Maybe Every School Should Get Its Own Television Series

The LAUSD is perpetually in budget trouble and just today laid off almost 1,000 employees, but Hollywood always seems to have tons of cash. Schools are putting two and two together and "marketing themselves to filmmakers," according to FilmLA, which handles filming permits for the region. The organization tells the LA Times that production days at schools have increased almost 40% in the last two years. Reseda High School's midwesterny look has landed it MTV's "The Hard Times of RJ Berger," which is set in Ohio and currently filming a second season. The school serves as a set, but also hosts a base camp and production offices on its property, which saves money for the production. The LAUSD charges $3,100 a day to film at a school, and school officials tell the LAT they'll bring in about $60,000 from the show this year. It sounds like there are some cash bonuses in it for the extra-curriculars too--the producers "offered a financial contribution" to the school's football team when it moved a practice. The show was kept out during the SATs. [Reseda High via Wikimedia]
· Hard times bring 'Hard Times' to Reseda High [LAT]