HOLLYWOOD STUDIO TOURS
One of the biggest allures to LA is visiting the sites where major movies and TV shows are made. Almost every major street and building in LA has been featured in a major movie, either as a backdrop to a tranquil scene featuring a home, street or office building or as the target of a catastrophic event like an earthquake, bomb or even alien attack. Universal Studios is the perfect place to spend a day touring studio back lots, taking in the rides and learning the ins and outs of movie production, a whole world of film/TV production spreads across all of LA. There are six major studios that account for 90% of all the box office movies delivered to local theatres around the world each year. They are Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Sony (Columbia Tri star), Disney Pictures and Warner Brothers. In addition there are dozens of smaller studios spread throughout LA that cater to television productions, commercials and other media. Most major studios do both movies and TV shows and sale the TV shows to the major networks, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, etc. Although Universal is the king of studio tours and attractions, Warner Brothers and Paramount also offer a variety of walking tours of their facilities. Below is a directory of where the Hollywood studio tours are located and film and taping opportunities for live studio audiences.
Paramount Pictures Located at 5555 Melrose Avenue
Paramount Pictures is one of the most institutional and legendary studios in all of Hollywood. The lot has been home to the filming's of hundreds of movies, TV shows and commercials Founded in 1912, it is the only studio to maintain real estate in the form of a huge back lot in Hollywood proper. The studio has produced thousands of movies and has been behind the success of major films from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and in to today. In the 1980s the studio had such notable movies as Beverly hills Cop, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Footloose and Terms of Endearment. In the late 80s the studio was acquired by Viacom-a media conglomerate that owns MTV, Nickelodeon and CBS to name a few. It was during the 90s that Paramount so saw of its biggest success with the release of such blockbusters as Titanic, Braveheart and Forest Gump.
Today the studio is a thriving production center with constant production of movies, commercials, TV shows and daytime talk shows. The studio offers a tour of the back lot on Mondays through Friday. The tour is a walking tour that takes visitors through several sound stages, movie sets, writers offices and more. As the studio is laden with so much history many of the office buildings around the lot have been used in many recognizable TV shows and movies. The Paramount Pictures tour includes a walk along the New York set where streets of NY have been rebuilt with urban facades and store fronts. There is a store on the Paramount lot allowing visitors to pick up T-shirts, memorabilia and DVDs of their favorite movies. Click Here on info on getting a tour of the Paramount lot. For those looking to be a part of a live studio audience for a those a taping such as the Dr. Phil show can Click Here for tickets.
WARNER BROTHERS-3400 W Riverside Dr Burbank, CA 91505
Founded in 1912, Warner Brothers is one of the oldest most continuous run studios in the industry. Located over the hill from Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley city of Burbank, Warner Brothers is a sprawling studio back lot that has produced thousands of feature films, TV shows and commercials. The studio has been produced some of the biggest features from every decade since the 1930s. Some of its biggest franchises include Superman, Batman and Harry Potter. In the 1930s it was Warner Brothers that gave birth to a genre of cartoons that are house hold names even today. These cartoon characters include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a whole cast under the Looney Tunes franchise. The studio is currently owned by the AOL-Time Warner corporation (which also owns CNN, TNT, TBS) to name a few
The studio tour at Warner Brothers consists of both a walking tour and ride through with a golf cart. The tour takes guests through all the sound stages and working areas of the studio. Visitors can expect to see the various sound stages and have historical facts of which sound stage housed various famous films and television shows pointed out. There is a good chance of stumbling upon a live set where either a movie, TV show, commercial or music video is being shot. Part of the tour includes a sop at the Warner Brothers Museum where visitors can see actual props and costumes up close and personal that were used in some of the biggest films of all times. Many of these items are not enclosed and a security guard keep watch. There are two different tours of the Warner Brothers lot, one that is a standard $45 two hour tour and includes everything mentioned above. There is a VIP tour that is $195 and allows guests guaranteed access to a live movie set and lunch at the famous Warner Brothers commissary where many celebrities dine in between takes.
Every major movie star have done long term business and spent many hours on the studio lot. Today the studio is easy to get to and is home to the Ellen DeGeneres show. There tours of the studio Monday-Friday, Click Here for more info. ,
Sony Pictures 10202 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
The Sony Pictures studio lot was once known as the home of Columbia Tri Star and MGM Studios before being acquired by the Sony Company. Like many other studios around LA, this studio has been the scene of many high profile filming's including The Wizard of Ozz and has a library of over 4,000 titles. . Today the studio continues to be a home for movie and TV filliping . The studio is located on the west side of Los Angeles near the 405 and LAX in an area of LA called Culver City. The facility has 22 sound stages Today the studio continues to be the home of tapings including Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune The studio offers walking tours Monday through Friday, Click Here for tour information. . Click Here for tickets for a live taping of either Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune.
20th Century Fox
Located on the south border of Century City, 20th Century Fox spreads out along Pico Blvd. Although not open to the public, visitors can park their cars and easily get a glimpse into the inner workings of the studio lot. Sound stages can be seen from any angle along Pico Blvd and through the front gate visitors will be able to see Mulberry Street in the background-a mock up of a New York City style urban environment. The location of 20th Century Fox has been the same one the property has always had and used to sprawl well into what is today the Century City area of Los Angeles. With the making of the movie Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960s, pyramids were built throughout the entire Century City area to emulate ancient Egypt. With the box office failure of the movie and in to save the studio from financial ruin, the land was sold to the city of Los Angeles-where it was developed as Century City. Today the studio is a busy back lot having produced thousands of movies and TV shows. 20th Century Fox is home to such notable franchises as Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, The Simpsons, Alien, X-Men, Big Mamma's House and Home Alone to name a few. The studio is under corporate ownership of Newscorp which also owns the FOX Broadcasting Network, hundreds of newspapers and FOX News.
CBS Television City 7800 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Located at the intersection of Fairfax and Beverly Blvds, CBS Television city is adjacent to the Grove and is one of the most historic film centers in all of Hollywood. First opened in 1952, the CBS Television City has been home to the tapings of hundreds of TV shows. Some of the biggest shows in television history including the Carol Burnette Show in the 1960s and 70s, All In The Family, Good Times, Three's Company and Welcome Back Kotter have been shot on this lot. Today the complex continues to be a production center for many high profile shows. Studio 33 is the most famous sound stage in the complex where The Price is Right is taped daily. Also currently in production at CBS Television City are So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars, The Late Show, The Bold and The Beautiful and The Young and the Restless to name a few. Today the CBS Television City location is home to the American Idol competition. Unfortunately the studio does not offer tours of its facilities.
Show. Click Here for tickets.
