The producers of the Studio One Forever documentary are seeking stories from those who remember West Hollywood’s historical Studio One Disco and its sister music venue The Backlot, from 1974-1993. Community members are encouraged to take part in the documented history, by sharing their own personal history and submitting video footage of themselves reminiscing about the gold old gay days of Studio One.
Studio One Forever covers the rise of the disco craze and the gay civil rights movement, to the tragic days of the AIDS crisis that rocked the community.
“It is important that we are telling the history of Studio One and The Backlot completely,” said Gary Steinberg, one of the producers. “We are asking for input from our community.”
The producers of the documentary want to spread the word with the following memo:
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From the Producers of Studio One Forever:
Did you attend Studio One and/or The Backlot between 1974-1993?
We need your stories for a new feature documentary in production called STUDIO ONE FOREVER.
We are looking for self-tape testimonials to be considered for inclusion in the closing credits sequence.
Several submissions may be invited to film an interview in Los Angeles to tell your story for the film.
Here’s how to submit:
Make a brief 1-3 minute video telling your story. It can include virtually any anecdote (funny or serious) that makes your Studio One/Backlot experience forever etched in your memory. If you attended during the 80’s/90’s and have someone who passed from AIDS that you would like to memorialize, please feel free to include them in your video. Also, if Covid-19 has brought back any memories from that era, please comment.
When you shoot your video, please shoot horizontally (side to side) not vertical. You can upload your video preferably via WeTransfer to: [email protected]
The deadline for submissions is August 25, 2020.
We are about to begin the last phase of production this month with limited funds available, so if you are able to support the completion of the film with a tax-deductible donation, please visit our fiscal sponsor here:
https://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/fiscalsponsorship/projects/studioone
You can watch the trailer at this link as well.
Thank you for your support! The Covid-19 crisis caused some delays, but we are cautiously beginning to plan our final phase of production. Currently we have an 80-minute rough cut. We just need your story to make it complete. Stay safe!
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
For a generation of gay men who came of age during the era of Scott Forbes’ Studio One, the significance of the club and the turbulence of the times hold a profound place in their hearts and minds. From 1974-1994, the club saw the rise of the gay rights movement, the rise and fall of disco and the darkest days of the AIDS crisis when the club became ground zero for AIDS activism. Climbing the staircase and entering the hallowed hall gave its young LGBTQ patrons a sense of freedom and acceptance during a time of rampant homophobia and police harassment. Young gay men would find a sense of community and safety here.
Connected to the dance club, The Backlot evolved into the hottest live music venue in town. On any given night, you could catch established stars like Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera or Eartha Kitt alongside up and comers like Roseanne Barr or Rosie O’Donnell on the verge of taking off.
With a historic preservation battle as a framework, the story of Scott Forbes’ Studio One and The Backlot will be told through first hand accounts and anecdotes of the times. Famous and not famous voices will share personal recollections of the place and the times. Just as gay liberation was slowly progressing, it came up against the 80s and Reagan conservatism. A few years later, the AIDS crisis that started as a whisper, had grown into a living nightmare. Through the lens of this gathering place, stories of that time will be documented for generations to come.
I started going to Studio One in 75. Dated Scott Forbes, saw Madame, with George Burns in the audience with Bernadette Peter’s. Jane Oliver, she dated a good friend, Eric Hanstein. One night Scott grabbed me and took me to the Backlot. He said it was a private party. Which consisted of Charles Nelson Rielly, Dory Previn, Julie Harris, Johnny Mathis, and others. There were only maybe 30 people, every famous person got up and sang a song or a scene from a play they were in. I met and partied with Divine, Alan Carr…slot of famous people.