Batman Goes To Dinner

When I had originally moved out here, I wanted to be an actor. Like many people who come here from the Midwest, I was driven by a dream. And, like many of the people who have made the exodus to Los Angeles, that dream has yet to come to fruition. Between bills, travel, and the industry itself, it is not a goal that many will ever be able to attain. However, still I plug along, making auditions as I can between my job and life in general. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have production experience, however small, and managed to land a job at the world's largest movie studio. So, while my acting pursuit's future has yet to be determined, I am lucky enough to be around production and some pretty awesome moments.

My main job isn't very glamorous. I am, after all, just a tour guide. The way our department works, I am lucky enough to show people up-close views of the action itself rather than be confined to the tram the whole time. I do not enjoy always being tethered to 12 random strangers, many of which don't even speak the same language, and after 4 years, I think my time has come to move on sooner than later with the hope that I have gained enough connections and friends that I may be able to get some help if needed. That said, for all the times I do not like my job or have complaints, along comes times like this past Friday that remind me of that original dream and why I moved here to begin with.

One of my favorite stops on our tour is our museum of picture cars. No matter how lively or dead my tour at the moment is, I always make sure to slow down and spend extra time with the museum. It's our tour guide sanctuary, an extremely amazing area of the lot not even accessible to other employees of the studio without a tour guide's badge to open the door. We've had some pretty incredible pieces in there, from a '56 Rolls-Royce to the Mystery Machine to the Mach 5. I have plenty of fond memories of slow days where I would be sent to look after them, dust them, and generally keep them safe. For someone who lives and breathes films, there is nothing like dusting an original Batmobile with no one around to bother you but the hum of the florescent lights overhead.

So, imagine how excited I was when they picked a few of us to work a special event this week involving our absolute favorite character: Batman. We were all accustomed to seeing the Batmobiles on a somewhat rotating schedule in the museum, but in honor of The Dark Knight Rises coming out in July, I guess Chris Nolan has commissioned a documentary regarding the history of the Batmobiles to go in as a special feature on the Blu-Ray next year. For the first time ever, all of the Batmobiles were going to be in one place, including the 1966 George Barris Batmobile. Even better, a few of us in the department who were especially fond of the cars were asked to work a once-in-a-lifetime event in which the iconic cars were going to be taken down the street in Burbank to the weekly car show at Bob's Big Boy.

For those unaware, Bob's Big Boy is a classic diner chain in the United States. Really, it is THE classic diner from which most of the ones we think of today, like Denny's or IHOP, came about. It's a piece of Route 66 Americana history, which flashing neon signs and a friendly statue outside every door of Bob with his full plate. The one in Burbank itself is the oldest remaining one in the chain and has been registered as a State Point of Historical Interest in California. The building itself was built in 1949 and became a huge influence to the design of countless 1950's-era coffee shops. Restored to its former glory in the mid-1990's, Bob's is undeniably a part of culture in Burbank, and a well-known stop for many residents and tourists. Every Friday, the parking lot becomes a bevy of classic vehicles in a car show known around the country and featured occasionally on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After filming on the lot off-and-on for weeks, there was no better place or event to finally gather our most recognizable picture cars for the public to view.

So, as we watched Burbank police officers escort the cars in a motorcade through the streets and eventually into the parking lot, we tour guides got to work helping wrangle the public and generally be nerds for a couple hours talking about Batman. It was a wonderful experience overall, and after working on the lot for years, I was finally able to get a few photos with the cars I loved so much. For once, I was in the inner circle (literally, as we had the cars roped off with only studio employees allowed in for closer looks). We met some truly amazing people, including George Barris himself and Alan (or Andy. It's all kind of a blur as far as names go), who built the Tumbler. A few other guides stopped by after their shifts to see what was going on, and it was a fun celebration for everyone involved, some of whom had been working on this documentary for weeks now and well deserved a couple hours of break.

Of course one of the favorites was the '66 Batmobile, and the reason this event was so special. While the studio keeps the other four, the original is kept in George Barris' showroom not far away on Riverside. Built off a Ford Futura concept car he bought for $1, the Barris version has become one of the most well-known movie cars in history. There have been countless replicas made (although only 4 copies were made by Barris himself using Chevrolet bodies), but the original stands well above the rest. With its orange trim and many Bat-centric elements, it was far-and-away the most suited to sit in the parking lot of a classic show at Bob's. Although, George was having just as much fun getting photos with the others as he was with his own.

