Back Lot Island

Back Lot Island is the 34th island released on Poptropica, being released for members on April 4, 2013 and for non-members on April 25, 2013. In it, you help a film director create and direct his new film to finally get out of hiding.

From Poptropica Tours
The greatest filmmaker of all time has come out of hiding, and he needs your help to make his masterpiece. But will you be producing the next big blockbuster, or is there trouble in tinseltown? From the first frame to the final cut, it's lights, camera, action!

From the Trailer
Lights Camera Action! ... Go behind the scenes! ... Make movie magic! ...

Full Walkthrough
First, enter the One-Of-A-Kind Talent Agency building and talk to the woman at the counter. She'll tell you that you have the look of a star but it will cost a thousand dollars, which you don't have it. She then advises you to look for Harvey Scoops. Now go all the way to the right until you find Harvey Scoops. Talk to him and he will tell you that he believes there is suspicious activity going on in the long-abandoned Grand Majestic Studios. He will give you a Telephoto Camera and ask you to try to take a picture of something in the studio. Although, the camera doesn't work. Go back onto Main Street and talk to the man beside the Celebrity Wax Museum. He'll tell that you just need some film for the camera to work and give you some Camera Film and you must place it in the camera. Then jump up to the high ledge at the top of the greenish-blue building next to Scoops and use the camera. Aim the camera so that it is level with the wall and wait for a man to pass. Then the ground will start shaking and you'll fall into the studio. Then you'll find yourself in a strange place with a white palace in the background. Walk to the right and you'll soon discover that it's just a backdrop. Continue walking and you'll see a door for Soundstage #1, with the sign "RECORDING IN PROCESS". Click to enter and a lady will come out and tell you they're filming inside and that you can't go in, but you ignore her.

You walk in during the recording of a scene of a horror movie, during the intense scene where Kirk Strayer, the star of the movie, sneaks down the stairs. Unfortunately you barge in on him and he gets annoyed and goes to his trailer. The director will run off to find Kirk, and you follow him. The lady outside will ask you to use the cart to go to his trailer. So you do that. Now drive to Kirk's trailer and knock on the door. Ask him what to do to get him to work. He tells you to refill his half-caf leviathan latte-espresso. Now head to the gates and open them.

Go to Main Street, and enter Queequeg's Coffee. Ask the man at the counter for Kirk's order, and he will say they're all out of lattes. So look at the menu and order an infant decaf espresso. You will then receive an Infant-Sized Coffee in your inventory. Now go to the next Queequeg's Coffeehouse and and order a full infant Latte and you'll receive another Infant-Sized Coffee. Now use either Kirk's cup, or one of the two Infant-Sized Coffees. Then pour the latte in and the espresso in, and you'll get what Kirk ordered.

Go back to the Back Lot and give Kirk his coffee. He will take the coffee, leave and tell you he'll be back on the soundstage soon. The director will tell you to meet him on the soundstage when you're ready. Take the cart and go back to the soundstage, when you get in the cameraman will walk out because his hours of work are up. The director will ask you to hold the camera and keep it focused on Kirk the whole time. Kirk will begin walking but in the den, just before reaching the living room (with the stuffed bear and the staircase), he'll stop and shine his flashlight. Just as he reaches the living room, he shines it again. Then a door starts moving and he shines his flashlight at it. A cat dives out the door and hits him, scaring him so he jumps up onto the stairs. He keeps jumping till he reaches the top, and then the snow and wind from the window blow him back a little. Then he keeps walking until he sees the furnace going, gets scared and runs back to the stairs. But the wind stops him and then he ducks because silverware hanging from ropes comes down towards him. Then he falls down the stairs, and the stuffed bear comes to life, causing him to back away towards a chest which a ghost pops out of, then Kirk runs away and the director wraps up the scene. Then he asks you to stroll around and see what else you can help out with.

