Warner Bros. Studio Tour? (1 Viewer)

[teapot2001]

Has anyone been on the tour? My friend received two free VIP tickets. Is now a good time to go (many TV shows have stopped shooting)? The website states that one should arrive 45 minutes before the tour time; is it okay to arrive a little before that time?

Thanks.

~T

 

[Gary->dee]

Yep I took the Warner Bros. tour a couple of years ago. It's pretty cool. First they sit you down in a small theater and explain to you exactly why the studio is so intent on making a new Superman movie. Just kidding! Seriously though, the first part does take place in the small theater where they run a short documentary that traces the history of Warner Bros. Then you board a small tram-like vehicle and they take you on the lot where you see the various sets and streets used for movies and TV shows.

They'll also likely stop by the costume museum, a building that houses many famous costumes used in Warner Bros. movies. On the 2nd floor among other things there's the Batman and Superman costumes along with the costume Brando wore in the first movie, which is cool to see. Oh and also Arnie's Mr. Freeze costume is very cool(pun intended) to see all lit up. There's also the derigable(sp?), the floating thing from Blade Runner that had the advertisements. Very cool seeing that original model that still has some working lights. Then you board the tram again and they basically just take you around the lot again and point out where various things were shot. You also get a chance to walk around the main street area where a ton of things were shot. They also take you inside a studio to see where TV shows are taped. On one of the outdoor sets, me and my gf at the time got a chance to see ER being filmed near the emergency entrance of the hospital which is across the diner(at least on the set) with fake snow and all. Eric LaSalle was running around which made my gf happy since she's a fan of his.

Overall it's worth it. The WB tour isn't as hokey as Universal's tour, meaning no mechanical shark will lunge at you or anything. But if you want to see an actual working studio, go for it. Also I'd recommend vising the WB store on the lot if you get the chance because all the CDs and DVDs are deeply discounted for their employees.

And yeah I'd arrive about 30-45 minutes before the tour begins. You park on the lot in a small parking area next to the small theater.

Hope that helps!

 

[ThomasC]

Also I'd recommend vising the WB store on the lot if you get the chance because all the CDs and DVDs are deeply discounted for their employees.

But we're not employees, so what do we get out of it?

 

[Daniel Kikin]

Now is definitely the best time to go. I went in June 2001. A lot of sets that are usually closed to the public (like Friends) are open during this time, just make sure you book in advance. We also saw some ER and Gilmore Girls sets, plus a lot outdoor stuff too.

They also had the Batman stuff at the museum when I went, which was very cool. But, I heard from someone who went a couple of months ago that they took away the Batman stuff for Harry Potter.

The friend I went with had a cousin working in the IT department at WB who got us a pass to the entire studio so we came back later in the week and he took us to The West Wing set, and then we spent two hours walking around the whole studio.

If you get a chance, I'd also take the Paramount tour.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

But we're not employees, so what do we get out of it?

Yes, but many people there ARE It's called bribery

"Hey, you'll save me 60% on my DVDs, how would you like 10% of that for buying?"

 

[Gary->dee]

I probably should have mentioned that you don't need to be a WB employee to purchase anything from the store. There's no flashing of ID cards or anything involved. When I used to work for the UCLA Film & TV Archive a few years ago and I'd have to pick up and drop off film canisters at WB I made it a point to take a casual stroll between the large studios and check out the store.

 

[Daniel Kikin]

It's the same at the Sony/Columbia store, you don't need to be an employee to buy anything, you just need to be able to get into the studio (which you do by paying for the tour, of course). I saw Malcolm Jamal Warner browsing the DVD and CD section when I was there two years ago.