As classes took a pause for spring break, two film production teams made their way to Occidental’s campus for the first time since the SAG-AFTRA strikes ended in November.
In a March 7 email addressed to Occidental students, staff and faculty, Assistant Vice President for Hospitality and Auxiliary Services Erik Russell said that the college has been chosen as a filming location for an upcoming Warner Brothers production.
“This unique opportunity not only showcases our beautiful campus on a global platform but also brings the art of filmmaking closer to our community,” Russell said via email. “This is a remarkable opportunity for Oxy, and your cooperation plays a vital role in its success. We are committed to minimizing the impact of these adjustments on your daily routines and will provide all necessary support during this time.”
According to Nicole Sullivan, the program coordinator in Campus Services and Campus Filming Office, one HBO television show and one Amazon commercial were shot on campus over spring break. Sullivan said that the last time anything was filmed on campus was in May 2022. According to Sullivan, the school signs a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the production company and because of that, they are not allowed to share information about what is being filmed on campus.
“When people are here, they may figure it out, but we can never say yes or no,” Sullivan said.
Jonathan Steiner, the Director of Catering and Conference Services, said the HBO show that was being filmed brought about 200 people — including film staff, actors and workers — on campus from 4 a.m. to around 10 p.m. for two days straight.
According to Steiner, he and Sullivan handle all of the incoming requests for filming and see the productions through from beginning to end. Steiner said that he and Sullivan decide if they can accommodate for the project and communicate with Campus Safety, Facilities and the student body when filming does happen on campus.
“We really are the point people on campus, we do work with Campus Safety and Facilities to make arrangements for things like the sprinklers not being turned on, blocking off parking and normal stuff that we would do for any event on campus,” Steiner said.
Sullivan said that there were not any changes in terms of the filming process after the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Steiner said that before the two productions filmed over spring break, about five inquiries were made since the strikes but simply fell through. According to Sullivan, one reason Occidental isn’t chosen as a filming site for as many productions is because the college has many limitations.
“Parking is always the biggest thing when it comes to filming,” Sullivan said. “Parking is limited because we have students, faculty and staff. A lot of times these bigger productions need a lot [of] street parking and we can’t always offer that. The other thing is when we have classes in session, there are limitations to what spaces we can make available.”
Steiner said that Occidental’s campus attracts film productions due to its versatility and proximity to Hollywood.
“Occidental is within that radius of Hollywood or the studios, and I believe there are certain fees that need to be paid if you were to film outside this range,” Steiner said. “So it’s financially beneficial for studios, but I also think there’s such a diverse landscape you can get from Oxy’s campus. It can look like you’re on the East Coast, it can look like you’re on the West Coast and there are also a lot of different variations of architecture here.”
Sullivan said that the most popular places for filming on campus are the Academic Quad, Choi Auditorium, Thorne Hall and athletic spaces. According to Sullivan, she has noticed that productions are now rushing to complete their seasons after falling behind schedule due to the strikes.
“Because they are trying to complete their season before the end of April, they are doing more filming and more locations at once,” Sullivan said. “If they can film multiple episodes at the same location, they are going to do that. During the filming that was happening over break, they were also filming down the street. They’re filming in multiple locations because they are trying to cram everything in because a lot of shows go on hiatus in May.”
According to Steiner, the college received requests for scouting almost immediately after the strikes ended. Steiner believes that they will continue to get more requests as a result of the strikes being over.
“It seems like we will be getting more requests for filming just based on the more frequent requests we get just for people to come out and scout,” Steiner said. “As far as that turning into an actual production here, it really depends on the variables that most of the time are out of our hands. Things really have to line up very precisely for the production to come all the way to the final stage of filming.”
According to Steiner, this was his first time experiencing filming on campus.
“It was exciting to see the whole process from start to finish,” Steiner said. “They did the tech scout to make sure we meet all their technical needs and then within like a week they’re filming. It was really quick, the whole process and then to see all the trucks roll in, it was really interesting to watch things on campus just transform. And the next day it was gone, like nothing happened which is kind of the magic of it.”
Sullivan said that it is enjoyable to be able to recognize Occidental’s campus when she watches older movies or commercials that were filmed on campus and say that she works there.
According to Steiner, they currently do not know how much money will come in from these two productions, but all of the money that they receive from filming goes into general funds for the college.
“I hope we’re serving the student community through this process and that there’s an understanding that this is to benefit the whole campus,” Steiner said. “It’s beneficial for everybody who either works here or goes to school here to have these projects come into fruition.”
Contact Jameela Bowo bowo@oxy.edu.
