Experiencing L.A. at Rae's Movie Shoot, Santa Monica

An army of large vans.

Keg lights.

A couple of dozen people standing around.

Welcome to a Los Angeles movie shoot; just another day experiencing Los Angeles.

Back in 2010, our last summer living in Los Angeles, I was driving up Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica - and came across a movie shoot at Rae's in Santa Monica. If I had time, I would have stopped. In this case, I was on my way to an appointment: only had time to slow down a bit and click off a few photos.

Rae's is a classic "time machine" '50's style diner. I've eaten there before. The food is good, the atmosphere is great. Here's another view on a walk up Santa Monica Blvd that same summer.

Rae's has been in countless movies, TV shows, commercials and videos.

One of the results of living, or in my case, having lived, in Los Angeles is seeing familar places on the big or small screen. Here's some links to previous posts on this blog when I across the filming for It's Complicated,  Drillbit Taylor and Dinner for Smucks. No, I haven't seen any of these films, so I really can't comment on them.

image credit: http://www.iamnotastalker.com

In the case of Rae's, I immediately recognized the interior while watching the 2005 film Lords of Dogtown, a biographical drama film focusing on the 1970's Santa Monica/Venice Zephyr skateboarding crew.

As an aside, during that same era (and just a few miles away), someone passed along Gordon & Smith's Skateboard Tale and/or Something More. Loved the style, vibe and (eventually) the message of this little comic book style religious tract. One of those many things God used as a stepping stone in my own conversion experience. Here's a link to a previous blog post if you want to read the whole thing.

Diners of the 1950's, skateboarding in the 1970's, movie shoots in the 21st Century ... and driving on. Just another sunny day experiencing Los Angeles. 

© 2014 www.experiencingla.com

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Experiencing L.A. - Drillbit Taylor Movie Shoot (Temescal Canyon, Pacific Palisades)

Ever see the 2008 film "Drillbit Taylor"? Yeah, I missed it, too. 

For our family, experience L.A. often meant experiencing a movie shoot.

My kids, and and 5 and 8 at the time, and I were in Temescal Canyon Park in nearby Pacific Palisades and  stumbled across a film called "Drillbit Taylor" being filmed.


If my kids look bored - it's because they were. For them, walking around a set - with nothing going on - was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

It was interesting for me as an adult to see this park tranformed into an on-location set. The director was takling with the cameraman for a few minutes - so everyone else was on hold.

There are a lot - I mean a lot - of people on the payroll. How much does something like this cost per hour? How much does a 10 minute break cost so that the director can have a little chat with the cameraman? Of course, that didn't keep me from taking a few photos.

Apparently, before 9/11, the Los Angeles Film Permit Office had daily on-line list of every movie, TV show, or commercial being filmed in L.A. If you were visiting Los Angeles, even for just a few days, could drive over and see a real movie being filmed.


People visit L.A. from all over the world, hoping to see a bit of the real Hollywood. How cool is it to say "I saw a movie being filmed"? Even if it's something you never get around to actually watching?

I guess you could make the arguement that if you happen to "by chance" come across an on-location film crew, it makes it even more special.

If you happen to see a large yellow sign with a strange title, most likely it's pointing to a movie shoot. Here's a few examples I pulled off the internet.

No guarantees, but a good place to start. Have fun.

© 2014 www.experiencingla.com


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