What will you see at Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood? How does the studio tour work, how long does it last, and what to look forward to? Where are the studios located and how do you get there? And are the studios worth it? Absolutely! Especially if you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood blockbusters and famous TV series.
History of Warner Bros. Studios
Warner Bros. Entertainment was founded in 1923 brothers Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner. They owned a film distribution company from 1904. During World War I they began producing films. In the early 1920s they acquired their first studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
On April 4, 1923, they formally founded Warner Bros. Pictures, Incorporated. By the end of 1924, Warner Bros. was probably the most successful independent studio in Hollywood, where it was already competing with three other studios (First National, Paramount Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Warner Bros. pioneered synchronized sound films. However, adding synchronized sound and promoting it caused Warners considerable trouble. As a result of their financial problems, Warner Bros. took the next step and released The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. This film contains little spoken dialogue, but does contain segments of Jolson singing. It became a sensation and signaled the beginning of the talking film era.
This success, and the success of other Jolson films, made the studio a major moneymaker and made it a major studio. They expanded by acquiring the Stanley Corporation, a major theater chain. This gave them a stake in rival studio First National Pictures, in which Stanley owned one-third. In a bidding war with William Fox, Warner Bros. bought more of First National's stock in 1928 and became its director.
In 1928 came the first feature film Lights of New York, whose success changed the film industry almost overnight. By the end of 1929, all major studios were making exclusively sound films.
In the third quarter of 1929, Warner Bros. acquired full control of First National, but they had to keep First National as a separate company due to a Department of Justice requirement.
When the Great Depression hit, Warner requested a merger of the two studios and soon after moved to the First National headquarters in Burbank, now home to Warner Bros. Studios Hollywood. (source: Wikipedia)
Ticket and visiting time
You buy a ticket conveniently directly on the website Warner Bros. Studios, where you can choose from four variants tours. When purchasing a ticket, you choose the date and time of your visit. The capacity for each time slot is limited. I bought a ticket for the next day in the morning and there were free slots. However, I would recommend buying a ticket at least a few days in advance, or monitoring how the free dates move.
Studio Tour
I visited this tour, so everything I will describe below concerns this particular tour. The entrance fee is $70, includes about an hour-long guided tour of the studios and then about another two hours without a guide.
Classics Tour
There is also a three-hour tour that focuses on the golden age of film and television. It features award-winning titles that were filmed from the studio's early days through the 1970s. Admission is also $70.
Studio Tour Plus
It offers an extra hour with a guide (totaling approximately 2 hours) + 2 hours without a guide, compared to the basic studio tour. The price also includes a welcome snack and lunch at the Central Perk Café. The price is $150.
Deluxe Tour
The six-hour tour is designed for the biggest movie fans. In addition to everything included in the Studio Tour Plus, there is an additional (third) hour guided tour, a visit to the property department, a delicious one-hour lunch in the Commissary Fine Dining room, and drinks and snacks in the Central Perk Café. All for $300.
How do you get to Warner Bros. Studios Hollywood?
Los Angeles has a fairly extensive (and at first glance very complicated) bus network, but with Google Maps you can easily plan the entire route from point A to the entrance to the studios, using public transport.
I personally lived in Hollywood (in my opinion the best starting point for all the interesting places in Los Angeles) and went to the studios by bus.
The trip from Hollywood Boulevard from the Vine/Hollywood stop to the Hollywood Way/Alameda stop took 31 minutes. From there it was about a 600 meter (not even 10 minutes) walk to the entrance to the visitor center. Of course, according to the map.
The journey can certainly be combined with the metro, but here you will need to change to a bus. Alternatively, you can use Uber or another taxi service or your own car. Parking is available here for a fee of $15.
Studio tour at Warner Bros.
Arrive at the studios a little earlier than your reserved time on your ticket. You will go through the usual security check at the entrance, so it may take a while. Then just head to the right, towards the ticket offices, show your ticket that you are in the right place at the right time, and the staff will direct you to the start of the tour.
First, you will find an introductory hall, where you will learn something about the history of the studios, and after your ticket is beeped, you will line up in front of the cinema.
Everything happens quickly, so in a moment you're sitting in a movie theater watching a roughly 10-minute film that maps the history of the studios, shows what was created here, and what the studios are famous for.
Once the movie is over, the guides come in. Everyone takes a row and leads them to their own vehicle. The whole group gets in and goes on a ride around the entire film studio complex.
The vehicles do not travel together, but each one follows its own route. Everything is designed so that each vehicle has its own uninterrupted tour, so that you don't have to wait for one group to visit each place, leave, and then another one to arrive.
Sightseeing route
The first part is focused on exteriors and the first stop is to the built streets. We get out of the vehicle and literally touch the buildings, i.e. the film sets. In the process, we learn the first interesting information. For example, that the street we are standing on has already starred in several films. They say that only the decorations change each time, and thanks to this, the scene looks completely different than in the previous film.
The buildings themselves are then mainly made of wood, paper and plastic. No heavy materials. Inside the buildings there is nothing but supports.
