Field Tour!
It was always a dream to visit a studio where access is not that straightforward to attain. On March 19, 2006 we went to Melbourne Central Studio as a part of our MS field trip project, which is also a part exercise of the media production industry subject. I always heard about Warner Bros or Fox studios but never saw them and it is honestly very hard to predict how big a studio is unless you have seen one. Melbourne central studio has five studios, which are not all the same size. We visited studio one which is the biggest of them all. Before I went there, I was expecting to see something inside the studio, but it was an empty place. As I visited couple of TV studios, I saw cameras on the spot, some TVs and lots of other stuff, which is needed for a production. I had no idea that a studio, especially where the big production companies come and make movies, would be just an empty place. Then I understood, because the tour guide (Rachel) said that a studio is like an apartment. Companies come and lease the studios and they bring all of their stuff, including sofa and when they finish their project they have to remove everything and leave the place as it was before. Now I know why access to a studio is almost impossible when work is in progress.
I was really surprised to know that working with a big production company does not mean that one is safe with his job. One single mistake is enough to get fired and American production companies are very strict about that, although Australian production companies are a bit flexible (nice to know that). Just out of curiosity, I went to see the rooms where Russell crow and Nicholas Cage lived during a shooting of a film. I was expecting to see a five star hotel comfortable room but it was just a simple room to live and probably I was thinking ridiculous. I never heard of sound lock doors, which was a good thing to see and experience through out the tour. At the end of the tour I was thinking that one needs to be really rich to work in this industry unless he/she is an actor/actress. At least that is how I find myself. I was listening about how this industry works from the tour guide and I was really surprised that it is all about money. For example a production company wants to have the studio and they book it, but after a long delay probably 3-4 months they may say no, then the studio owner has can do nothing about that, and simultaneously the studio owner will lose his other contracts from other production companies who were willing to have the studio at the same time. Only goodwill and the nature of business, decide if the studio owner will get or loose business.
