Recent Filming Projects Take Many Unusual Forms (Inyo Register May 7, 2009)

BS Ranch Perspective:

It looks as if the government has found another way to bolster the economy for the film industry in the Owens Vally, I mean, since the car industry has taken a fall, and cannot produce as many commercials in the valley as they usually do! Now the DoD is taking up the Slack in the Free time of the Back Drop of the Valley to make Training Films for the Men and Woman that are going to Iraq for the War on Terror! The training will be a valuable tool for the American Solder, so I feel that the trade off is a wonderful one, but I still feel awful about the economic slow down in the Auto Industry, so bad, that I did purchase a Truck from one of the failing markets just to see if my purchase makes a difference, after all the Chrysler Family of Automobiles and Trucks are the BEST on the ROAD! Now I am not saying that there is anything wrong with the Ford or Chevrolet vehicles. It is just my belief that when it comes to Trucks, the Dodge Truck is the best on the market, after all they get the same Torque out of a 6.9 liter, that Ford or Chevy gets out of their big 7.2 Liter. Now the biggest difference is that Dodge's Cummings Engine has two less Cylinders and therefor gets better fuel economy with the same amount of torque, hence the better vehicle! Again this is just my opinion, just remember that an opinion is like your but, everyone has one!

I am glad that these training films are being made now, but I am wondering why? Why, they have not been made a whole lot earlier then now? I guess because we have a kinder gentler President in Office now that is the difference, to make training films to show how people should ride in a Hummer when it is in motion in Iraq!

BS Ranch

Recent filming projects take many unusual forms

Humvees at the ready at Whitney Portal and Movie Flat roads as part of a Department of Defense training film for troops in Afghanistan. Photos courtesy Inyo County Film Commission

By Chris Langley
Inyo County Film Commission
5-7-2009

The economic slowdown has had a significant, measurable effect on filming projects locally. By this time each year, the county usually has had 20-30 automobile commercials. This year they can be counted on fingers of both hands. Different kinds of filming projects have been scouting and filming, however, and demonstrate that many new forms, markets and formats are being generated by innovative artists and Internet gurus.
The writers' strike last year ended the hopes of many budding television series, and furloughed feature film production. That was followed by the threatened actors' strike. Although a tentative agreement has been reached, the strike's shadow is still present. Many companies stored their money for films in hedge funds, which quickly evaporated with the enormous drop in the Stock Market.

As the economy contracted calamitously, the three major automobile companies' sales did too, bringing them to the edge of collapse. Now Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy, GM is trying to reorganize and even Ford struggles. With the government involved, the companies have how they do business, and in one sense have changed how they do commercials for marketing their products. GM requires a production company to use its own money creating the commercial, only receiving half the money upon completion and acceptance of the ad. The second half of the money is paid only after the commercial has aired or been published. In fact, the automobile companies are using the production company's money to fund the creating of the commercial. Obviously, production companies are unwilling to front money for a company that may disappear, obviating their need to repay the company.
Nevertheless,Spider Motorcycle, a three-wheel version introduced a few years ago in a commercial made here, Kia, and Subaru all have worked locally in the last months. While they have worked in the Alabama Hills, many of the shoots have taken place on the scenic roads of the county, north and south.
When "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen" opens at the end of June, it will be interesting to see if the show begins with the work done here as originally planned. When "G.I. Joe" opens in August, we'll be looking for Tuttle Creek and Whitney Portal second unit work.
Two very interesting projects have shot here in the last few months. They are very different from each other in style, purpose and intended audience. Neither will be seen in your local multiplex, that is for certain. The Metabolic Studio from L.A. is filming one project and the other is being done under the auspices of the Department of Defense and will be used in training Humvee drivers in Afghanistan to avoid IEDs and terrorist threats.
"Silver and Water" is an artist's film under the direction of visionary artist Lauren Bon who works with FarmLab, and the Metabolic Studio, a collective of artists practicing social sculpture. Rochelle Fabb, project manager, began working in the Owens Valley nearly a year-and-a-half ago, consulting with the Film Commission on locations, history of the area and local resources to create an installation/performance piece being created by Ms. Bon. The group intended to investigate the history of the area that links Lone Pine and Southern Inyo so closely with the city of Los Angeles. The work had many aspects including performance and installation at the PPG Plant south of Lone Pine, Swansea and Cerro Gordo.
Then it would all be filmed on a schema of the "Wizard of Oz" and titled "Silver and Water." The silver is the bullion from Cerro Gordo that kick-started the backwater town that became Los Angeles. The water was the water the city took from the area to allow for development of the megalopolis that exists to our south today. To further their reach into the community for support, they taught a group of local citizens to play the glass harp (wine glasses tuned to specific notes). Called the Metabolic Orchestra and dressed in costumes inspired by the Bauhaus style of design in Europe, the group played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in one of the silos at the PPG. All this was filmed to be incorporated in the film in a public performance.
Additional filming was done over at Swansea where projects involving growing algae for oil extraction as a fuel were attempted. There was even a skywriter who spelled out "Surrender Dorothy." The work of the group continues with the themes of "Film, Fuel and Food," and they have leased property on Main Street in Lone Pine near the Espresso Parlor to develop the "food" component. Work on the filming will also continue. It is planned now that the film will be shown at a new theater up at Cerro Gordo during the Film Festival this year. The group has created a beautiful greenhouse to develop sustainable agriculture and replication of an algae/brine shrimp art installation from 1972.
The other project of note is a training film for a simulator for military personnel driving in Afghanistan. Scouting and staging plans took several months because the film was made in 300-degree-plus panorama with a state-of-the-art digital camera. Actually, the camera was eight cameras all in-synch, and the final film would be projected in the round so the trainees experienced encountering terrorist threats in Afghanistan. Again, the Alabama Hills stood in for Afghanistan as they did in "Iron Man" and a Motorola commercial before. Inyo County, in film terms, is more the "New Afghanistan" than the "Old West."
The shoot was challenging because of the panorama nature of the staged encounters. The director had to ride in the camera car and anyone in the Alabamas camping or climbing would appear as being in war-torn Afghanistan. This required the Inyo County Board of Supervisors to close Movie Road for five days. The supervisors and the county really practice being film friendly when needed. The wind blew some of the days very hard, and as one crewman steadfastly said, "I guess the wind blows like this in Afghanistan as well."
This shoot was good for our economy and of even more value because it would make our men and women in the Armed Forces better prepared for the challenges of the Middle East.
Langley can be reached by phone at (760) 937-1189 or by e-mail at lonepinemovies@aol.com.