The Michael Keaton Batmobile (shown here in our museum. I didn't get too many at Bob's because of where it was parked, sadly) was also another favorite. This one seems to be the most popular among movie enthusiasts, likely because it was the first one many people in my generation remember seeing. There were two made, one built on a Chevy Impala and another built on an Oldsmobile. All others seen around the country are replicas. They don't go too terribly fast, as they aren't very easy to turn and are mostly a fiberglass shell, but it's still incredibly fun to see out and about on the rare occasions they do send it out. The way to tell the real ones from the fakes? The main Batmobile used in the films has a working OnStar system in the dashboard due to the commercials made in the early 2000's.

While they were still on the lot, I managed to take a few snaps with my cellphone, and here you can see the two Schumaker Batmobiles in the background. While the movies themselves tend to be poorly received, the cars themselves are pretty fun and probably the closest in spirit to the '66 model with their flashy neon lights and moving parts. The Val Kilmer car (back left) can really let loose when it wants at a top speed of about 90mph or so. The back wings can open and close (flap, if you will), and was originally supposed to be designed by H.R. Giger until his version was deemed too dark. The Clooney car (back right with body up) is by far the largest at 30ft long and holds a price tag of supposedly over $1 Million. The body does lift to allow it over speed bumps, and even the tread of the tire is designed with Batsignal inlays. Most of our actual "work" at the event was making sure people weren't poking their eye out on the tips of the two giant wings coming off the back of the body.

Then came my favorite: the Tumbler from the newest Christopher Nolan films. I have spent hours talking about this car and enjoying its presence. Best of all, at the event (and featured in the second photo) was the architect himself who gave us tour guides tons of great information. The one we've had at the studio for ages is mostly the "promotion" car that is sent out for display and is generally kept in nicer condition than the rest. It was the 5th built, mostly using spare parts from the other four ("We had all these extra parts lying around so I figured we couldn't let them go to waste. May as well build another!") In the Dark Knight, it was famous for doing a doughnut in the middle of the street right before jumping in front of a rocket fired by The Joker. The Tumblers are absolute beasts with a top speed of 110mph and propane tanks rigged for the fire effects out of the back. It was an honor to be able to speak with him about the design, and my friend Josh and I were hanging on every word.

There are several great memories I will always have of the studio, but there are very few that will be able to match this event. After the documentary is done, most of the cars will be split up to go their separate ways. Supposedly, we may never see our Tumbler again (though Cassandra, our Transportation executive, is apparently trying to get one of the camouflage ones as a replacement). But, at least for one final day, we were all just part of the studio, hanging out with what seemed like old friends by that point. There will never be another job I have where I get to say "I dusted the Batmobile." And that's pretty neat.

I finally got my photo with the Tumbler!

And, of course, Bob

Goodbye, Chuck Bartowski

On a crisp evening in early December, I was standing outside Stage 10 on the Warner Bros. lot with a few fellow tour guides. I was technically Dispatcher for the evening and should have been back at our base off the lot handling carts, but it was a particularly slow day and did not have any carts returning from tour for an hour or so. So, I justified my time away as being a special occasion, and I doubt any of my managers would have been surprised or reacted negatively considering the moment. As we few guides stood waiting, lit only by the sulfur lamps on top of the stages that special time of early evening, I looked behind me and saw none other than Adam Baldwin standing next to his trailer and golf cart, smiling and staring at us. When he noticed me glancing his way, he, without hesitation, walked our way, shook my hand, and said in a way much like only John Casey could say "Great working with you."

See, this "special occasion" was none other than the last day of filming for the series "Chuck." It was a series that quickly stood apart from the other shows on the lot, and became very popular among our growing tour center. After working around them, visiting their sets, talking with the cast, crew, and fans, it had created a certain type of reverence in my heart. And here we were, our little pack of four or so guides, waiting to give them one small farewell after a few gut- wrenching seasons. Upon first starting my training, I had honestly never even heard of the show. It was only after the hounding of my "classmates" that I began to watch and became instantly hooked. However, it was not just the show's qualities and traits that kept me talking about it throughout many future tours with people who probably had never watched an episode. Rather, they were one of the most gracious productions we had on our lot, always willing to say hi to our guests, give access to their sets, or watch filming when possible. I often say that they took lessons from their soundstage neighbors "ER," and they still both rank as the types of shows we still get excited about talking about years after the fact.

