Movie Locations

In most cities, an empty building is an eyesore, a sign of economic blight, possibly even a danger to the public. In Los Angeles and environs, however, it can be a source of capital to the owners and a boon to film producers. Such is the case with an empty Sumitomo Bank branch in Gardena, whose vault is still, in a sense, protecting the building's assets.

THERE IS A FESTIVE AIR INBHAKTAPUR TODAY. YOUNG WIVES ARE CROWDING THROUGH the tiny, dusty alleyways of the fairy-tale Nepali town, chattering excitedly, all in their Saturday finest, as they pose for cameras on brocaded swings or next to golden horses, while scores of others are standing in line to wander through a wonderland of silken canopies, next to a ceremonial pool, in front of ancient temples repainted in dazzling reds and golds.

Most people crave homes that have character, but filmmaker John August wanted a house to be a character. Four years ago, the screenwriter of Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Big Fish" and Doug Liman's "Go" attended a Hancock Park open house and found not only a new residence, but also the inspiration and the principal setting for "The Nines," his feature-length directorial debut opening Friday.

Along the route to MediaPro Studios, packs of feral dogs wander unpaved streets, children as young as 7 beg for handouts, and some government buildings still bear the bullet scars of the 1989 revolution. But for a growing cadre of Hollywood producers, the drive is becoming as familiar as a trip to the Universal Studios back lot. Poverty is visible almost everywhere in Romania, where the average gross monthly salary is $339 and horse-drawn carts are affordable transportation.

The nuclear-powered Navy submarine Houston, which in a freak accident Wednesday sank a tugboat off Long Beach and killed one of the tug's crewmen, cut through a San Pedro fishing boat's net just two nights later, the Navy reported Monday. The Friday night incident occurred several miles south of Los Angeles Harbor as the attack submarine, running on the surface, headed for its home port of San Diego after participating in the filming of "The Hunt for Red October." The submarine had been on standby for filming Wednesday when it snagged the barge tow cable of the tugboat Barcona, pulling it under in 2,500 feet of water.

It's only a matter of time before local film and TV buffs experience a sense of déjà vu around Los Angeles. That place looks familiar. Did you see it on the way home from work, or when you checked in with your favorite characters? Could be both. Most productions not filmed on studio lots are shot within the 30-mile zone (known as the TMZ) from Beverly and La Cienega boulevards, with some locations more popular than others. "There are so many factors that go into choosing a location and it becomes a huge juggling act," says Geoffrey Smith, a longtime location manager and director of community relations for FilmLA, an organization that processes film, TV and commercial production permits.

Robert Ferrigno took a long cruise along the Orange County coastline Tuesday, but it wasn't an ordinary afternoon drive. The Long Beach author of the best-selling romantic thriller "The Horse Latitudes" was scouting movie locations with producer Michael Shamberg and Australian screenwriter Anthony Schaeffer. Ferrigno, a former newspaper feature writer, sold the movie rights to his 1990 first novel for an undisclosed sum last spring to Tri-Star Pictures.

Two stuntmen pretending to be propelled by an out-of-control rocket backpack for a movie scene were injured early Saturday when they were catapulted off the front lawn of the Griffith Observatory and over a cliff. Jim Madieras, 50, was critically injured when he was thrown headfirst into a tree about 50 feet down the steep embankment, authorities said. Michael Sarna, 25, suffered less serious cuts to his face when he landed in bushes 25 feet down the slope.

The Los Angeles Film Office has toughened its restrictions on movie productions that involve nudity and sex acts. Officials with the office said they have revised the conditions that are generally imposed on explicit productions. The conditions now read: "Nudity or sexual activity may not be visible or audible to the general public." The restrictions apply to nudity and sexual activity that occurs both indoors and outdoors during the production of a film.

Drenched in gasoline, Nancy Alvarez is surrounded by police, firefighters and a hysterical juvenile court judge who is trying to talk the 17-year-old out of suicide. The tough, tattooed chola cradles an infant in her lap and brandishes a gas hose and cigarette lighter. For Nancy, the scene is only make-believe, a few moments of a film titled "Judgment," in which she portrays a troubled teen-ager about to end a life of drugs, prostitution and gang membership.