The crew from the Fox Television’s national singing competition, American Idol, along with several of the idols spent time in the Sepulveda Dam basin April 5.
The crew was filming a music video and a commercial with a new Ford Focus, as they’ve done for nearly every season since the show began. Ian Roystlon, production manager for Wild Plum, a production company based in Venice, Calif., was in charge of the shoot. He’s worked with “American Idol” over the past three years and said the Corps was easily able to meet their requirements.
“I chose this site for the architecture and for the location,” Roystlon said. “It’s a fairly locked-down site and there is a lot of space so we can do what we need to do.
Roystlon said he had been considering using the basin for about a month, but had only contacted Parks about two weeks ago. After some initial discussion, he said the Corps was quick to provide him and the crew the access they needed to complete their filming in a timeframe that was convenient to their schedule. Roystlon contacted the L.A. District office to see about using the dam to shoot the music video and car commercial. 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. The morning of April 5, the crew came in and put down a green-colored water-soluble solution in order to create a dramatic “spin out” for the car.
“Wild Plum was a pleasure to work with,” Parks said. “We got to see the car and paint scene and we saw the idols. It was interesting to observe the idols as they shot the commercial and music video.” Louie Muñoz, a Corps dam operator, was the official monitor for the “American Idol” shoot. He said there were some ground rules he discussed with Roystlon and members of the crew before they began their shoot. Muñoz spoke with Wild Plum representatives to ensure the crew returned the dam area to the same condition they had found it in when they arrived. He also spoke to them about ensuring no damage was done to the concrete or any dam structures. “Wild Plum was great,” Muñoz said. “They had a good perspective on how to work with everybody. They had obviously worked with the government before and worked well with us.” In addition to the ground rules, Muñoz required the crew to ensure the area was as clean when they left as when they arrived. With ground rules in place, the singers took their places and completed their work day. Roystlon said the day was very productive and he looked forward to the next time he was able to work with the Corps.
“It’s our first time working with the Corps,” Roystlon said. “It’s been a really good experience. It’s been a pleasure dealing with them.” For more information on obtaining a film permit for Corps property, interested persons or companies can visit the L.A. District Web site at http://www.spl.usace.army.mil and click on “Get a Film Permit?” |
