Paramount Pictures Studio Tour — Attraction in Los Angeles

This review is dedicated to my your guide. I went to the Paramount Studio tour in the middle of May and it was amazing. Now at the time I went I would say the hot weather definitely did it good for the studio because the bright lighting at noon made the studio itself look beautiful. I was a tourist in LA so I am not really sure if they get hot bright days outside but the weather when I went was the equivalent to the summer of where I am currently. As for the studio itself it was very clean. I didn't see any garbage on the floor, no litter, none of that. But at the same time I was expecting it to be a little dirty on the basis of there being a protest ongoing by the gates. It was the writers strike. Even though the protesters were walking back-and-forth outside, they did not bother the tour in anyway. If anything I would say the protest made the tour better because of the genius from Matt to relate the protest to the story he was telling us. This story being about the production of the Godfather. Now I'm not gonna get into the story as I think its much better said by the tour guides themselves. Some people may frown upon the idea of a script for a tour but Paramount Studios has it all up to the tour guide to give the script its personality while delivering what they are required to do so. Except when your tour guide is passionate about movies, it makes the experiment all the more better. So depending on your tour guide, you can say different things about the information that is delivered. I cant say much about the other tour guides as I've only been there once, but the one I got (Matt) is very funny and he has a huge heart and that's why I love the way he delivered the tour to us. Now what I love about scripts so much is that although the studio may only show what they want to show you, it gives the tour its own personality. As a movie fanatic myself, I loved all the information that was presented to me by paramount. It was everything that I wanted to hear. Another thing Paramount does better is that its tour guides / workers actually feel human and not like people just doing their job. Paramount likes to fixate their tour on the history behind the studio itself and the process of getting to where they are now. This gives you somewhat of a relationship with the tour guide. Another thing better with having one tour guide is when your tour guide is funny and very nice. This is the part where I'm gonna talk about my tour guide Matt. Now form the start when he walked into the room I was hoping that he would be my tour guide. Why? I still don't know but I am thankful he was. Throughout the whole tour Matt would makes jokes, he would laugh with us, as well as engaging in conversation. I'm going to be 100% honest to Matt. I loved every single one of his jokes, I may not have laughed and although I didn't show it, I truly loved every single one as it made my day better. Another thing I love about Matt is that he is very friendly with all the other tour guides. Matt makes it seem like he genuinely loves what he does. Another thing I love about the tour and more specifically Matt himself is that afterwards once the tour was done and we were guided to the gift shop. Matt stuck around and led us to the door once we were done. Now once I was done gift shopping I decided to walk outside the store and have a conversation with Matt. From this conversation I cant tell Matt likes his job, he loves movies so he also values the information he gives us. Another thing about Matt is that he's a very nice and genuine guy. I think the most memorable part of the tour was having a conversation with Matt. I'm not trying to undertone the tour itself, I just am a very social person and I love the company as well as talking with other people. So having a conversation with Matt made everything better. Not only from a studio standpoint but from a human standpoint as well. I hope Matt sees this review. Paramount Studios easily gets and deserves a...

I did the 4.5 VIP tour and it was absolutely the best! It was only 7 people per group so a very intimate experience which made it a lot more engaging! They give you a VIP lanyard (which is special on its own) that you get to keep. Also, with the VIP tour you get to choose a free drink which was a cool feature! You'll want to show up early just to make sure you get checked in right but it's not too long of a wait at all.

Our tour guide was Dylan. He was amazing! Very engaging and seemed to really know his stuff. He was very personal and even offered to be our photographer! He was even willing to answer any questions we had!

From what I saw, all the tour guides knew their stuff and seemed to really care about their job so whoever you get you should have a great time! They have a few tours going at the same time, so you'll probably run into each other a few times!

We started with learning the backstory of Paramount and some historical moments. There was a short video presenting all (or most of) Paramounts features along with some cool movie memorabilia. You even get to hold a REAL Oscar and take a picture on a red carpet!

We took a golf cart around the studio lot and started in their NY backlot sets. It was so cool! Felt like you really jumped into NY and the different districts! It was fun getting to actually step inside some sets and recognizing certain areas from popular movies! Since it was around the holidays, the studio was on break so there wasn't any active filming. So, if you want to go during filming time, dont go during any major holidays. However, it was still a very cool experience learning the ins & outs of the backlot and all the time, money and teamwork it takes to make a movie!