Go to Soundstage #2 and talk to the lady who tells you to find Goldie, the man with the script. Go to Soundstage #1, and climb to the roof. You'll see Goldie with a typewriter. Then the wind will blow his script away and scatter it all over Sunrise Street. Now leave the studio and go to the roof of the bluish-green building and you'll see in the satellite dish, part of the script. Grab it to receive Screenplay Pages in your inventory. Now climb to the top of the theater and bounce off the railing above the ticket booth, then after a little bit of bouncing, you'll bounce up and grab another sheet. Now go left to Main Street and climb the first Queequeg's coffeehouse, and in the big cup of coffee on the sign, grab the next sheet. Now climb to the top of the Celebrity Wax Museum and grab the last sheet underneath the rock on the left corner of the roof.

Now go back, go to Soundstage #2, and talk to the lady, who will tell you to get the pages in the right order. So now you must rearrange the pages and put the correct number on it's page. Then you can hand the lady the Screenplay Sheets. Unfortunately, the lead actress never showed up, and the lady asks you to get her, and hands you an Actress Headshot. Now go to the One-Of-A-Kind Talent Agency and show the manager the Actress Headshot. The manager said they haven't seen an actress like that for decades, but she can give you the next best thing. She then dives out of the desk, removing her glasses to reveal that she's Lacy Williams, and actress who uses the Talent Agency as a "safety net."

Go back to Soundstage #2, where the lady and the director will be there, and Lacy is already on the set. The lady will tell you to play the role of the navigator, so this looks like your big debut! Now your Poptropican will go get changed. Moments later, on the set, the director calls "Action!" Now the Pilot, played by Lacy, will tell you it's time to say goodbye. Say "but-" which is on the bottom of the choices for what to say. Then she will say it's too dangerous for you to come along, and you have to offer her a compass. Then she will hop in a balloon and you need to say "Goodbye! I will never forget you!" Which is on the top of the choices. Then she will fly away in the balloon. Then lightning will strike the balloon because of the metal compass and the balloon will crash. The scene is printed. Now exit Soundstage #2 and drive to Soundstage #3. It's a wild west movie! When you get there the lady will say the set builder isn't helping, so you have to build a train using the old props.

This is basically like a puzzle. Just fit the wood pieces into the blocks on the blueprint that match them. It's easy! The only bad this is, you have to create a few cars along with the front of the train. But it doesn't look anything like a train when you're finished! But the lady paints it and afterwards, it looks just like a train! Now go upstairs on the left side, and grab the White Cowboy Hat on top of the chest and the Black Cowboy Hat underneath the hangers. Then go to Main Street. Enter the Queequeg's Coffeehouse on the right of Main Street. Give the former actor the Black Cowboy Hat so he can play the bandit. He accepts, as it gives him a chance to show his "dark side."

Then go into Digital Dreamscapes and go to the area where they're filming "Lord of the Witches 5." You'll see a man playing a Gollum look-a-like who's wearing a suit covered with sensors. Give him the White Cowboy Hat and he accepts, so he can play a heroic role instead of working on all that "Middle-earthness."

Go back to Soundstage #3 and enter. If you thought this Island was fun at first, check this out: You're gonna be the stunt coordinator! Doesn't sound cool, but wait till you see what to do. YOU PRESS A BUNCH OF BUTTONS!!!!! Here's what you do. There's a buffalo button, a tornado button, and a villain button (the villain button is in the middle). When the buffalo button lights up and you hear "We need more buffalo," then hit the button. Then do the same with the tornado, and when you hit the villain button, the black bandit will come down on a prop horse. You have to do it several times, and the last time you hit the villain button, the Black Bandit will hop on the train, and the cowboy will jump on as well. Then they reach the end of the train, and the Black Bandit gets shoved off by the hero. The scene is then printed! Now go to Soundstage #4 and enter. When you walk in, Carson Willis, the director dude, will tell Kirk to suit up in a gorilla costume. Minutes later, Kirk says it's too "demeaning," and he won't play the role. Then he walks into the dressing room and tosses out the costume. The director asks you if you want to play the "role of a lifetime". You then accept.

Click the gorilla costume and run up to the set. Turns out you'll be playing King Kong. Now jump on the rooftops and destroy everything. If you get hit by a soldier you lose a life. Collect balloons to gain more lives. When you get to the top, a lady, played by Lacy, will have a balloon in her hands. Grab it. Then planes will shoot at you and you have to fall. Don't worry, there's a mat. The scene is then printed. Now go to Post-production. First you need to edit some of the pictures from the film reel to get rid of the ones with errors. It's easy. Just get rid of the ones with boom mics mats and stuff that are caught on camera. Now for sound.

