Enticing Moviemakers Back to School

Re “Schools Ready for Close-Ups,” Dec. 16: One of the schools most used for filming has been Marshall High School in the Los Feliz district. Ironically, the L.A. Unified School District wanted to tear it down. Only the tireless efforts of the community saved the graceful, traditional buildings that have since earned tens of thousands of dollars in location fees.

Building schools that are utilitarian and bland is a big mistake. For example, one school should look like Scarlett O’Hara’s Tara, another like Washington’s Mt. Vernon and yet another like an Italian village. That way, whatever a moviemaker’s location needs might be, a school could provide the location and supplement its budget with the rental fees.

Sara Leiber McKinney

Los Angeles