Tomorrow : Yesterday and Today - The Star Trek Filming Locations
- Thread starter Botany Bay
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I'll have a look for you. It's a tricky spot now because there is a carpark and a row of trees just above where I think the obelisk was. Pure speculation EnriqueH, but you'd think it would have been torn straight down after filming for safety reasons.
I didn't take as many still shots as I would have liked here, due to the unwanted crazy companion following me around the lake "Dude, there's like a bear here I just saw him"
He looked like he's been sleeping in the park for a while. I had no idea what he was going to do to me so I just kept walking around but with my video camera on recording.
Anyway I will look at the video this weekend, maybe I can do some screenshots.
So a big piece of advice for people headed to these places : take at least one extra person with you for safety and/or distracting some of the people you're likely to encounter so you can get on with taking that perfect shot.
But if you bring someone along for safety, make sure they don't wear a red shirt.
Maybe some enterprising (pun intended) soul will find it somewhere on the Paramount back lots and refurbish it, just like that team of Trek fans who restored the original shuttlecraft.
^Naah, the obelisk was probably just made of wood and was disassembled afterward. The shuttle was built for repeated use, but the obelisk was a one-time set piece so it wouldn't have been as durable. The base needed to be sturdy enough to walk on, but the obelisk proper was probably quite flimsy.
^Yeah, I figured that out. Habitats For Humanity probably used the lumber to build a house for someone.
The "Beau Geste" fort set near Vasquez Rocks that was used in "Arena" as the Cestus 3 outpost......I've heard that was demolished years ago. True or false????
True. Nothing but a carpark remains. Cestus 3 pictures coming soon 
It was one impressive set. Remarkable given the budget constraints that they pulled it off so well, particularly out in the wilderness like that.
Have you heard anything about the cost of it, feek? Been hearing for years that is went way over budget and effectively crippled the already inadequate per-episode budget for the rest of the season. There is so little information around about Season 3, it's a shame.
Other random thoughts on Franklin Canyon : be careful of your speed driving up, there are heavy fines for missing stop signs on the way in.
The lake Kirk and co. look across to the village is surprisingly small. It's more a duck pond than a lake. More clever filming to make it look bigger.
If you hike around the pond/lake, there are some uneven rocks and it would be a challenging walk if you're not steady on your feet. Otherwise, just stick to the carpark area, that's where the obelisk was (I think), and where Kirk, Spock and Bones looked across the lake (sure of it).
Will get some more pics up on the weekend guys.
It was one impressive set. Remarkable given the budget constraints that they pulled it off so well, particularly out in the wilderness like that.
Have you heard anything about the cost of it, feek? Been hearing for years that is went way over budget and effectively crippled the already inadequate per-episode budget for the rest of the season. There is so little information around about Season 3, it's a shame.
Other random thoughts on Franklin Canyon : be careful of your speed driving up, there are heavy fines for missing stop signs on the way in.
The lake Kirk and co. look across to the village is surprisingly small. It's more a duck pond than a lake. More clever filming to make it look bigger.
If you hike around the pond/lake, there are some uneven rocks and it would be a challenging walk if you're not steady on your feet. Otherwise, just stick to the carpark area, that's where the obelisk was (I think), and where Kirk, Spock and Bones looked across the lake (sure of it).
Will get some more pics up on the weekend guys.
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If that story is true, it sounds like a major goof. You'd think someone on the production staff would have inquired whether boating was permitted there before filming the episode.A bit of trivia I picked up as well - see the canoes?
None of them are in the water because the park ranger pointed out that being a reservoir no boating is allowed, but the canoes had already been hired and paid for. A livid Bob Justman demanded they be seen somehow (Bob did not like wasting money) : "We paid for 'em, now we're damn well gonna see 'em!". So they are being cleaned rather than rowed
You would think so. But, there's a ton of stuff that should be taken care of during production that sometimes just doesn't get done. 99% of the time, it's easily fixed or worked around (a mentor of mine once stated emphatically "Ninety-nine percent of filmmaking is just problem-solving," but sometimes it also winds up being disastrous because people just don't do their jobs or ignore basic things they are responisble for.
In this instance, it was likely taken for granted that the production would be able to float the canoes with no problem.
True. Nothing but a carpark remains. Cestus 3 pictures coming soon
Other random thoughts on Franklin Canyon : be careful of your speed driving up, there are heavy fines for missing stop signs on the way in.
You'll find that's not uncommon in Los Angeles.
Also: The fort on Cestus III was indeed just adjacent to Vasquez Rocks but is no longer there. The same locale was used in an early Mission: Impossible episode as well.
I would imagine looking after a location shoot is an exercise in controlling chaos and very tough work. A million little details, changing circumstances (weather, lighting, equipment, personnel, random onlookers to keep out etc etc). Better you than me
Perhaps the canoe issue was caused by an overly officious park ranger who wanted to show who was boss and made an arbitrary decision on the day to ban the boating. We just don't have enough info on Season 3, unfortunately. But most likely it was just one detail that slipped through the cracks. One that you can bet the ever vigilant Bob Justman would have thought of if he was doing the day to day stuff at that point.