Sound is easy too. It's pretty obvious you need to pop a balloon for the sound of a hot air balloon popping, right? Then Carson will give you the Film Reel. When we get to the the theater, business is booming, and everyone wants to see Carson's film, "The Many Splendored Zephyr." The lady who helped with the movie's earlier is outside, and you two start talking about Carson. When you ask what's with him, she'll tell you to watch the movie. When you get him, climb through the high seats till you get to the balcony, and then put the Film Reels in the Projector and watch the movie. What the? This is just a bunch of random scenes slapped together! Go outside. Man, this Carson Willis is a nutcase. But people think he's a genius! The lady will tell you about how Carson lost his creativity after he couldn't pay for all his movies, and just focused on getting money. Who knows? Maybe his future movies will be better! In the meantime, there is something Carson gave us for out help. The Medallion!!! Congratulations! You've completed Back Lot Island!

Bonus Quest
Sofia will tell you to shut off the camera on Soundstage #1. So go to the soundstage and run up and grab the Movie Camera. The Warren sisters, the owners of Grand Majestic Studios, will come in and accuse you of stealing. They're gonna call security, so you have to run out and hop in your cart. So a security cart will chase you, and more will come from different lots and soundstages, similar to the game On The Run, but less challenging. When time every time a car runs into you, you lose a life, just like in the King Kong minigame. If you make it by the time the clock gets to the bottom, you're home free! Back at Soundstage #1, the Warren sisters, surprised that you've outsmarted security, will let you keep the camera! Congrats! You've beat the Bonus Quest!

List of Finishers

 * 1) Small Lobster
 * 2) Magic Sword
 * 3) Shaggy Foot
 * 4) Red Penguin
 * 5) Silver Jumper
 * 6) Quick Fang
 * 7) Gentle Eagle
 * 8) Orange Goose
 * 9) Smart Heart
 * 10) Skinny Drummer

Characters

 * You
 * Kirk Strayer
 * Carson Willis
 * Madison (A girl in the talent agency who had her house sold)
 * Dakota (Another girl in the talent agency whose special talent is cue crying)
 * Lacey Williams
 * Sofia

Items

 * Telephoto Camera
 * Camera Film
 * Infant-sized Coffee
 * Screenplay Pages
 * Actress Headshot
 * White Cowboy Hat
 * Black Cowboy Hat
 * Film Reel
 * Movie Camera (Bonus Quest only)

Common Room
The common room in this island is the Celebrity Wax Museum.

