BLOG: Who Will Use the Morning View Studio?

Morning View will use most of the studio space along with any big name, little name or new name producer and/or director because part of the studio will be available for lease.  I know it is hard to picture, but it is a “build it and they will come” studio. 

I work in the Napa Valley, have been there since the 1990’s. I'll compare the wine industry to the studio industry. This is not apple to apples, more like grapes to pizza.

While Napa will not advertise it, a lot of grapes are trucked into Napa.  The winery business has a few sides to it.  Growing grapes, making wine, storing wine and bottling wine.  So if a winery has the land for the grapes and the room to make the wine – they might need a place to store and then bottle the wine.  Some might even “private label” wine in their bottling plant.  Some do it all.

However, all around our office are warehouses that have wine storage tanks or bottles.  One building is full of tanks and tanker trucks show up from time to time and then a mobile bottling truck.  Now this is top secret, down the street one company produces box wine… in Napa! 
In short, your “Napa” might hold a mystery on the grape’s path to the bottle!  The only way to know is to visit a full production winery and purchase the wine.

Folks build facilities on spec and handshakes for usage.  We see the “build it and they will store the wine” a lot here – and even huge bottle storage in nearby cities.  Morning View Studio thinks of the studio business the same way.  Filming is done where space allows.

“Destination Tokyo” with Carry Grant had the opening scene filmed at Mare Island.  Many have filmed there since.  Some even make films that are totally digital with no studio.  Like the wine industry, lots of demand and restricted space.

Imagine tomorrow you become a movie producer – what are your options?  Go south! Meet with the studio folks and see when they can fit your project into their schedule.  That could be a year or more down the road… perhaps never.  But your idea is brilliant and you need to get it to market next year.  Your other option, why not build your own little studio?

Word hits the streets.

After a few years you have a plan – but you have to keep it private.  Somehow the word is out and others tell you in private that they know of people that would like to rent the studio.  Now your project grows.  You are faced with the need to get a location, approvals and financing while telling no one who is going to use the studio.  But the truth is everyone can use it.  There are budding producers,
directors, actors and the like to support expansion of the industry.  Northern California is a desirable location; within two hours you can reach many interesting places to shoot. Not to mention that we are closer to real Wine Country than SoCal.

Will we ever known who is filming at Morning View?

Some do like people knowing “what and who” but others are totally private.  You will know after the movie hits the big screen.  Just like any new product to market, it remains top secret… like an Apple launch.  What about the movie stars?  I lived on a little island and had a few move stars come into our store.  Few local folks paid attention because the stars simply blended in and folks got used to them.  I am sure the small town charm of Dixon will help the stars come out and relax.

Mike Smith