Southern Inyo Mining At Risk? (Inyo Register... Monday, April 27, 2009)

BS Ranch Perspective:

Southern Inyo Mining at Risk? Monday 27, April 2009 Inyo Register By Mike Gervais

The Land that they are speaking of has been set aside for the American Public, that is why it is called Public Lands, if they are going to do what they are proposing to do then they are making it Private Goverment Property similar to that of Area 54, a Military Base that is out in the middle of the desert, that the American Public cannot use or even be caught on without being prosecuted for Trespassing! The lands that they are talking about would create a higher then normal area for wild land fires, since the area would not be broken down and cleared as fast as when they would have the four wheeler's, Side by sides, Horses, and the like on the land useing it as the good lord intended us to do! 

Area's where there is no use the sage brush piles up, and doesn't break down as fast as when it is being used, like I preveosly mentioned, all that brush that would just lay on the ground, which by the way would not be used to make a home for anything, that lives in the desert today, Unless you are a Termite, then you have a home, and food for a short time and then you move your whole colony. This whole Idea is moving backwards! It is a terrible Idea! 

Southern Inyo mining at risk?

Monday, 27 April 2009

Cerro Gordo Peak Road will serve as a boundary for one of the proposed wilderness areas in Southern Inyo County. The road, which leads to Cerro Gordo Mine, would be cherry-stemmed if Senator Dianne Fienstein chooses to carry the legislation and it passes into law. File photo By Mike Gervais Register Staff 4-25-2009 Senator Dianne Feinstein is still considering a new set of wilderness designations in Inyo County that were proposed by the California Wilderness Coalition.  Cerro Gordo Mining District President and local minor Mike Patterson said he recently met with representatives from Feinstein's office in Fresno to discuss the proposals and "voice our concerns." Feinstein's office received a request by the California Wilderness Coalition in summer of 2008 seeking several new wilderness designations in Southern California, five of which are proposed for Inyo County's Fifth District, including areas of Death Valley. Patterson, on Tuesday, asked the county Board of Supervisors to write a letter opposing the wilderness proposals to Senator Feinstein, who has not yet decided if she will carry the new wilderness designations in the Senate. The five new wilderness proposals include the Great Falls Basin Wilderness located near Trona on the southeast side of China Lake Naval Weapons Station, the Malpais Mesa proposed wilderness addition on the west side of Death Valley National Park, the Slate Range proposed wilderness just west of the Great Falls Basin proposal, and two wilderness additions within Death Valley National Park, one of which includes the area around the Ubehebe Crater, but does not include the crater itself. Patterson said one of the new proposals surrounds his Cerro Gordo Mine, but cherry stems his property. "Even the mention of wilderness in the mining community is like shouting fire in a crowded theater," Patterson said. He added that in a previous meeting on the proposals, representatives from the Wilderness Coalition admitted that the wilderness designations are being proposed to "block out" mining in mineral-rich Southern Inyo. Patterson said the new wilderness proposals, though Feinstein has not agreed to support them, have already had a negative impact on the area.  According to Patterson, Timberline Resources was looking into an operation in Southern Inyo, but decided to pull out when the Wilderness Coalition proposed the new designations. He also said that there are two other prospectors looking at operations in the area, and they too will probably pull out if discussions continue about the wilderness designations. Patterson said he told Feinstein's staffers that the Inyo County Board of Supervisors had gone on record opposing the new wilderness proposals and they "expressed surprise and expressed that they did not know the Board of Supervisors would hold such a position." "I'm surprised they're surprised," Second District Supervisor Susan Cash said, noting that the board has sent at least one letter to Feinstein's office expressing opposition to the proposed wilderness areas. Patterson said he directly asked Senator Feinstein to say, "in the media, that she would not support more wilderness" in Inyo County. The staffers who were speaking with Patterson said they did not believe Feinstein would make that announcement at this time. Patterson also said that Feinstein's staffers boasted about legislation the senator is supporting that would designate millions of dollars for clean-up and rehabilitation on abandoned mines throughout the West. "I said that they didn't need to spend that money on clean-up if the mines could continue to operate," Patterson said. According to Patterson, the Cerro Gordo Mining District is preparing for the senator to support the designations, and has gone through a reorganization that has given it standing as a federal, state and county mining district. By gaining federal status, Patterson said, the district will have the ability to coordinate with the senator and Wilderness Coalition on the wilderness legislation should Feinstein decide to support it. The Mining District also updated its General Plan by adding new land-uses to the area it covers, allowing for wind, solar and other "natural energy uses," which would be banned in any wilderness designation that is passed. Fourth District Supervisor Marty Fortney was grateful that Patterson took the initiative to meet with Feinstein's staffers to discuss the negative implications to the proposed wilderness designations. "Thank you for meeting with them and continuing with this," Fortney said. "We have to pay attention to our own business," Patterson said. "It's easy for them to ignore voices like myself, but the board's actions are critical." Arcularius moved to write "yet another letter" to Feinstein's office voicing its opposition to the legislation.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 April 2009 )