Trivia

 * The movie company, Digital Dreamscapes is named after and has a similar logo to Dreamworks.
 * The character on the monitor inside Digital Dreamscapes looks similar to Gollum, from Lord of the Rings.Also,the actor mentions Middle Earth,which is the realm in which Lord Of The Rings takes place.
 * Sunrise Street is a reference to Sunset Boulevard, a famous street in Hollywood.
 * In the One-Of-A-Kind Talent Agency, behind Lacey Williams, there are portraits of poptropicans resembling film stars Shirley Temple, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Stan Laurel, and Oliver Hardy.
 * On the menu board in the cafe, it says sizes: Behemoth,Leviathan and Goliath, which is possibly a reference to Scott Westerfeild's Leviathan trilogy.
 * The small trophies in the Celebrity Wax Museum are very similar to Academy Awards.
 * There is a wax figure in the Celebrity Wax Museum is based off of silent film actor, Groucho Marx. (The wax figure's eyes follow your mouse and will wink occasionally)
 * There is a wax figure in the Celebrity Wax Museum is based off of film actress, Marilyn Monroe.
 * There is a wax figure in the Celebrity Wax Museum is based off of singer, Elvis Presley.
 * There is a wax figure in the Celebrity Wax Museum is based off of film actress, Audrey Hepburn.
 * At the theater, there is a poster for The Hobo, which is a reference to The Hobbit.
 * The name of this film playing at the theater, Cactus Von Garlic 2: Deadly Breath, is a reference to the vampire hunter, Cactus Von Garlic, from Vampire's Curse Island. It is also a reference to the poster on the wall of the Vampire's Curse Island cinema.
 * At the theater, there is a poster for George Washington vs The Space Freaks, which could be a reference to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
 * The theater seen on the island is actually based off of the TCL Chinese Theater.
 * The plot about the famous director Carson Willis sneaking into an abandoned lot to make movies was actually based off of the true stories of one of the most famous filmmakers of all time, Steven Spielberg.
 * When you land in the movie studio you say to the dog in front of you, "I don't think we're in Poptropica anymore!" which is a reference to Wizard of Oz.
 * Next to the Queequegs coffee shop on the left of main street, a man says he wants to write a movie and about astronauts, robots and medieval knights, but you tell him you think it's already been done, which is a reference to Astro-Knights Island.
 * The rover from Lunar Colony appears at the sound stage 2 while you drive on the cart
 * Inside Kirk Strayer's trailer, there's a customizable mannequin that resembles Indiana Jones, and another one resembling Elvis Presley.
 * A cardboard figure that looks like the Titanic sinking appears outside Soundstage 2. This may be a reference to Titanic and S.O.S Island.
 * There is a sign in the distance behind Post Production that says "Poptropica", based off of the famous "Hollywood" sign.
 * Although Back Lot Island is based off of Hollywood, there is no address "123 Star Avenue, Hollywood", from Reality TV Island.
 * In the bottom-left corner of the golf cart map, there's an abandoned house, referencing Fiona's house on Ghost Story Island.
 * There are two or three farmhouses around the Back Lot, a possible reference to 24 Carrot Island.
 * If you talk to "Goldie" after you have his script, he will thank you for finding his script and that now he needs to find a way down.
 * Everybody on Back Lot Island who you've met so far appears in the theater, with the exception of the people from Digital Dreamscapes, the guy standing outside Digital Dreamscapes, the Paparazzi, Sophia May, Carson Willis, and the ticket lady. Three critics also appear in the theater; the one in the middle wonders why he ended up in between "these two bickering critics" - one says anyone who says the front isn't the best place is an imbecile, and the other one says the opposite.
 * Outside of Soundstage 3 is a "Popdog's" hot dog cart.This is a pun on "Poptropica" and "hotdog"
 * A few objects around and about make fun of actors and actresses in general - "Cry More Fake Tears" and "Has Been Limo Services", to name a few.
 * You can watch The Many Splendored Zephyr however many times you want - just run to the top of the theater after the big premiere and use the Film Reel.
 * After you finish the island,on Main Street, you will be constantly followed by a paparazzi.
 * This island is the first island to mention the Poptropica Blimp during the course of the island quest.
 * Queequeg's Coffee house's logo looks like Starbucks Coffee's logo, so it may be an allusion.

Glitches

 * In Soundstage 2, after you've recruited Lacey Williams to the scene and you're acting the navigator, there's a glitch that allows you to perform without being in the navigator costume. When an option for you to choose your line pops up, walk off of the stage. Carson Willis will say that the navigator needs a break and everyone should take five. (If you don't know, that's movie speak for "take a break".) You'll appear by the dressing room, and you'll see the options for the line above you. Click on one of the wrong ones, and Carson Willis will say that that's the wrong line. You'll appear back on stage next to Lacey Williams, but you'll be wearing the wrong outfit!
 * At the theater, if you've played all Despicable Me 2 minigames on the site, if you use the Fart Gun and Lipstick Taser (in that order), the person in the ticket booth will disappear! It's like magic!

Reviews

 * Shaky Noodle: This island was very hard for me, but i completed it, 7 out of 10.
 * Pikachu4807/Super Hawk: Very cheesy island to say the least, 6 out of 10.
 * Fearless Tornado: One of my favorite islands. Love movies, so, This island was awesome. 10 out of 10.
 * Crazy Flyer: Very fun island! 10/10
 * Cool Tiger:Good Island but the most hardest part was chopping the mistakes out from the film 10/10