Locally filmed TV pilot shows off South Bay to entertainment world
Actress Mandy Henderson takes in a surprise at the “90210” house in Hermosa.
There are a lot of obstacles to climb for those who want to make a great movie. And, as actress Mandy Henderson will tell you, many of them have little to do with artistic vision.
“Studio executives, investors, child actors’ parents; agents who say, ‘They’ll do this if they can pick the director’; stars who ask for a speaking role for the person they’re sleeping with,” Henderson said, only partially kidding.
Henderson is part of the team behind “Half Sister Films” a television pilot that wrapped up shooting last week. The production delves into the comical absurdities of show business, but the action takes place far from Hollywood Boulevard: almost all of the filming took place in and around Hermosa Beach.
The project began when Henderson and husband Dave Fraunces, a director and producer who also played Robert F. Kennedy in 2006’s “Bobby,” and have teamed up on other projects, set out to make a horror film. But after discussions with co-producer Bennett Talsky, they decided to refocus on something comedic, and a film that displayed the South Bay communities they call home.
The couple returned to a concept they had developed in a web series several years earlier, about two brothers ineptly trying to navigate the world of film production. But, following the revelations about Harvey Weinstein and the rise of the #MeToo movement, they decided to develop a new project centering on women.
“No one wants to see two scumbags succeed,” Fraunces joked of the change.
The new series focuses on two half sisters with aspirations of making an Oscar-worthy movie. Setting it in the South Bay reflected the growing number of people in the entertainment industry who call the area home, but also provided the opportunity to show viewers a slice of Southern California they might not be familiar with.
“People all over the country wonder how Hollywood works. But a lot of people don’t realize that there’s this section of L.A. that’s so wonderful,” Henderson said.
Fraunces and Henderson initially planned to create another web series, structured as 10 five-minute episodes. The idea was to self-release episodes and build up a social media following, which they could then use as proof-of-concept for a pitch to a network. But after some research, they decided to change direction.
The web-series format, with episodes lasting less than 10 minutes, experienced a boom for several years, but has peaked, said Fraunces, who previously worked in the format with ABC Digital. In its place, however, is a rapidly expanding market for new, full-length television series, a development abetted by the rapid growth of streaming services. Netflix announced last fall that they would spend as much as $8 billion developing original content for customers of its popular streaming service. Meanwhile, Apple revealed plans to spend billions of their own on original content, and Facebook announced the formation of an entertainment division.
Actors Jon Lovitz and Spencer Garrett laugh with director Dave Fraunces during a shoot for “Half Sister Films” at Goodstuff on The Strand in Hermosa Beach last week. Photos
So instead of a web series, they changed their vision to a full-length pilot. They plan to finish post-production in June, and plan to start marketing to networks and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and YouTubeRed.
“We did some research, and we found out how much original content is being bought by these digital platforms. We looked at what was happening, and we thought, ‘We can make something better,’” Henderson said.
They started with a house. The couple took a walk along The Strand, pointing at homes they thought could work.
“There’s not much like it anywhere else in the world. You’re in this amazing house, but you’re eight feet from your neighbor, and there’s people jogging by 10 feet away,” Fraunces said.
They eventually settled on the famed “90210” house in North Hermosa.
Bennett Talsky, who serves as a producer for the pilot, helped the crew secure the home. Talsky, works as a construction manager with Continental Development Corporation, but said his father worked in the movie business as a costume designer. “The movie business is in my blood,” he said. He knew that shooting at the 90210 house would root the production in the South Bay while also making it interesting to a broader audience.
“That house is iconic. People were running by or riding their bikes, taking pictures,” said Talsky.
With the concept and script developed, the production managed to attract interest from notable actors including Jon Lovitz, Wally Langham of “CSI,” and Spencer Garrett, who played an aid to Harrison Ford’s President in “Air Force One.” The players could be seen in a number of beach-side locations, including include Watermans’, Cafe Bonaparte and Good Stuff.
The flim’s crew said that city staff in Hermosa were welcoming, and made it easy to secure permits. Attracting more productions to Hermosa has been touted by some as a way to boost economic development in the city. Following the success of “La La Land,” the 2017 Oscar nominee that filmed extensively on the city’s pier and iconic Lighthouse Cafe, the City Council voted in September to form a subcommittee to solicit resident opinion and consider modifications to the city’s film permitting ordinance.
Filming wrapped last week, and only two scenes are shot outside the South Bay: one, on a soundstage to get the interior of an airplane, and another, filmed with a drone while they happened to be on vacation in Key Largo, Fla. Almost every aspect of the film was locally crafted, including the original music, which was co-written by local performer Mike Kalbac.
“Our camera department literally skateboarded to work. How cool is that? They were like, ‘This beats driving to Burbank,’” Henderson said.