We walk through several streets while the guide tells us the story, and after a while we sit back in the vehicle and continue. During the ride, the guide adds more and more interesting facts about all the places we pass. He has incredible knowledge when it comes to films.
It shows us rainforest, which grows in studios and is widely used, artificial, now empty, lake and cottage with him. She has also starred in at least three films.
We continue through the streets of the suburbs, where there are detached houses, to the streets of New York. Here we see a typical New York subway entrance that leads nowhere and we peek into the interiors.
Even such a built interior has multiple uses. It could be a hotel reception, for example, or a pizzeria. The possibilities are endless. The only thing missing are ceilings. These usually don't appear in films, so ventilation and cooling air supply are routed through this. This is said to be very necessary, because it is often very hot during filming. And what if a ceiling is needed in a film? Then you simply cover part of it and that's it.
We continue through the city, passing fountain with couch known from the theme song for Friends, which we'll be watching again today.
We arrive among the huge halls where most films are made. We stop at one of them and go inside.
It is ready. filming scene, so there is a ban on taking photos and filming (otherwise it's possible everywhere without restrictions) and we're also not allowed to touch anything.
Here I myself was amazed at the simple tricks the filmmakers use. An entire house is built in the hall, in which interior shots are filmed, but you can also see out into the garden, where the pool is. And how is the filming during the day and at night handled? Simple. A huge curtain is stretched around the entire scene. On one side is a blue sky with a few clouds, and on the other side is the night sky. Either one side or the other is simply stretched out as needed.
Although the interior looks fully functional at first glance, the opposite is true. If you need to turn on the water, someone is standing outside pumping it to make it flow, the gas is not connected to the stove. Everything is just like that. A perfect illusion.
Stage 48
After about an hour, the guide brings us to Stage 48, where we can move around on our own. After opening the door, I find myself in Central Perk Café. The famous cafe from Friends. This is followed by the necessary photo shoot and a tour of this studio, which hides other film and series surprises.
The first of them is scene from Friends. Yes, that café and the couch where the Friends used to meet. Here you can take photos. Both with a professional photographer, for a physical photo, and with your own mobile phone or camera. Everything is taken quickly, no long waits.
Another scene that the tour route passes by is The Big Bang Theory. Who wouldn't want to sit in Sheldon's place on the couch? Or knock on Penny's door? Everything is possible here. Like stairs that lead nowhere... there are only a few that go up and the rest is wallpaper.
But Stage 48 isn't just about Friends and BigBang Theory. You can also experience what green screen filming looks like, such as flying around on Harry Potter's broomstick, and learn how the film sound. And honestly – wow. I was really surprised by what was heard in the film and how what we hear is put together.
At the end of the tour, you'll find yourself back at the beginning, at the Central Perk Café, where you'll have coffee and some snacks, enjoy them in Joey's massage chair, walk through the Friends-themed souvenir shop, and head out. To my surprise, there's a ride waiting at the exit that will take you a bit further.
Outdoor scenes
You get out of the vehicle and follow the marked route. First to the gazebo from Gilmore Girls, you continue along the sidewalk past other buildings to the long-awaited fountains and couches from Friends. But that couch is pretty tough. It's a movie prop, so it's not padded, but hard plastic. They should have warned you about that beforehand. I sat down with such joy and speed that I bumped my butt. Ouch.
Next comes the necessary photo, this time only on your own phone or camera, and departure to the stop, where another vehicle is waiting. This is followed by a short journey to the last hall.
Harry Potter and Superheroes
More film attractions await you here. First, an exhibition of costumes and props from Game of Thrones, then superhero costumes, Daily Planet and Superman and then at the back Batman's Laboratory, including his vehicles.
The next part you find yourself in the bedroom Harry Potter, which is somewhere else than under the stairs. A mini shed, really. You'll look at the magic wands, take a selfie with Dobby and others among the flying letters, let Mandrake scream at you when you pull it out of the flower pot and slowly continue towards the end of the entire tour.
At the end, you will take a picture at the prepared photo wall and go to the entrance via the souvenir shop. Don't forget to buy something as a souvenir. For example original magnet, which you won't find anywhere else in LA.
How did I like it here?
I was looking forward to visiting Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood. It's one of my dreams come true and I must say that it is definitely worth it. It is a wonderfully organized three hours, in which I was not bored for a minute. I learned a lot of interesting things and really got a glimpse movies and series under the hood. And the photos from my favorite scenes are like the icing on the cake.
I personally would love to visit again when I have the chance. And who knows, maybe next time I'll bump into a movie or TV star. The studios are always open and tours are also available during the time when another Hollywood blockbuster is being filmed in a studio.
Where to go next in Hollywood?
I spent the entire morning at Warner Bros. Studios. My tour started at 9:30 and I was out three hours later. I had the entire afternoon ahead of me and what better way to spend it than to visit other studios. Universal Studios, which are really close. So I ordered an Uber and in 10 minutes I was standing in front of the entrance. And how was the visit to this amusement park? Check out the page https://florinacestach.cz/universal_studios_hollywood/. If you are interested in where to see in Los Angeles, write about my guide. And don't forget to check out my video from Los Angeles. I believe you will enjoy it.
