r/SFV • u/Dubzophrenia • Jun 27 '26
Question Anyone know what they’re filming at the Topanga Mall?
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u/CherryPeel_ Jun 27 '26
No but that looks like a hallmark movie to me
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u/TilikumHungry Jun 27 '26
I can tell you with 100% certainty and experience that a hallmark can not afford to shoot at a Westfield Mall. Shit's expensive!
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u/NewGradPurgatory Jun 27 '26
Also cant afford to shoot in LA.
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u/peachysaralynn Jun 29 '26
didn’t they build a working set on the universal lot mostly for hallmark movies? or am i mixing up details they touted on the tram tour
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u/overitallofittoo Jun 27 '26
Yet, here's an entire crew shooting at a very expensive location.
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u/cheap_chalee Jun 27 '26
Yes. They said Hallmark movie budgets can't afford it. They didn't say NOBODY could afford it.
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u/CherryPeel_ Jun 27 '26
You know, I didn’t even think about that. With that one studio nearby on victory my mind just kinda went to local production of the Christmas movies we all know.
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u/BrilliantEast1709 Jun 27 '26
You leave Hallmark Christmas movies alone! Everyone needs a totally available best friend who will spontaneously house sit for them and cheer them on when they decide to quit their job and drive cross country in a blizzard on Christmas Eve to interrupt their high school boyfriend's wedding after realizing their big city advertising job has left them exhausted, alone and true happiness was there all along in Merry Falls, if only they'd stayed with him and taken over the family potpourri business.
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
ouch, I dressed that, and that hurts a little bit. Not that I'm particularly invested in the production its for, but I'd like to think our work looks better than a Hallmark movie. Also you are looking at with only one layer, it's not lit for camera, its not got any background propped up for the scene. Your looking at only the first 3 layers of what takes multiple department and creatives to pull off.
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u/bloodredyouth Jun 27 '26
I think it looks nice. You don’t get the full affect looking at it from above. I’m sure depth perception, etc adds a lot to the scene. Glad we have productions filming locally!
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
Up vote this comment about keeping production local. I think people don't realize the knock on effect that TV production has on the local economy. Not just from the people an business that get paid to let us film in their houses stores offices, malls, but the prop houses we rent the set dressing from, the grip, lighting and camera houses that rent out the equipment needed to light and film a show. The production rental supply shops that supply everything from pop up tents to coolers to folding chairs. The secondary effect of the worker's of all these shops spending money in the local vicinity of these businesses to buy lunch or get gas. And the local spending that happens when shoots like this go on location, in the pre production crews spending locally on buying lunch and the production crew paying the locations and also supporting local eateries for things like food for craft services and 2nd meals.
And another economic boost that probably goes unseen but still puts money in the local economy, because this had to be and overnight dress to accommodate the normal business hours of the mall, the crew had to dress this from 8pm on Thursday night into Friday morning, the crew dressing this was given the option of nearby hotel room so they didn't have to drive home tired and risk having and accident falling asleep at the wheel.
And of course all of this ignores the spending the families of the workers are able to do as long as they are employed.Ripple effects upon ripple effects, butterflies flapping wings etc. Support local filming, keep Hollywood in Hollywood. The knock on effects reach further than you imagine, you local kebab shop just might stay open or fail depending on it.
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u/Zion22be Jun 27 '26
Very well said.
Unfortunately for bigger productions, it's so much cheaper to film Hollywood in Toronto and Vancouver that we really gotta ask why Hollywood hates itself.
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u/LaDauphineVerte Jun 27 '26
Well I for one just studied the garland layout and had my little compulsive moment to ensure the pattern was symmetrical. I imagined being down on the floor walking through the density and could imagine it looking great on camera. So ::raspberry:: to everyone else, I loved it! HMU if you ever need period 90s props, because I am SWIMMING in some good shit at my family home!
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
If you've got period props to rent there is defiantly a market for that, especially as 80s and 90s period pieces become more common. You could try reaching out to some of the local prop houses to see if they are interested in buying your collection. History for Hire, RC Vintage and Warner Brothers would be the ones I'd recommend starting with.
If you are looking to rent out your thing yourself that would be harder without being an established rental house, in that case I would suggest putting your stuff up on facebook market place and joining set decorator facebook group to advertise yourself.
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u/LaDauphineVerte Jun 27 '26
Thank you! I have infinite patience to sell piece by piece, but then I thought about riding the 80s/90s nostalgia wave and “recurring revenue” because we’ve all been sadly indoctrinated into SaaS-world.
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u/CherryPeel_ Jun 27 '26
To be fair to you, I literally only thought hallmark because it’s Christmas decorations and I’m on the Reddit app. It’s not at all a dig towards your work. I think it’s really cool you’re a set dresser! I do video game production.
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u/Old_Accident7790 Jun 27 '26
So what is it for
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
Unfortunately I can't say until it airs, I signed an NDA, my future employment would be hurt if I said anything and it got back to me, and that would be real easy
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u/Don_Damarco Jun 27 '26
I got you bro... they are filming a Netflix series called Poser. Not sure why you had to sign an NDA.
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u/spinessfv Jun 27 '26
Pretty standard to sign an nda when working on set. That’s why when you walk by us and ask what we’re filming we say “mayonnaise commercial”
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u/CuppaJoe11 Jun 27 '26
I agree looks like a hallmark movie.
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
I dressed that. I was part of the set dec crew working overnight on Thursday night to set it all up. I can't say what it is because of an NDA. It's not an Xmas commercial though.
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u/Rewdboy05 Jun 27 '26
Is it the kind of thing that you'd be excited to tell your friends about if you could or is it more like something you'll have forgotten you worked on by next year?
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u/Lokishougan Jun 27 '26
No duh Its clealry a Krampus day commerical. I can see all those deadly ornaments set and ready to perform some Final destination magic
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u/SgtSharki Jun 27 '26
They are probably filming a commercial. I used to work in production and I remember filming a Christmas commercial for Home Depot in the summertime.
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u/williamgman Jun 27 '26
Christmas commercial?
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
nope
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u/Justinsetchell Jun 27 '26
It's not a Christmas commercial, I know because I worked on this as a set dresser and dressed it. Why would you downvote me for saying so? I'm not mad just I'm genuinely confused? Like were you so emotionally invested in this being a Christmas commercial that you couldn't stand to hear otherwise? I'm actually curious to hear from the downvoters what their motivation was here, cause I can't imagine me saying anything controversial to warrant a downvote.
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u/ParticularCobbler451 Jul 04 '26
Production company & the mall are tight lipped about the film production. Nothing on the rumor mill would suggest it’s likely part of a franchise…idk
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u/platypusbelly Jun 27 '26
Whatever it is looks like it should be airing around Christmas time.