Los Angeles is the capital of American cinema. It is here that the masterpieces that marked the childhood of many came to life. After having given you information to help you plan your visit to Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood and Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, we want to dedicate an article to the most long-lived movie studios in Los Angeles: Paramount Pictures.
The snowy mountain surrounded by stars in Paramount Pictures’ logo introduced movies like The Ten Commandments, Roman Holiday, Saturday Night Fever, The Godfather, Indiana Jones, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, Mission: Impossible, and Titanic, to name but a few. For over 100 years, Paramount Pictures has produced some of the most famous films in history, as well as TV series that have become famous, such as Star Trek, Happy Days, Monk, and more recently, NCIS: Los Angeles, Glee, Gracie & Frankie, MacGiver and This is Us. Let’s find out how to visit Paramount Pictures Studios and what do you see on studio tour.
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Paramount Studios: Location and Directions
The entrance to Paramount Pictures is at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, on the corner of Melrose Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard.
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- Coming from 101 Freeway, take the exit for Melrose Avenue heading west and enter Windsor Lot A, on the left at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Windsor Boulevard.
- Coming from 10 Freeway, take the exit for La Brea Avenue heading north, turn right on Melrose Avenue and enter Windsor Lot A on the right at the corner of Melrose Avenue and Windsor Boulevard.
The History of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures was founded in 1912 by producer Adolph Zukor, who, in the following years, merged his business with three other companies and immediately began to propose himself as a major film distributor. The logo of the film studios was created around the time of the merger by the entrepreneur W.W. Hodkinson. The mountain was inspired by a childhood memory in Utah, while the stars represented the first 22 stars who were under contract with the film company at that time. Back then actors could not work with multiple film companies and were ‘bought’ and ‘sold’ a bit like today’s professional athletes.
Thanks to the third co-founder, Jesse L. Lasky, the construction of the Studios in Hollywood began in 1926. The project cost 1 million dollars, and when it was complete, Paramount Pictures Studios extended for 26 acres and included 4 large sets. Today Paramount Pictures covers 65 acres and includes 30 different sets, as well as facilities such as the Blue Sky Tank, an area that is completely filled with water when needed, and the New York Street Backlot, a reconstruction of ten different neighborhoods in New York.
Not long after it was founded, the first Oscar was awarded in 1927 for the silent war film Wings, and marked the beginning of the rise of the film company. The first version of The Ten Commandments, which used Technicolor, was also released in the 1920s (the second and most famous version was produced by Paramount in 1956 and won the Oscar for Best Special Effects).
The 60s and 70s were a period of great success and change for Paramount Pictures. It was during these decades that Paramount made Psycho, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Godfather, King Kong, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Apocalypse Now, and Star Trek. At the same time, Paramount began to enter the world of television producing the first TV series, namely Mission: Impossible, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Happy Days.
The 1980s and 1990s confirmed Paramount’s reputation as one of the most important film studios in the world. Forrest Gump, Braveheart, and Titanic won the Oscars for Best Film and Best Director. Titanic, co-produced with 20th Century Fox, holds the record for most Oscars. It won 11 Oscars, the same number that were awarded to Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King. It also remained the highest-grossing film in the history of cinema until 2009 when the record was beaten by Avatar.
Paramount Pictures Tour: Schedule and Tickets
You can choose between two tours to discover all the secrets of Paramount Studios: the Studio Tour and the VIP Tour. It is important to note that the schedule of the tours may vary depending on the filming operations planned, so what you can see during the tour varies from day to day and sometimes may even be a little less interesting than other times.
What do you see on Studio Tour?
The Studio Tour lasts about 2 hours and the ticket costs $58 (taxes included). Booking in advance is recommended, but you can also go on a tour if you buy the ticket on-site. However, because the limit is 7 people per tour group, it’s easy for tours to be sold out, especially on weekends.
- In the morning you can choose a time between 9:00 am and 11:30 am. A tour begins every 30 minutes.
- In the afternoon the tours continue from 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
Visitors will ride on a golf cart through the various areas of the film studio complex to go behind the scenes of famous movies and TV series, as well as iconic locations such as the Bronson Gate (one of the historic gates of Paramount Pictures and it is the reason why Charles Bronson of Once Upon a Time the West, The Street Hero and The Night Executioner chose Bronson as his stage name), the New York Street Backlot (the streets of New York), and the Prop Warehouse (a large warehouse where costumes and props are stored).
VIP Tour
The VIP Tour lasts 4.5 hours and costs $178 (including taxes). It is required to make a reservation for this tour.
This tour gives visitors access to the archives and the special effects and sound area, a lunch or a gourmet aperitif with champagne depending on the time of the tour, plus a 15% discount at the gift shop. Parking and a souvenir photo are included in the price. On this tour, you will explore parts of the film studio complex that are otherwise not open to the public and you will feel like a VIP among VIPs.
Paramount Studios or Universal Studios? A Comparison
When you’re in Hollywood, you have to visit at least one of the great Los Angeles movie studios that have made the history of cinema… it would be a missed opportunity! In order to make a good choice and not risk being disappointed, it’s important to know what kind of experience you will have when you visit the biggest American film companies.
In the case of Paramount Pictures, you can’t expect to have a tour with breathtaking special effects like the tour of Universal Studios. Unlike Universal Studios, Paramount is not a theme park. Instead, it has real movie sets still in operation. As you walk or ride the shuttle, you might meet Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chris O’Donnell, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin or Lucas Till and all actors who, at the time I’m writing this article, are cast in television series produced by Paramount Pictures.
In short, I suggest you choose a tour of Paramount Studios if you want a guided tour in a small group and want to hear the guide tell anecdotes and curiosities while using a tablet to play scenes of movies shot on the sets you are visiting. Thanks to the earphones provided, you won’t have any difficulty hearing the guide as you look around you and explore the studios (mostly outside). The ability to interact with the guide and see some of the sets still in use inside are advantages of these tours. You will have an idea of what goes on behind the scenes of films that have made the history of cinema.
Where to Stay in the Area
For all the tips on where to stay overnight near Hollywood and in Los Angeles in general, I refer you to our article about accommodations in Los Angeles. Click on the link below and you’ll find specific recommendations for hotels in Hollywood.
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