The Search for the Right Soundstage

March 5th 2010

It has been a trying six weeks as we've searched throughout Albany, Leesburg and Sasser for an appropriately sized warehouse with a concrete floor, adequate electrical and a bathroom.

Our first hope was for one near the railroad tracks in Albany. It was 40' x 40' (1600 sq ft) for $250. Quite a bargain, and would've been fine except for the fact that it was located near the railroad tracks in one of the shadier parts of Albany and that it had no bathroom. An examination of the photos we took revealed something I hadn't noticed: a 8" gap between two walls up in the rafters. That meant probable water damage, and despite the excellent price, we just had to pass on it.

Our second hope was in a warehouse/office park. I have several customers who rented in the area, and it would've been fine. It was 30' x 50' (1500 sq ft) and quite near our homes. It was $500 per month, no contract required, had heating and air-conditioning and a bathroom. Unfortunately, it had two offices that cut into the available space (reducing it to 19' x 30' at its largest point), and the owner didn't want us to remove the offices. That was a deal killer.

Our third hope was in a warehouse park, a little further out in Leesburg. It was 30' x 70' for $550. After a lot of soul searching, we went in to sign the lease. An examination of the lease was unsatifactory; we had planned on signing a two year lease, but there were several portions of the lease that had been edited to favor the landlord. Were we to need an extra month, the rate would've been double ($1100 per month). We decided to look a little further.

We explored Sasser, just to the northwest of Albany. It's mainly antique shops these days, but we'd heard there was a warehouse there. I found it: $75 for 35' x 30' (1050 sq ft). Unfortunately, it had a dirt floor, no electicity, an outhouse a few yards away, and the unmistakeable odor of raw peanuts. Another warehouse in Sasser looked promising, but it appeared to have been the training grounds for white supremacists or some sort of local militia. I just had a bad feeling on it, and wasn't disappointed when I learned it had just been sold.

We explored Leesburg, but the locations were less than exciting. One location was in the "historical" district which meant it was next to the Police Station and the Bail Bonds place. We're not going there, needless to say.

At first when we looking, we were quite open about what we were planning: filming an Internet video, a Star Trek fan film, so to speak. A few folks were fine with that. Most were not. We had several owners simply say, "You know, that's just something I don't want deal with. You best look elsewhere, son." Toward the end, we stopped explaining what we were up to. (Note to future fan film producers: do NOT tell prospective landlords what you're up to until after you've got the lease signed at the rate you wanted.)

After it was all said and done, we decided on the third hope. It was a rainy day when we showed up to sign the lease. We went into the office, took out the checkbook, and were informed that there'd be an additional security deposit required. The deal was killed then and there. Ridiculous, I said. I pointed out that the lease would've been in my business' name, and we've been in serving Southwest Georgia for over sixteen years. Didn't impress either partner. We realized that they must have needed cash flow, and that didn't bode well for our non-profit production. Maybe they smelled money; maybe they were just being dumb. Either way, we bailed.

So a Friday evening phone conference resulted in our decision. We considered all our options (including our first and second hopes), and realized that our monies could best be spent on more important things such as construction materials, costumes, props, etc. So despite the 22' x 21' (462 sq ft) size, we're going to actually construct the bridge set in a large carport/garage. All three producers live within a mile of this location, and we expect construction to begin on the Saturday, March 6th. Yes, it's going to be a little cramped, but hopefully, with good camera work, the viewers won't notice.

Next update: Building the Bridge, Part 2!

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