Even more so, the show made us excited to be working in Hollywood. Many of us were transplants from all over the country, and working at Warner Bros., even at the lowest rung of the corporate chain, was something that seemed almost out of the realm of possibility. But, we made it, and due the nature of the tours on the lot, we weren't just giving scripted content to hundreds of tourists at a time. No, we were right in the thick of things with our little groups of 12 trying to make sense of the industry like so many other newcomers. And, at every turn, there was "Chuck." There they were, blowing up cars or buildings or driving the Nerd Herd around the lot. Even when we had tourists that didn't care, that had no interest in any of our productions or would otherwise not talk for two hours, Zachary Levi was there with his "Hi, welcome to Warner Bros! Enjoy your tour!" It didn't matter if he was busy or talking on the phone with his agent; he would always wave and shout his little greeting. And, if anything, I hope he knows that it at least made our jobs as tour guides more enjoyable when everything else about the job or guests was dragging us down. The show reminded me of why I picked up everything and moved out here to the West Coast in the first place. It made me fall in love with the industry all over again.

And, of course there were hard times, which is partially what made the experience so special. Just as many people follow sports, I and many other fans had learned to follow Nielsen Ratings like the science it is. We writhed and squirmed each and every year around March, worried about that ominous phrase "On The Bubble." By all accounts, "Chuck" was not a show that should have made it. It was one of the very few shows (possibly the only show but I'll have to do research on it) that survived the Writer's Strike during its first season. We saw many other great shows on the lot become affected, including another darling with us in "Pushing Daisies." Somehow or another, though, the fans always came through. They ate Subway sandwiches. They wrote to the network. And the wave kept going as the sponsors professed their love right back. Even without great ratings, and with advertisers that knew the fanbase was not necessarily going to go out and buy a ton of Toyota Matixes, people in the industry could not let it go. They gave it 5 seasons because, when it came down to it, people just loved "Chuck." Whether it was the great personality of the cast and crew or the fun, nerdy void the show filled in for the internet generation, it was granted a couple extra lives. And, finally, it was granted a perfect ending.

It seemed like everything was leading to that night with our little group of guides and Adam Baldwin. You see, it was a special occasion. Our last tour of the day on Chuck's last day of filming had a 7-year-old girl on it. She was under our age limit, but she had come to the ticket counter with her parents holding one of the seasons of "Chuck" on DVD and a special note for the cast. Her favorite character was Sarah Walker, and she wanted to try and get an autograph or two on her DVDs from the cast. Normally, we would never even remotely consider hounding our cast members, and the girl would not have been allowed on tour due to her age, but our ticket counter knew that this was one last hurrah and let her on board.

So, our Field coordinator made some calls as best she could. Any other show, and we never would have even attempted. But, as I said, "Chuck" was always unique. And, sure enough, Zach Levi and Adam Baldwin were "conveniently" leaving from a scene rehearsal right as the girl and her tour were leaving one of the adjacent soundstages. I was standing next to Adam, both of us silent as we watched Zach make this little girl's dream come true. As they all took pictures together, it felt like the perfect moment, and a perfect example of their time here on the lot. Holding that girl on their shoulders for photos, Zach and Adam were just as they had always been: friendly, positive, and extremely fun to have on the lot. It was their last day, but they had been doing this for as long as I had been working with them on the lot. That's just how they were.

As if the moment couldn't even get any better, the tour was loading back on their tram and driving away from their stage. Right when the tram and the girl on it were next to the door, something we had not planned occurred: the rest of the cast started leaving from their rehearsals inside. Including Sarah Walker.

To all the fans who supported our studio's little show over the years, thank you. You were the best tours and some of the most genuinely friendly people I've had the chance to meet. The fanbase isn't just a collection of fans, it's a great community that has grown and connected in a way only yours could. But, of course, the most thanks to you, "Chuck," both as a fan and coworker of the studio. Thanks for so many great years and allowing us to follow you through your adventures. You've proven that it's not just ok to be a nerd sometimes but that it's actually pretty "awesome."

Comic Con Adventures

I'm a nerd. That is not a title I wear with either shame or pride. The title is simply the truth and not something that will likely change. Thankfully, being a bit of a nerd is now an "in" thing of a grand scale, and it's not uncommon to see otherwise perfectly normal adults in their 20's and 30's wearing Zelda shirts or talking about the upcoming Batman film. It's a culture, no different than the many other types of interests across the spectrum.

