The following is an excerpt from a speech Wim Wenders presented at this year's PHOTO L.A.

Directors, UPMs and ADs talk about the current state of shooting stateside.

Just two miles northeast of Hollywood & Vine in a canyon on Griffith Park's western edge, the caves have served for almost 90 years as a set for everything from oaters to outer space serials.

Geographical stand-ins, doublings, have a winning way about them even when they get all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Legendary director Elia Kazan died in September, leaving behind a legacy of work that ensured his place among the greatest directors in film history. Brilliant and controversial, Kazan explored multiple facets of human nature in his films.

How appropriate that the perennial film location Vasquez Rocks gets its name from a charming ladies' man and bandit who rustled horses, robbed stagecoaches and hid from the sheriff among these breathtaking geological rock formations.

When is a visual effect not a visual effect? The answer is simple: When the audience doesn't notice it.