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Luxe touches lure clients
In place of cinderblocks and day-old bagels, filmmakers are now likely to find personal chefs, tapas and daily wine tastings.
Blame high tech. With pro-level tools now available on desktop computers, the big houses have to offer something special -- and that something is luxury.
"It's not all about function these days, it's about the environment, it's about cool factor, and it's about keeping artists in place," says Michael Taylor, who spent more than $12 million on style and amenities at R!OT a few years ago.
Some houses, like Todd-AO West, have built reputations for their architecture and decor.
The trend may have begun at Hollywood sound-mixing shop Margarita Mix, which made amenities -- beginning with "Hi-Test Tequila" cocktails served by comely young women -- part of its client services as far back as 1989.
Shops that cater to commercials and feature films are more lavish; TV shops tend to focus on keeping costs down.
But the advent of DVD has made sound facilities' decor more important. Margarita Mix has become a popular venue for recording DVD commentaries, which are sometimes videotaped, because its bays provide a star-worthy setting.
One amenity, though, seems to have become less common.
Post vets recall the days when they'd find lines of cocaine extending the entire width of a million-dollar mixing console.
If anybody's offering that perk today, they're not advertising it.