Of course, one of the things about liking video games or comics is that it's a little awkward to be the only one talking about them in a crowd. For all the stereotypes of grown men living in their parents' basements, geeks and nerds are relatively social creatures who enjoy talking about their interests with others. This is a very broad statement, of course, and the culture has grown so large that you could break them down into various groups and subgroups. And, of course, there really are the grown men with Anime plastering the walls of their parents' basements. However, I think the statement still holds, and we are at an age where many people do not find it hard to seek others that share their unique interests. Which is where Comic Con comes in and creates a venue for all of those people to meet in one giant madhouse.

Trying to describe Comic Con to someone who has never heard of it is a difficult task simply because so many have heard of it. At its basic level, San Diego Comic Con (usually abbreviated to SDCC) is a convention held every year at the San Diego Convention Center and showcases various brands of pop culture, entertainment, and personal creativity. It was started as a relatively small collection of exhibitors in 1970 as a way for people to gather, trade, and discuss comics and display their own work. It pulled roughly 300 people and lasted 3 days at the U.S. Grant Hotel. Through planning and plenty of interest, the convention grew, expanded, and eventually included entertainment of all types from films, Anime, books, television, comics, and more.

So, in order to describe what Comic Con is to someone who has never heard of it, you must describe just how much it grew since its humble origins in 1970. It is now the largest convention in the Americas and 4th in the world. In 2010, the estimated crowd was 130,000. Exhibitors include the largest companies in entertainment in the world, including the major motion picture studios, DC and Marvel Comics, countless independent artists, Mattel, Hasbro, LucasArts, and more. The ballrooms are now used to host massive panels in which fans can see their favorite film and television artists discuss, display, and announce titles as well as ask questions directly to the panel boards. The largest ballrooms, Ballroom 20 and Hall H, seat 4250 and 6700 respectively. The major studios use SDCC as a launching pad to announce or showcase titles often for the very first time. Some are even using it as a place to hold their world premieres. The event attracts people of all types, from those who just want to hop in and check out their favorite show to those who have turned it into a yearly ritual with its own traditions.

To say the least, Comic Con is massive. It is also very intimidating to a newcomer. I had always heard about SDCC, seen it displayed on the news, or heard about it from friends. However, it is a large undertaking and timing or costs had never worked out. This year, things changed and my friend Beth managed to go almost all Summer without having anyone buy her guest passes that came with her Trade Professional registration. It was do or die, and I plopped down the money without hesitation, knowing it was time for the pilgrimage that many nerds have turned the con into.

We managed to secure housing near the beach with family rather than stay at one of the nearby hotels. This was a mixed bag on the whole, and I learned quickly to weigh the positives and negatives of where you stay for the convention. First off, you need a crowd, which was certainly not a problem. Having more people in your room is almost a necessity of SDCC, and it's fairly easy to find people posting on forums looking for random people that know enough basic hygiene to share a room. However, while the beach house was amazing and we had great company, the distance was also a burden as we would not have access to a car while her family was using it. Also, not being able to drop stuff off or take a quick break became an issue very quickly. For this trip, it was worth it, but if planning to go, I would definitely save up enough for a hotel the next trip so long as it is reserved early to avoid the extraordinary $325/night charged as SDCC looms closer.

We drove down on Wednesday night, as her badge allowed access to Preview Night. This was probably the best thing about the trip, and securing that preview was extremely important. Preview Night is typically reserved for only a select amount of tickets and is used for people related to the industry to get a lay of the land or pick up items before the rest of the rush over the next four days. One of the most important parts of the convention are the SDCC Exclusives released by retailers. Oftentimes, these are comics, toys, gifts, etc. that can only be bought at the convention and sometimes in limited quantities. In our case, there was a Muppet Show silkscreen print from one of the retailers that was Exclusive and numbered only to 100. Without Preview Night, we would not have been able to pick up the print for our friend, as they sold out extremely quickly. Probably the favorite exclusive this year was a 22" Stay Puft action figure from Mattel, the largest action figure they have ever made.

