On Sept. 18, 2023, a group of Film, Television and Media Arts students and “Simi Film Fest” participants attended a field trip at Corriganville Park led by Nikki Davy of Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District.
This field trip was in collaboration with “Simi Film Fest,” a film festival held at Studio Movie Grill in Simi Valley from Sept. 17-19. The three-day event was composed of 43 independent movie screenings and 13 panelists. Besides showcasing great movies, the event aimed to provide opportunities for filmmakers to make “meaningful connections to elevate your filmmaking career.”
The field trip started with Davy giving an impressive list of projects that have taken place at the park. Corriganville Movie Ranch is a filming site for 3,500 movies, television programs and commercials.
For example, the popular Netflix comedy, “Beef,” Rihanna’s “Savage X Fenty Show Vol.4,” and films like Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” have been filmed at this site.
Davy went into the history of the Corriganville Movie Ranch for attendees.
“In 1942, Ray ‘Crash’ Corrigan, who was a Hollywood stuntman, purchased the land and turned this area into a studio,” Davy said. “For a while the area was vacant and had graffiti, so they stepped in and decided to do something with it. They made a committee that was partly city and partly us to figure out what to do with this land. In May 1998, Corriganville once again opened to the general public when Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District assumed ownership.”
Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District encourages visitors to go on the hike to see the remains of sets where filming took place. The organization also has signs including descriptions of what was filmed at that spot.
Davy wants filming to be one thing Simi Valley is known for, and she hopes that by visiting these sites of past films people are inspired to come back and make something with the landscape.
“They make most of their money from either donations or filming,” Davy stated.
However, since the SAG-AFTRA strike, the set has been financially affected and hopes to host more projects soon.
During the second half of the field trip, participants were given the opportunity to go into the backlots located across the street from Corriganville Park.
Here, there are various backdrops of buildings and sound rooms. This component of the day highlighted resources available for film students to take advantage of.
Corriganville Movie Ranch gives an opportunity for aspiring film students to make their own films due to their flat fee of $159 for students. This is extremely helpful for new filmmakers due to the low cost and the convenience of the location being local to campus.
Avril Prado, a first-year student at Moorpark College, is a part of the Film Club and hopes to become a film director in the future. She states that she wants to improve the film Industry by lifting diverse voices, including women and people of color. Prado was surprised at how low the filming rates are for this popular site.
“I’m actually really proud of Simi [Valley] for that,” Prado explained. “It seems like they really want to support future filmmakers, which is super appreciated.”
Local resident Bethany Calvo participated in “Simi Film Fest” as a film editor in the independent film “Uncommon Negotiator.” Prado applauded the event’s ability to inspire future filmmakers.
“I thought the “Simi Film Fest” was incredibly well managed and put together,” Calvo said. “The panelists were very encouraging and provided important insight into the film world.“
Especially during this rough financial time, the field trip helped bring awareness to the park for potential future talent. While most locals do not know much about this area, hopefully more will as it is highly recommended for film enthusiasts to come and check out this piece of Simi Valley history.
For more information on the FTMA program at Moorpark College, click here.
