Studio zone
Encyclopedia
In the American entertainment industry, the studio zone, also known as the thirty-mile zone or the TMZ, is the area within a 30-mile (50 km) radius from the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard
and North La Cienega Boulevard
in Los Angeles
, California
. This area includes almost all of the southern half of Los Angeles County
, as well as slices of eastern Ventura County
and northwestern Orange County
.
Entertainment industry unions
currently use this area to determine rates and work rules for union workers. The zone also largely determined the location and success of the original movie ranch
es in or near Hollywood. In addition, the studio zone also includes the Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Conejo Ranch property near Thousand Oaks in Ventura County, although it technically lies outside of the zone's radius.
), along with carefully dressed sets, to give viewers the impression that a movie or show was set somewhere else. The studio zone itself as well as the lack of motion picture production companies and experienced personnel outside the zone made it very expensive to film on location, since movie studios literally had to bring everything with them from Los Angeles. In turn, anyone who wanted to start a career in the entertainment industry had to move to Los Angeles to break into the studio zone, thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
In the 1990s, to counteract such inertia, many countries and even other U.S. states began offering generous tax credits or deductions to reduce the much higher cost of filming on location. The result was what Hollywood people call runaway production
.
Entertainment industry labor unions use this area to determine rates and work rules for workers. For instance, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees contracts state:
"Studio rates" are generally lower than "distant location rates", which would need to be paid (in addition to travel time and mileage) for work outside the studio zone.
The initials of the Time Warner
tabloid news website
TMZ.com
stand for "Thirty Mile Zone", an alternate name for the studio zone.
Beverly Boulevard
Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east-west thoroughfares in Los Angeles, California. It begins off Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills and ends on the Lucas Avenue overpass near Downtown Los Angeles to become 1st Street...
and North La Cienega Boulevard
La Cienega Boulevard
La Cienega Boulevard is a major, well-known north–south arterial road that runs between El Segundo Boulevard in El Segundo, California on the south and the Sunset Strip/Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. This area includes almost all of the southern half of Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, as well as slices of eastern Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
and northwestern Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
.
Entertainment industry unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
currently use this area to determine rates and work rules for union workers. The zone also largely determined the location and success of the original movie ranch
Movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
es in or near Hollywood. In addition, the studio zone also includes the Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer Conejo Ranch property near Thousand Oaks in Ventura County, although it technically lies outside of the zone's radius.
History and rationale
During almost all of the 20th century, the Hollywood entertainment industry preferred to film movies and television shows within the studio zone to hold costs down. With clever editing, it was easy to use a handful of aerial and location shots (usually shot by a second unitSecond unit
In film, the second unit is a team that shoots subsidiary footage for a motion picture. Its work is distinct from that of the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving principal actors...
), along with carefully dressed sets, to give viewers the impression that a movie or show was set somewhere else. The studio zone itself as well as the lack of motion picture production companies and experienced personnel outside the zone made it very expensive to film on location, since movie studios literally had to bring everything with them from Los Angeles. In turn, anyone who wanted to start a career in the entertainment industry had to move to Los Angeles to break into the studio zone, thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
In the 1990s, to counteract such inertia, many countries and even other U.S. states began offering generous tax credits or deductions to reduce the much higher cost of filming on location. The result was what Hollywood people call runaway production
Runaway production
Runaway production is a term used by the American film industry to describe filmmaking and television productions that are "intended for initial release/exhibition or television broadcast in the U.S., but are actually filmed in another country."...
.
Entertainment industry labor unions use this area to determine rates and work rules for workers. For instance, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees contracts state:
- "Studio rates and working conditions shall prevail for all work performed within the studio zone; however, for newly-called employees and those employees notified on the previous day prior to their departure from the studio (or the zone location) to report at the zone location, work time shall begin and end at the zone location; otherwise, work time shall begin and end at the studio. Such work time includes travel time both ways between the studio and the zone location."
"Studio rates" are generally lower than "distant location rates", which would need to be paid (in addition to travel time and mileage) for work outside the studio zone.
The initials of the Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
tabloid news website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
TMZ.com
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
stand for "Thirty Mile Zone", an alternate name for the studio zone.
Quotes
- "In the film and TV locations business, contrary to the tenets of astrophysics, there actually is a center of the universe and it's at the corner of La Cienega and Beverly Boulevards. Where the Beverly Center meets the Beverly Connection is the dead center of Hollywood's so-called Studio Zone." —Christopher Grove, Variety