Overland Gate Sony Picture Studios — Attraction in Culver City

The movies are surely magic, when they're on the screen. In real life, the studios are a busy business where all that "magic" is being manufactured.

The tour took us around to places that weren't currently being used and took us by giant doors we couldn't go in. Two highlights: the room where they record orchestral music which John Williams uses, and the Foly room where they record individual sounds for movies. Those both hit a movie nerd nerve for me.

They showed us something that disappointed me; prop vehicles used in Cobra Kai, Ricky Bobby, 22 Jump Street, and Breaking Bad. They're pretty cool, but it looked like the studio doesn't really care about their condition. They were dirty, rusting, paint peeling away from the heat of the sun, the Ricky Bobby car had a flat tire. It looked like they didn't really want the props so they just parked them outside for tour members to oggle at until someone else wanted them. The Breaking Bad RV and Pontiac should be in better hands, maybe someone who actually cares about them and will take proper care of them since they are pop culture ICONS and don't belong IN THE SUN TO ROT. I hope the Smithsonian wants them sometime soon or please sell them for a collector.

I think the audience of the tour should be allowed to see more but they keep everything so secret but come on, no one really cares, we just want to see a movie or tv show in production. We didn't get to see that. It's funny that the audience is the whole reason the studio is there in the first olace, we're the customers! Shouldn't we get to see a bit more of what we've been buying our whole lives? Have them sign a damn NDA or something, just show these people some good, memorable stuff instead of some empty rooms...

Used to work here. I don't know why they want it rated because you can't just go inside, lol. There is a tour, which I've taken, and it is fun; but the dusty sets triggered my asthma. So be careful if you have dust issues and want to take the tour. If you are lucky enough to get on the lot for other reasons, and you're a classic movie buff like me, you'll love it. Look for the names of buildings and offices inside--as this used to be the great MGM Studios- they are all named after the greats of the early movie industry, such as the "Thalberg bldg", etc. If you can't get in, drive down Washington Blvd to see the narrow original entrance to MGM, along with light sconces and pillars from the late 1920s-30s. That side of the bldg is ALL unchanged, and super cool to see if you know what to look for. Keep in mind that the likes of Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland and Clark Gable all entered the lot through that original...

The studio tour currently meets at this gate. The tour is completely walking, there are no tram cars ridden. My tour was excellent. My guide was able to discuss current film and television shows filmed at the studio as well as historical aspects of films shot when the Studio was still MGM. We saw many fascinating sets such as "Seinfeld" and "The Goldbergs." We checked in on a prop shop and talked with costumers in a costuming department. We saw the vehicles from "Talladega Nights, Ghostbusters", and "Breaking Bad." The "Talladega Nights" stunt car was fascinating because one could peer in the window and see how the stunt driver laid on his back facing the rear for the car while next to Will Ferrell as "Ricky Bobby." The walk and the studio were very secure. Uber was able to bring me directly to the gate and pick me...