A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : COST-EFFECTIVE : . . . and the Sand Is Real Cheap Too

Operation Desert Storm is raging all over again in the middle of the Nevada desert. But this time it’s going to cost a whole lot less.

“Desert Storm--The Movie” will probably come in for less than $1 million. The first of the Persian Gulf War movies to go before the cameras is truly an exercise in economy. There are no stars: Former Ford model Lois Hamilton, who has top billing, is perhaps best known for a cameo role in “Summer Rental” and TV roles. Co-star Dennis Hayden has played rugged heroes and bad guys in “Another 48 HRS.” and “Action Jackson.”

In other resourceful cost-containment moves, Patriotic Films borrowed footage of a Stealth fighter from the aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed. “Theirs is better than anything we could shoot even if we had wanted to spend the money,” said Patriotic Film President Mathew A. Thomas. And, director Eric Hansen said, “We have got great stuff from General Motors of their LAV (light armored vehicle) which was one of the stars of Desert Storm, the war.” “Desert Storm--The Movie” also cuts corners by shooting only in available light--when it gets dark, they pack up and go home.

“I worry the effect will not be flattering,” said Hamilton, who plays a Mossad agent who teams with a downed American pilot to thwart a (fictitious) Saddam Hussein A-bomb plot. “Desert Storm” is being given every chance to look good. Veteran cameraman Michael Dugan has worked in the desert before--he was one of the cameramen on “Lawrence of Arabia.”

“He gets almost everything with one shot,” said one crew member. “The man hates to waste film. A few times I have noticed Eric call ‘cut’ and Mike had already quit filming several seconds before.”

“Desert Storm--The Movie” is scheduled for release in late November or early December.