Good point
This June '68 shot gives away the small size of the "lake"
And this one from 2014 taken near the picnic table (see below) confirms the "Obelisk" was very likely in that spot. The distance across the pond is very similar :
'68
Today
'68
Today
1968 (never saw this one before -- publicity still?)
Today
Well that's about it for Franklin Canyon. This one gets my vote as the best of the locations so far. It's a must visit if you're doing a Hollywood trip, it's easy to get to, beautiful, and quite a stark contrast to the rest of the city. Hell, its worth a visit just for a hike and a picnic let alone for Trek location spotting.
Next : Batcaves and Circuses.
Today
Well that's about it for Franklin Canyon. This one gets my vote as the best of the locations so far. It's a must visit if you're doing a Hollywood trip, it's easy to get to, beautiful, and quite a stark contrast to the rest of the city. Hell, its worth a visit just for a hike and a picnic let alone for Trek location spotting.
Next : Batcaves and Circuses.
1968 (never saw this one before -- publicity still?)
Today
Well that's about it for Franklin Canyon. This one gets my vote as the best of the locations so far. It's a must visit if you're doing a Hollywood trip, it's easy to get to, beautiful, and quite a stark contrast to the rest of the city. Hell, its worth a visit just for a hike and a picnic let alone for Trek location spotting.
Next : Batcaves and Circuses.
That Shatner sure was a lucky dude...getting to smooze around with Sabrina Scharf for a week of filming.
1968 (never saw this one before -- publicity still?)
Today
Well that's about it for Franklin Canyon. This one gets my vote as the best of the locations so far. It's a must visit if you're doing a Hollywood trip, it's easy to get to, beautiful, and quite a stark contrast to the rest of the city. Hell, its worth a visit just for a hike and a picnic let alone for Trek location spotting.
Next : Batcaves and Circuses.
That Shatner sure was a lucky dude...getting to smooze around with Sabrina Scharf for a week of filming.
Check out those mutton chops on Shatner. This is what a fourth-season Kirk would have looked like. And Scotty probably would have had the mustache by then too.
^No, I'm sure they would've kept the pointed Starfleet sideburns. The reason he had those thicker sideburns as Kirok was to show that time had passed and he wasn't trimming his hair in regulation style anymore.
What a great thread! For years I've been intrigued by the first location. Thanks for posting!
No worries. Glad you're enjoying it!
Next stop is also very close to Paramount Pictures, it is called Bronson Canyon, situated on the edge of Griffith Park, and is the location for probably a dozen Trek episodes over the years, but TOS fans will recognise it as Planet IV-892 from Bread and Circuses. There were also, apparently some scenes shot here for This Side of Paradise.
You are heading pretty close to the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory :
You know you're on the right track if you follow this road up from the carpark :
You will probably not be alone up here, there are some very nice shots of the Hollywood sign to be had. In fact, when you visit, you will wonder how they managed to block the Hollywood sign out of all the shots.
Somewhere to the right of the Hollywood sign is where Kirk, Spock and Bones made their entrance in September 1967 :
Of course, if you keep heading into the canyon, in the same direction as Kirk, on your right you will see two caves. One of them is the Batcave from the 60's Batman TV show :
Of course, we see both later on when Kirk and co are taken in by the slaves :
But back to the beamdown point at the entrance to the canyon, and this is the famous hillside beamdown location that Kirk wasn't too impressed with :
Then the director made them walk down the hill in order to have somewhere to insert the opening titles :
I really wanted to re-create this opening title, but I think I messed up. I took this deep into the canyon :
I think "beamdown hill" was actually in the area to the right of the Hollywood sign. Ah well. Where I am standing is pretty close to where this shot was taken though :
More to come!
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^And I think that the roads up in that area are where countless TV car chases have been filmed.
Wouldn't be a bit suprised. You've got those closed off dirt roads like in the pic above, you've got trees for forest scenes, and then you've got the canyon and the caves which could be used for anything from a desert scene, a rock quarry, or an alien planet -- and all of it within a stone's throw of the studio.
This is the location of Bronson Caves as drawn by a TNG staff member for the crew to find the filming location for Darmok (it was filmed in the same place as Bread and Circuses before it, and many more episodes of Berman Trek to come after it).
(Thanks Memory Alpha)
So this place, along with Franklin Canyon would be a perfect add-on to a Paramout lot tour. You could do all three in a day, no problems.
This is the location of Bronson Caves as drawn by a TNG staff member for the crew to find the filming location for Darmok (it was filmed in the same place as Bread and Circuses before it, and many more episodes of Berman Trek to come after it).
(Thanks Memory Alpha)
So this place, along with Franklin Canyon would be a perfect add-on to a Paramout lot tour. You could do all three in a day, no problems.
^This afternoon, I was watching an Alias episode where a couple of characters entered a cave that was supposedly in Italy, and I remembered the above post and went, "Hey, it's the Batcave!" It sure looked like the same location. Although I'm not entirely sure which of the two adjacent cave entrances it was.
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