In 1988 when I was living near Venice Beach I used to ride my bike around town. One day I noticed a group of odd looking buildings and facades. There was a slew of activity going on inside the compound. Not being shy, I rode my bike through the gates and approached a guy with a paintbrush in his hand. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was working on a movie.
And it was in that exact moment that my life would go in a brand new direction. I began working as a painter on that movie too; at first for free, then within a week I was paid $75.00 a day. And the man who would be paying my salary? His name was Roger Corman. It was his movie studio.
Roger Corman was KING OF THE 'B' MOVIES. He helped Actors and Directors like Ron Howard, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola get their start. But I had no idea who he was at first. It was only recently that I discovered he and I were both born in Detroit and we each made our way into the film industry after living in the Bay Area.
I worked on three 'Corman' movies, one after the other - Time Trackers, Transylvania Twist and Hollywood Blvd. II. It was like taking a crash course in scenic painting - but instead of paying for the classes I got paid! I met some talented people there too, like Production Designer Gary Randall, and Director of Photography, Ronn Schmidt.
Within a year I gathered the confidence to take my new career to the next step! By now it was 1989 and my favorite T.V. show was The Wonder Years. With a little detective work I found out where they filmed (in Culver City) so I went down to their stage and asked to speak with the Art Director. (Film studios these days are much more difficult to infiltrate with heavy security and guarded gates.) His name was Bill Ryder and he was kind enough to give me a chance as an on-call Scenic Artist. I was shocked that he hired me! I was also nervous as hell those first days on the set even though I mainly did things like paint posters for the set's hallways and create student's artwork for the walls. I felt as though I'd won the lottery being able to work with such an amazing cast and crew! I stayed on for three years as their on-call scenic/set dresser. I remember the very last day of filming. We were served lobster for lunch and each given a Director's chair with our name on it!
During that time I met a really talented artist named Cole Lewis. I went on to work with him on a few movies. People Like Us was one of them. It was a mini-series and the sets were elaborate! Another fine artist on the crew was Glen Gowen. He was an aspiring film maker too. When he told me that he wanted to make music videos I gave him a cassette and asked if he'd consider making one for me. After listening to a song I wrote called "Nothing Ever Happened" he offered to bring his camera to the set. He made an amazing video for me but somewhere down the line he and I lost track of each other - and also during that time the world had gone 'digital' so I was no longer able to even watch that video. I tried to find Glen but couldn't locate him. I also tried to have the video converted a few years ago but the quality of the VHS was so aged that it couldn't be done. But, then I received a message from Glen about a year ago. He had moved out of L.A. and was still doing his art and still making films and videos.
Last month I received an incredible birthday gift from him. He converted the VHS into a Youtube video! (The link to it is at the bottom of the page) It's like a time capsule - featuring a time in my life when I was actually getting paid to paint! It also features one of the first songs I've ever written.
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| Universal Studios - Orlando, FL |
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Universal Studios - ANIMAL PLANET
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I eventually went on to work at set shops like Scenic Highlights and for other talented Art Directors and Production Designers like Richard Hoover and Gustav Alsina. I worked on projects for Walt Disney and Universal Studios along with dozens of movies, commercials, T.V. shows and live theater. But after about twelve years I just couldn't do it any more. The fumes got to me, along with the long hours and the physical demands of it. Sometimes the work was fun, but other times it was like house painting only under the extreme pressure to GET IT DONE QUICK! So I had to let it go.
It's been several years now since I've worked as a scenic artist. Some day though, I may try to work on just one more project, for old times sake!
If you'd like to see the music video that my friend Glen made of my song, please click on the link below.
If you'd like to learn more about Roger Corman (The King of the 'B's), click here:
