENICE 13”
Yolanda Pecoraro will play the lead in “Venice 13” Produced by Loyal Studios
Hollywood (CA): The Producers of Venice 13, the controversial true story of an undercover unit in Los Angeles, have cast Yolanda Pecoraro in the lead role. Pecoraro will play Vanessa Rodriguez, the notorious agent who broke up an arms smuggling ring distributing weapons to Al-Qaeda cells in the L.A. area.
Executive Producers Bob Bekian of Loyal Studios, and JoJo Ryder of Untouchable J Productions went through an exhaustive casting process in order to find Pecoraro. “The character of Vanessa has to have a very complex set of skills and Yolanda Pecoraro can definitely fill that role.” Noted Bob Bekian.
“She has athleticism, incredible acting skills and a realistic attitude about the character”
The story follows Precinct 13 in Venice California which is a joint task force created to battle the 40,000 gang members distributing various types of contraband coming in through the port of Los Angeles.
Pecoraro is no stranger to contention herself, being recently linked to Tom Cruise after his breakup with Katie Holmes.
Venice 13 will also include Noah Blake (son of actor, Robert Blake) as Commander Chris Giamala who is the coordinator of the task force and is credited with saving the city of L.A. from a major terrorist attack.
Other notable additions to the project include a partnership with Dodge/ Chrysler which is providing many vehicles for the show including the “Hero Car”, a customized Challenger as well as a high- tech mobile crime van.
The highly anticipated series has been in pre-production and will begin shooting the pilot December 20.
For more information on Bob Bekian’s projects, visit bobbekian.com
Loyal Studios Provides Cameras and Technical Support to “Ghost Protocol”
Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"
Burbank California (December, 2011): Although the blockbuster hit Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol was shot primarily with the IMAX camera system, there were several complicated sequences that relied on the HD cameras and technical systems from the innovative people at Loyal Studios and Pro HD Rentals.
Tom Cruise Behind the Scenes with Brad Bird
Director Brad Bird comes from an animation background, and is noted for meticulously story-boarding every shot in the Movie–sometimes going through several revisions before achieving his vision of how the final sequence is to be shot. “Our teams worked with SkyDance Productions and Bad Robot to develop POV (point of view) cameras which were used extensively throughout the picture,” said Bob Bekian of Loyal Studios. “We were very excited and honored to work with Tom Cruise, Brad, and their teams on this project to help to bring the story to life.” Many of these camera systems were used to pre-visualize the scenes and make adjustments to the action and lighting before the actual take was recorded on the IMAX system. This strategy helped to develop the complicated, expensive action sequences into what the viewer sees on the screen.
The movie was shot in Budapest, Moscow, Dubai and Vancouver which was made to look like Bangalore.
Tom Cruise on the Berj Khalifa Tower in "Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol"
One of the most exciting sequences involves Tom Cruise scaling the tallest building in the world known as the Berj Khalifa in Dubai. “We provided specialized cameras and lenses that were used to capture some of this amazing footage, and Tom was very respected by the crew in his willingness and ability to do many of the complicated stunts himself,” Bekian added.
Paula Patton of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"
Another challenge was to capture the action sequence involving the BMW supercar known as the “Vision.” Obtaining this epic shot caused Bird and his crew to think creatively in order to overcome a number of issues. Many types of cameras were used throughout the car sequences, including the workhorse Canon 5D DSLR Camera system.
For more on Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, visit the Mission Impossible home page.
For more about Loyal Studios, visit loyalstudios.tv
About Bob Bekian, visit bobbekian.com
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