Ridgecrest Proposes to Secede From Kern County (KGET.com June 20, 2007)

BS Ranch Perspective

It is my believe that since the southern end of Ridgecrest is along the Inyo County Border, that it would more then likely get better services from the Sheriff of Inyo County, and the Sheriff Department. However Inyo County's Budget is much Smaller then that of Kern County's, having said that, I would say that most of Kern County's Budget is not spent on Ridgecrest and I would lay dollars to doughnuts that the people that represents Kern County didn't know much about Ridgecrest until this Secession was brought up!!

I believe that since most of the Surrounding area around Ridgecrest is Inyo it should be Inyo too

BS Ranch

Ridgecrest proposes to secede from Kern County

Last Update: Jun 20, 2007 7:44 PM

Posted By: brynn galindo

Posted 6/20/07
BAKERSFIELD - There are rumblings of a revolt in Ridgecrest.

The city council Wednesday night will discuss a Ridgecrest proposal to secede from Kern County and become part of Inyo County.

The high desert city is located in the far northeastern corner of Kern, and some folks there believe they would receive better public services from Inyo County than they currently get from Kern County.

A spokesman for First District Supervisor Jon McQuiston said backers of the secession proposal are under the misperception they're not getting their fair share of services.

Nevertheless, county accountants are currently crunching numbers to determine the financial impact to the county's general fund should Ridgecrest voters decide to secede from Kern County.

Burning Permits Suspended (CAL Fire News Release 0615) CDF Suspends burn permits for INYO San Berdo & MONO Counties

Burning permits suspended

Saturday, June 16, 2007 10:05 AM PDT

Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, is suspending burning permits on all state responsibility lands within San Bernardino, Inyo and Mono counties, according to a press release issued June 15.

The precaution is being done because of extreme potential for wildland fire. The burn suspension is being instituted beginning Monday, June 18, at 6 a.m. according to Section 4423.1 of the California Public Resources Code. The indefinite suspension is effective throughout the counties, except in the incorporated cities. Additionally, the use of campfires is restricted to campfire facilities located within established campgrounds open to the public.

"We hope that people were able to use the extra time to complete their property clearance and finish burning any cut vegetation that might have remained," said Doug Lannon, Fire Prevention Battalion Chief for the Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit.

Because of record low rainfall this year, moisture levels in the vegetation is dangerously low. Wildland fires have already occurred in Summit Valley, Catalina Island, Griffith Park and the Hollywood Hills similar to what is seen in late summer or early autumn.

Homeowner responsibility is the key to fire safety. Following the law and have 100 feet of defensible space is a major first step in making homes and property fire resistant.

BS Ranch Perspective

I have heard of Property Rights and the Rights of Ownership, however I thought that they would have done away with this burning of Brush on your own property a long time ago, being that it is so easy for the fire to get away from the people that run the fire. The property Owner is liable for the cost of the Fire if a Fire Agency responds to put out a Control Burn that gets out of Control and that can bankrupt a Land owner!!

I have seen this happen, and the Fire agency is out many thousands of dollars for the mishap, of the money that they had to put out the water, the overtime alone is very expensive for the county or city where the agency is from, if they had to call in Mutual Aid that is even worse they rely on that mutual aid check to help pay for the over time that they are paying their Fire Fighters for this fire. which in some case are the cost of a new fire engine that they are using to sleep on and has shelter while they are there to put out the fire that was a 'control' burn to begin with.

Might be something to think about when it it time to have people clear their land the old fashion way like I have to by hand and truck! haul what they can away to a land fill and burn it all in a huge hole where it cannot creep out and start burning towards homes and businesses of a city or town.

BS Ranch