ANTELOPE VALLEY FILM GUIDE TO TOUT BUSINESSES IN REGION.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A 45-page guide for movie and commercial production companies interested in filming in the Antelope Valley is due out in May.

Containing listings of Antelope Valley hotels, caterers, rental companies and other businesses able to serve production companies, the Desert Sierra Film Guide is published by West Coast Film Locations and given to location managers and distributed at the annual Show Biz Expo.

``It's a very valuable tool. It's a good way for businesses to target the film industry,'' said Pauline East, Lancaster's film commissioner. ``We're glad that a private enterprise stepped up to the plate to do it.''

Pat Smith, owner of West Coast Film Locations, works with East and Palmdale film commissioner Barbara La Fata to distribute the guide to any film companies looking to shoot in the Antelope Valley.

Gracing the guide's cover will be a photo of director George Stevens who died in March 1975 while staying at the Bermuda Inn in Lancaster. Stevens directed ``Giant,'' the 1956 picture that starred Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson, and ``Shane,'' for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.

This is Smith's third film guide. The first one was published in 1999. The most recent guide had 4,000 copies distributed to those in the film industry.

``If you see a Joshua tree in a film it was probably shot out here,'' said Smith, adding that filmmakers can stay in the Antelope Valley and film scenes that look like they cross the United States. ``It's a great area and I'm just going to keep promoting it until I become the Cecil B. DeMille of the Antelope Valley.''

According to East, the film industry contributes $4 million to the Antelope Valley economy each year with commercials, movies and documentaries. In February, the valley saw a 50 percent increase in commercial projects, a record number for the region.

``The Antelope Valley had filming here forever and we are seeing an increase in filming, particularly television,'' said East.

Recent movies filmed in the Antelope Valley include Warner Bros.'s ``Torque,'' which generated almost $400,000 during 12 to 15 filming days.

Rob Zombie's ``House of the 1000 Corpses,'' which opened last week, was filmed at the Four Aces set in Lake Los Angeles in 2000. Arnold Schwarzenegger's ``Terminator III'' filmed scenes in Acton.