So, after waiting in line for about 3 hours, we were let into the main exhibit hall. Even on PN, I could see just how large the scale was. The exhibit hall itself covers almost 526,000 sq.ft. Every bit was covered with booths from around the world. Even for the preview, there were plenty of people running around, trying to be first in line to certain retailers or displays. Many times the rest of the weekend, we would wish for the quietness of Preview Night, which already seems extremely busy to someone that has never been. Beth and I mostly made our way around trying to find a lay of the land and figure out where the main displays were. Most of the center areas were covered with the major exhibitors like Lionsgate, DC Comics, Summit Entertainment, etc. One of the largest was our Warner Bros. booth, which covered about 3,000 sq. ft. on two floors. Then, there was the section we called the Outer Rim, reserved for individual comic book stores or toy retailers to display their collections. This was much more similar to what most people think of when they think of a comic convention and was relatively calm for most of the week compared to the rest of the convention.

One of the best things about the convention are the free giveaways given to attendees. Because of the size of the con every year, all the major booths hand out free items in a massive marketing push to fans. Sometimes, they would be small items such as buttons. But, in other cases, they would be impressive items like unique USS Enterprise bottle openers or special in-game items from the video game companies. Probably the most anticipated very year are the gigantic Warner Bros. swag bags. The massive bags are handed out for free and display a few select WB franchises on them. They are also made of cloth/polyester and make a great way to carry the items people purchase at the con. We managed to get a couple of the highly coveted Justice League bags and would be subsequently asked at least five times while waiting in the opening line to trade for a different, lesser production bag. We made our way around finding the items we wanted to buy for friends or ourselves (usually related to the DC Comics Relaunch). After getting a lay of the land, we made our back to the beach house and began planning for another day.

The rest of the con was much more typical of what to expect: crowds, exhaustion, tons of free stuff, random celebrities, and some of the best costumes you'll ever see. Probably one of the cooler aspect of the convention is what is called "cosplay," short for Costume Play. It's basically a great excuse to act like Halloween has arrived and probably the main reason I went down. Attendees of the nerdiest caliber will sometimes work months on a costume to wear based off their favorite show, video game, movie, whatever. While there are certain plenty of people who should not be wearing the costumes they do, there are others who are extremely impressive. As a photographer, that was the biggest draw for me and taking pictures of the costumes was such an overwhelming task I ended up not taking as many as I wanted in hindsight. We also did a little cosplay of our own, with Beth dressing as the new Lara Croft (so new, the Square-Enix booth didn't even have a poster for her yet) and myself as Cobb from Inception. We both dressed as Nerd Herders for the Chuck panel on Saturday.

We also grabbed a ton of great items over the course of SDCC. There were plenty of buttons, of course, but the giveaways were sometimes very creative. Lionsgate handed out the mockingbird pins from Hunger Games in honor of the new movie. DC Comics handed out Wayne Casino poker chips that were weight-accurate and in different denominations every night. Probably the best giveaway, though, was from the ABC Pan Am booth. In honor of the new show, we were given a "Pan Am boarding pass" for a specific time later in the day. Upon arrival, we were shuttled into a 6-seat airplane fuselage that was actually a tiny motion simulator. The stewardesses gave their speeches just like an actual airline stewardess before we watched a short trailer for the upcoming show. After "landing" we were each given an official, free Pan Am dufflebag! Beth was planning on using it as a new gym bag before we even left the airplane.

Most of our panels were done on the Saturday block in Ballroom 20. We woke up bright an early for our beloved "Chuck." After working on the WB lot and experiencing the cast and crew firsthand, we had to show our support for their final Comic Con panel. It was highly emotional near the end, but we had a great time seeing the entire cast lined up and chatting away like old friends. We decided to stay and eventually sat through the premiere of Terra Nova (which was good and I really hope lasts), Futurama/Simpsons, and Family Guy (which was hilarious). We also managed to watch the premiere of Batman: Year One on one evening and were highly impressed. As always, DC Animation is a notch above the rest on telling their superhero stories. Time to get the movies up to speed now!

On the whole, I had a wonderful time and could not have asked for a better experience. Beth was excellent company and we accomplished most of what we had planned to do. As mentioned earlier, I would probably stay at a hotel for the experience next time, though. Also, we could have used the bag check a lot more than we actually did. Thankfully, we used it well when we realized it was there and kept most of our food in my camera bag for pickup whenever we were hungry. The convention as whole is truly something that is hard describe and must really be experienced. I highly look forward to next year and hope to have a much more impressive costume by the time it rolls around.

Here's my Google+ album of photos for those interested!