Universal Studios Hollywood Fire

You've likely heard about it by now, but if you haven't, there was a significant fire at Universal Studios Hollywood on Sunday June 1, 2008. It reportedly destroyed 3 city blocks of the backlot, including portions of the famous courthouse location from Back to the Future and the famous animatronic King Kong exhibit. There are several conflicting reports about the courthouse, but it now seems that it was the square in front of it that was destroyed, and the courthouse building itself was only partially damaged but is still standing. The Universal park website shows the extent of the backlot effected (see the map). On top of this, somewhere between forty to fifty thousand film reels were burnt in one of the studios' vaults.

No doubt all this damage has taken it's toll on the theme park, but Universal Studios is still remaining open with some obvious revisions to the tram tour.

I guess what strikes me most about all this is that these portions that were destroyed were some of the quintessential Universal landmarks. They've been the scenes used to advertise the park for years and now they're in shambles. The news footage looks just like the blockbusters you'd expect to be shot there. It's quite sad.

Here is my video of Universal Studios that I shot in 2004. It includes the New York portions of the backlot, the Back to the Future scene and the animatronic King Kong which are now either seriously damaged or completely gone.

For more news on the Universal fire click here.

Editing Luke For a Year

It's kind of strange to think that this blog has been such a familiar part of my day to day life over the last year. What I wrote on May 31, 2007 about starting this blog was that I thought it would be "a good way to focus my ideas in terms of thinking about what I'm doing as a professional career". Simple as that seems, it's exactly what maintaining Editing Luke has done.


There are a number of edits and films I wouldn't have made without the motivation that this blog affords me. There are now 55 uploads on my Youtube Channel and over 53,000 views that I wouldn't have had otherwise. In terms of promotion, this blog proved incredibly valuable in the Sasktel video competition that I took part in earlier this year. It became a way to organize support and campaign for votes for my film The Gizmo Tree which went on to take the 2nd prize, making me the largest individual winner in the contest. It's also put me in touch with a handful of like-minded readers and other filmmakers that have only made this experience more enjoyable. But most importantly, and in keeping with my original goal, this blog has allowed me to grow creatively and grow out of the mind set of being just a film 'student'.

Over this past year I've noticed myself transitioning from that frustrated student into a confident and motivated filmmaker. I've got a new job working in media production, I've been able to refine and polish my personal portfolio of work, and most gratifying, I'm able to see, read about, and appreciate the steps I've taken in moving from university to starting a career. None of these things came easily, but it's amazing what sharing your thoughts and videos a few times a week can do in regards to improving your own creative inspiration.

Editing Luke has become more than I initially expected it to, but based on the work that I've put into this I can't say that it was by accident. Sometimes it's been easy to do, sometimes a chore, but in retrospect it's been a pretty neat thing to be able to retrace a years worth of work, thoughts, and ambition. I'm grateful for all your viewership whether this is your first time here or your 100th. This entire process requires feedback and criticism, and there are a number of you who check in regularly to read, watch and support. Thank you guys!

Here's to a new year, new videos, new stories, and more new ways to further edit myself.

Stats After 1 Year 15,854 Blog Views 53,698 Video Views 147 Posts

Desert Island Flicks #11

My previous review for Martin Scorsese's Casino has since been updated and improved. Check out the new post here.