FilmL.A. is pleased to announce the re-opening of the Japanese Garden at the Donald C. Tillman Reclamation Plant to filming following a hiatus of more than one year. The popular Van Nuys filming destination has been closed to filmmakers since mid-2007, while the site underwent a multi-faceted $480,000 renovation.
FilmL.A. has been instrumental in helping filmmakers obtain access to the newly-renovated Garden. At Garden officials’ request, all on-location filming taking place at the facility will now be supervised by at least one FilmL.A. Monitor. Garden officials sought monitor supervision to ensure the facility would be protected and could once again be a resource for filmmakers.
Each day, FilmL.A. Monitors interact with the public and production companies to resolve issues such as parking of production vehicles, noise concerns and production equipment placement issues. At the Garden, monitors will encourage permit compliance by reminding production companies of their professional obligations and appealing to their good judgment.
Pre-production scouting visits are encouraged, especially for filmmakers who will be working at the Garden for the first time. Those wishing to use the Garden for filming must agree and adhere to the facility’s current filming guidelines.
We thank Gene Greene, the Garden’s Director and Landscape Architect, for working with FilmL.A. to re-open the facility to filmmakers.
“The entertainment industry has been a friend and partner to The Japanese Garden for 22 years,” Greene said. “The presence of FilmL.A. Monitors on-location allows us to welcome the industry back while adding oversight and protection for the City’s financial investment.”
The 6.5-acre Japanese Garden opened in 1984 and was developed by late designer Dr. Koichi Kawana. Ranked 10th out of a field of 300 similar Japanese Gardens in the western hemisphere, its tranquil, contemplative pathways were fashioned after the personal gardens kept by 18th and 19th century feudal lords.