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 Crew members for the ABC television show Grey’s Anatomy raise a reflector for use during a scene filmed in the spillway at Sepulveda Dam Oct. 16. The show the scene was shot for is scheduled to air this season.
Producers of the ABC show contacted the L.A. District office to see about using the dam to shoot a scene to be aired during an episode this season. Katie Parks, outdoor recreation planner for the L.A. District, receives and reviews requests for film permits. She has seen requests from large companies, film students and photographers for shoots at Corps properties throughout the district.
“I enjoy being involved with the coordination of film permits for the L.A. District,” Parks said. “Our property is utilized for still photo shoots for various magazines, commercials and feature films. Sepulveda Dam is a popular site used on a regular basis by the film industry.”
Louie Muñoz, a Corps dam operator, was the official monitor for the Grey’s Anatomy shoot. He said there were some ground rules he discussed with Rich Clark, the key assistant location manager for ABC Studios Inc.
“I talked with them to find out what they needed and let them know what I expected,” Muñoz said. “First of all, I didn’t want my concrete [in the spillway where the scene was filmed damaged” In addition, he required the crew to ensure the area was as clean when they left as when they arrived. Clark has worked with the Corps more than half a dozen times over the last ten years. He said the requirements from the Corps are not difficult to meet at all.
 Crew members for the ABC television show Grey’s Anatomy prepare the set in the spillway at Sepulveda Dam Oct. 16. The scene shot in the spillway will be in a show to be aired later this season. Speaking specifically about the spillway at the dam, Clark said the availability of such an open space was a fantastic premium. More than 65 people were involved in the shoot and parking was available on site.
“”There’s just so much space to work in and the cost is a great benefit,” he said. “You just don’t realize how big it is in here until you put a crane in and see it from up top.”
The ABC shoot isn’t the first time Sepulveda Dam has been a location for a film shoot. Muñoz said there have been feature films, like the remake of “The Italian Job,” which starred Mark Wahlberg and several commercials filmed in the spillway in addition to photo shoots for print advertisements.
“It’s always different,” Muñoz said of each time a crew comes out to the dam. “I’ve had lunch with actors but sometimes it’s only a crew that comes out. Sometimes when they use the dam, you can’t even tell in the finished product that it was even shot here.” Over the years Clark has worked with the Corps, he said the process for obtaining permits for filming has improved.
“It’s improved a lot over the past year,” he said. “There’s a shorter turnaround time and more responsiveness to our requests.” Clark said he planned to have the area used for filming power washed because he likes to leave a location in as good or better condition than when he arrived.
“It’s only fair for the next guy that comes along to use it,” he said.
The Grey’s Anatomy episode is scheduled to air later this season. For more information on obtaining a film permit for Corps property, interested persons can visit the L.A. District Web site at http://www.spl.usace.army.mil and click on “Get a Film Permit?” |
