A highlight of scouting CBS' midcentury Television City studios is the lobby map, a replica of the one from Walter Cronkite's CBS Evening News set.

Spotted while scouting in Bakersfield, CA: the historic Big Shoe, built in 1947. What a world it would be if all retail architecture was based on the product being sold.

A couple of years ago, I got to scout the historic Vernon power plant, an art deco behemoth built in 1933. When you step through the main entrance, you immediately find yourself in the control room, and it's a fascinating contrast of old vs new... <1/>

And speaking of strip clubs... A few years ago, I was scouting a strip club for the room where they have the private booths, and the manager led me across the main floor and up a staircase, and suddenly it felt like I'd walked into a storage room for the monoliths in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Scouting strip clubs for movie/TV filming always makes for some extremely unique encounters, though not for why you'd probably expect... <thread>

A few jobs back, I was scouting for a "mansion under construction" for a movie. The main character was supposed to be as rich and powerful as they come, and the house being built had to reflect the latest and greatest in contemporary design. <1/>

Found some snow in LA

You're going to hear a lot of Rob Reiner stories in the coming days, and I'm sure this will be the most minor. But I had the opportunity to work for him on a small project shot at his home a few years ago. <thread>

Always travel with a friend

You got this buddy

A pleasant Saturday in the middle of nowhere

Ok buddy, my camera flying off the passenger seat when I braked to avoid you probably took a few years off its life, so maybe hold off on eating cats for a few days in return? Cool?

A witch’s house in the shadow of a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece is one of a thousand reasons why I love LA.

Oftentimes, the hardest part of location scouting isn’t the where, it’s the who; as in, who owns the property and can give permission for filming. I’m searching for an alley contained on private property in a particular area and found this one pretty quickly, liked it because it has a curve. <more>

Well that was a crazy past year of scouting!

I’m scouting a mom-and-pop fast food restaurant, the kind that has literally everything on the menu. It’s about 4pm. A man who is clearly homeless walks in and goes to the front counter and orders french toast with a side of bacon, in a voice that sounds both utterly exhausted and triumphant. <more>

Love when LA’s islands in the clouds decide to come out

It is crazy how commonplace it is to find yourself behind a full Back To The Future replica DeLorean in Los Angeles

Given that I literally never, ever see anyone casually hanging out on their balcony at any time of day or night in my scouting travels, I can only assume that having a balcony seems like a wonderfully romantic idea right up until the moment you actually get one.

Wonder what the hours are

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Years ago, I had the pleasure of working on several TV series with a fellow location manager named Philip Fracassi. One day, Philip abruptly vanished from the film industry, only to re-emerge soon after as one of the most exciting new horror authors of the past decade... <cont'd>

A rough alley in a rough part of LA, but the flowers are reaching for the sky.

I was scouting farmland near LA for orange groves when I found myself parked next to the old graveyard for the area. I took a quick walkthrough to see the oldest grave (1876, pretty damn old for LA). As I was leaving, I noticed four graves in a row.

Clearly owned by someone who once took a lot of pride in their video store. Rest in peace, Martinez Video No. 2.

In movie location scouting, you’ll often be asked to find a place with with “texture,” a fancy way of referring to the wear and tear that builds on a property from decades or even centuries of use, age, and neglect. This facade for a down-and-out hotel near Skid Row may not look like much to most…

Go Kelly!

One of the crazy things you learn when scouting old mining properties is that people frequently trespass, sneak into open shafts and chip away in hopes of finding gold, without any concern for the odorless, invisible gas that could kill them without warning.

First time in 20 years of scouting I’ve ever seen a warning sign for quicksand. Which of course makes me all the more interested in checking it out…

I just drove by this house and am fascinated by its design philosophy. “Make it like the Addams Family, only modern” feels like a real conversation that took place.

Been a long time since this sign had any meaning

The Wall. This is the wall everyone wants right now. Concrete, flat, a muted gray. Sometimes with the imprint of boards, sometimes with those little indented holes, sometimes both. Brutalist. Stark. Simple. <thread>

A Haunting in Brooklyn. www.scoutingny.com/halloween-in... It didn't get much attention when I wrote about it on Scouting NY, but this post, about a series of NY Times articles in 1878 covering a haunting in Brooklyn, has long stuck with me, and I've always wondered what the hell actually happened.

Tbt that time my parents came to visit me in college and stopped to watch a film being shot on campus, and wound up immortalized in Spider-Man 2

Memorial to David Lynch outside Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, where he ate every single meal for years

Scouting in a remote area in the farmlands around Tehachapi and I came across this abandoned stone cabin located next to a flowing brook. I always wonder about that last day when the homeowner stepped through the door for the last time, never to return. Did they know?

Another day location scouting in the desert, another totally unexpected dwelling in the middle of nowhere. Look close! The very new solar panel suggests this is still very much in active use…

I’m out scouting in a remote part of the desert, and did I just stumble upon someone’s abandoned beehive home? More…

Scouting up in Acton and this guy just came down the road to see what I’m up to. I hope he’s open to letting us film.

Lakeside bathroom courtesy of the lunar program

Amazing how silent the world suddenly gets when you come across a track that looks like this. Scouting remote riverside trails, but I think it might be time to head back to the car…

The entrance to a century-old gold mine…and a guide rope left for those who want to venture inside and hope to get out. Think I’ll pass on this one…

“Spooky Canyon” definitely earns its name!

When I invite you on a trip to the desert and you expect it to be a relaxing hike

The most famous Burger King appearance in Hollywood history? This location on Victory Blvd in Burbank was used in the opening to Back to the Future, when Marty leaves Doc’s house and hitches a ride holding on to the back of a passing pick-up truck.

Man what a beauty. Spotted in extremely industrial Vernon, where it has no right to be this gorgeous.

Ha I think some people were a bit confused with yesterday’s post, so here it is again with close-ups. Most of these windows are real; a handful are painted on. Can you tell which before you swipe??

<slow clap> Nicely done, 417 S Hill St… Nicely done. (look closely!)