Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour

Reveals Secrets of “Working Hollywood”

Who doesn’t love Hollywood? And who doesn’t love knowing “behind the scenes” secrets about Hollywood movies and TV? Before now, such secrets were reserved for industry insiders. But on the renowned Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour, guests are literally immersed with a rare glimpse of the inner workings of a thriving motion picture and television studio.

 The intimate, two hour tour through Warner Bros. Studios’ backlot facilities, which may include the Property Department, the Foley Stage and the Costume Department, is the most accurate and in-depth view of Hollywood at work for showbiz aficionados. With an extraordinary look inside the gates of the world’s busiest motion picture and television studio, the Tour delivers unprecedented access to those facilities.

No two VIP tours are ever the same because Warner Bros. Studios is a constantly changing world of film and television production. Whenever possible, guests are escorted onto an active soundstage or back lot film set for an up-close and personal look at the sets, props, lighting and special effects from some of today’s most popular films and TV shows.

On a walk through the massive 247,000 square foot Warner Bros. Property Department, Tour guests are literally surrounded by the most comprehensive and abundant collection of props in the entertainment industry. This breathtaking collection is an invaluable resource to set decorators, allowing them to magically transform an empty space into a fully dressed set for films, television, theater, advertising and special events. Production designers are able to turn an empty soundstage into an ultra-modern New York apartment, a 1940s Midwestern farmhouse or a futuristic space station.

In the 1940s, Harry Warner himself went on expeditions to Europe to acquire estate pieces, sometimes purchasing furnishings of an entire château or villa. Tour guests step within inches of this remarkable collection of props from a wide range of eras in history, some of which they may have already seen in blockbuster films and hit television series. Meandering through this amazing selection of property, Tour guests will find themselves among every prop and furnishing necessary to completely recreate the Presidential Oval Office or the vast interior of a commercial airliner.

As they exit the Property Department, Tour guests have an extraordinary opportunity to walk onto the actual set of Central Perk, the famous “Friends” coffee shop. Step directly into the fictional world of this popular Warner Bros. Television series!

A visit to the Foley Stage on Warner Bros. Studios’ backlot offers Tour guests a window into the world of post production sound creation and editing. This state-of-the art facility presents visitors with a once in a lifetime chance to watch Foley artists at work as they recreate sound effects for some of Warner Bros. Studios’ most popular films and TV series.

Foley is the art of adding sound effects—including footsteps, gunshots, slamming car doors or driving rain—to motion pictures and television shows. A large percentage of the sound heard in films and television is added by Foley artists in post production, but until now only a select few have seen these “masters of sound effects” at work.

Tour guests, standing in a high-tech sound booth with mixers and Foley artists, peer though an enormous window into a fully equipped soundstage where Foley artists are hard at work using light bulbs to replicate the sound of breaking glass or grocery bags to simulate the rustling of clothing. Visitors look on with amazement as the Foley artists choose from thousands of items, including sandpaper, cellophane, kitchen utensils and power tools, to replicate every sound imaginable.

You’re sure to have questions as you watch this enthralling process. And you may be in luck to get immediate answers! On a break from their work, Foley artists often meet with Tour guests to answer questions or demonstrate how they recreate sounds. Artists might take to the built-in water pit for a lesson on replicating the sound of a delicate splash or a massive wave, a truly remarkable encounter with highly-skilled industry professionals. The VIP Tour also delivers an up close look at the Studio’s vast Costume Department. This 60,000 square foot facility is filled wall-to-wall with literally everything necessary to dress the entire cast of any film or TV series. The department includes one of the most extensive collections of costumes in the industry from full suits of medieval armor to Japanese kimonos, poodle skirts and space suits.

Tour guests have an exceptional opportunity to enter this massive collection of costumes, traditionally open only to directors, costume designers and cinematographers. Representing every era in history from prehistoric to post-apocalyptic, the costumes are all housed in a carefully climate-controlled and virtually dust-free environment. A specially designed lighting system protects fabrics and slows the aging process. Tour guests stroll through more than eight miles of racks filled with costumes and accessories, including 50,000 pieces of jewelry, 30,000 shoes, 10,000 hats and more than 400 purses.

Because every character tells a story, the shape, color, texture and condition of any costume is critical to the production process. On the upper level of this facility, visitors watch as seamstresses, textile artists and dyers create intricate costumes for a number of different film and TV projects.  Visitors may even encounter a team of artisans called “agers” whose sole responsibility is to make clothes look worn, adding creases to shoes and wrinkles to dress shirts.

The Warner Bros. Property Department, Foley Stage and Costume Department can be visited as part of the world-famous Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour, which operates Monday through Friday, with tours departing every 20 minutes between 8:20 a.m. and 4 p.m. Extended hours are offered in the spring and summer. The price is $48 per person. A tour tram is used for transportation around the grounds but there will be some walking. Limited photography is allowed on the studio lot, but no video cameras are permitted. Deluxe VIP Tours, a more in-depth studio tour, are offered daily at 10:20 a.m. for $225. Children under eight are not permitted. Further information is available at www.wbstudiotour.com or by calling 818. 972.TOUR.