Around the lot, we got to see some sound stages for more permanent/current shows. It was really cool to see the different setups and how different a game/talkshow vs a drama vs a comedy set looks! All the detail that goes into building a set is amazing!

Around noon, we had some lunch which was so delicious! It was buffet-style (with a fancy menu (with different dietary options) so you could see the options) in the building were actors used to train to be "stars." The history of it was so cool! All the tour guides ate with us so we got to engage with them some more which was a really fun experience. You even get to meet the other tour members and learn a bit about them!

Later, we got to see some more filmming locations and learned more about the history of Paramount, how the studio has changed over the years, and all the defining moments made by actors, directors and producers!

We got to see inside the sign shop (which is just a team of FOUR people!), inside the archives (where they protect movies, set pieces, costumes and more) and so much more!

At the end of the tour, we got to shop at the Paramount merch store. They had so many things to choose from! We even got a surprise gift to take home! I was so sad when it was over! The 4hrs goes by so fast they leave you wanting more!

Overall, it was an absolute BLAST! If you're a film buff or aspiring filmmaker (like me) or are just interested in the "behind the scenes" of movies, this is definitely something you should experience! From what I've seen, even the short 2hr tour still gets you backstage so if you're looking for something shorter, that would still be fun. But if you're wanting to get into the DEPTHS (and experience some great food!) and see some things not many people get to, then the VIP tour is totally worth it!

10/10,...

At $60 for the basic tour + $24 for parking + whatever you spend at the well stocked gift shop, this is not a cheap excursion, but for true cinema fans (especially of Hitchcock, the Godfather, and Star Trek) this is one of the best ways to spend a couple hours in Hollywood. First of all, this is a tour of a working motion picture studio, not an amusement park ride (nice try Universal Studios). Security is tight, and deservedly so. I love Paramount's history and movies in general, and I found the two-hour basic tour to be just the right amount.

Experiences vary based on who your guide is. Their knowledge and enthusiasm makes all the difference, and I got one of the best! CeeCee from San Fran was so enjoyable! She even listened patiently with interest when I talked about knowing the famous Bronson Gate from illustrations and Hitchcock’s introductions to the Three Investigators YA mystery series that I grew up with.

Being on the tour made me really want to rewatch Psycho and also Sunset Boulevard. Warning: the gift shop is extensive with a lot of good deals to be had, however you will be rushed along for your purchases because the tour can't end until everyone is done with their shopping. I felt rushed through this part, and didn't actually get to purchase an item I wanted to get for my wife (plaid Paramount logo pajama bottoms to go with a tank top I selected). Be careful with your final purchasing decisions because it is (nearly) impossible to return or exchange an item without paying for the tour again. I got a t-shirt marked XL that ended up fitting like a large when I tried it on back at the hotel. I called and asked if I could swing by and exchange it and they said that was impossible without paying for the tour again. When pressed, they were like “...maybe you could mail it in and we could mail you the exchange…” I don't think so. I finally talked to Gail, a manager for the gift shop, who agreed to meet me at the Studio Tour entrance and exchange shirts. When I arrived, I was even able to park in the same $24 lot without having to pay, I just told the attendant I was there for an exchange and would only be 5 minutes. He didn't give me a hard time, which I thought was fair since the cost of parking was kind of a gouge. Only, when I got there and called the store I was told that Gail had just gone to lunch and didn't tell anyone she was expecting me! Thankfully, at the Studio Tour check-in, it was kind of slow, and one extremely nice and accommodating staffer (Casey from Connecticut) was able to escort me to the gift shop and back, allowing me to exchange shirts and even purchase those elusive pajama bottoms that I was unable to get before! (It helped that I had kept my badge from the tour and was wearing it when I presented myself).

My only (minor) complaints are that the earpiece they give you so you can hear the tour guide died on me 2/3 of the way through the tour, and also that it was very difficult to see the video compilations on the iPad that the guide held because of screen glare. I recommend assigning each member of the tour their own iPad, or installing a couple screens on the golf carts.

The tour overall and the studio campus were terrific, but it was the phenomenal staff (thank you again CeeCee from SF and Casey from CT!) that made the experience the highlight of my trip. Make...