HOLLYWOOD'S OWN 'SIDESHOW' `CARNIVALE' GETS ITS ATMOSPHERE FROM AREA LOCATIONS.

Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The parched hills and plains of the Santa Clarita Valley will come alive tonight with super-powered carnies, dust storms and an epic battle between good and evil.

Flip on the premiere episode of HBO's new series ``Carnivale'' and you'll see the desolate outskirts of suburbia transformed into the Dust Bowl backdrop of a magical Depression-era traveling carnival in 1934.

``The funny thing is that people in Santa Clarita are going to watch the show and think that the hills are beautiful, and not even know that it's the hill they see from their own back yard,'' said Tom Bellissimo, of Bellissimo-Belardinelli Special Effects, which worked on the new show. ``That's the magic about making movies.''

``Carnivale'' is one of a growing number of movies and TV shows to use Santa Clarita studios and ranches for filming.

In February, Santa Clarita cut filming fees from $450 per day to $275, something that city film liaison Jason Crawford says has encouraged more local production more than ever before.

The region has long been known for its movie ranches and was the setting for scenes in blockbusters such as ``Spider-Man'' and ``Independence Day.''

``We absolutely love it,'' Crawford said. ``One of the things that has made Santa Clarita so attractive is that we have studio space as well as on-location movie ranches. That's why we had 'Carnivale' and that's why we have 'Deadwood.'''

``Carnivale,'' whose 12-episode run begins at 9:35 p.m. today, has been reviewed as ``Steinbeckian'' and ``cinematic,'' possessing ``severe beauty.''

``We had to match the Dust Bowl region, which has a lot of open spaces and plains,'' said Bruce Richmond, vice president of production for HBO. ``Being in Santa Clarita allowed us to get those matches.''

The scenic cinematography is partially thanks to movie ranches like the 100-acre Blue Cloud Ranch in Saugus, where three of the show's episodes were filmed.

``I prepared a meadow area by scraping it down to dust,'' said Rene Veluzat, the ranch's owner. ``The scenery looks like the Dust Bowl.''

Other sets available on Veluzat's ranch aside from a dust field are an Afghanistan city, the Sahara Desert, mountainous terrains and a jungle.

``Santa Clarita is the second Hollywood that's happening now; it has everything to offer,'' Veluzat said. HBO is filming another new show, ``Deadwood,'' in the area . The Western, set in the late 19th century, will premiere next spring.

``Carnivale'' was created by Daniel Knauf and stars Nick Stahl, who also starred in ``Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.''

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(color) Actor Michael J. Anderson, who gained a cult following for his recurring role on ABC's ``Twin Peaks,'' returns in the new HBO drama ``Carnivale,'' parts of which have been filmed in Santa Clarita.