USC Production Films in Highland Park

No, there isn't a new tattoo removal practice coming to Highland Park.

Dr. Tat-B-Gone's office is a fictional one featured in Birth Mark, a 12-minute short film being produced through the University of Southern of California.

The film, written by Patch blogger Kristin Livingstone, is set entirely Highland Park, and will filmed in the neighborhood as well.

Livingstone described the film as follows: 

With a baby on the way, Jose Hernandez, a tattoo removal technician and ex-gang member, must quit his job at a nonprofit and start a new position at the ultra high-end offices of Dr. Tat B. Gone. Abandoned by his mother as a child and raised on the streets of Highland Park, Jose finally finds himself on the cusp of having it all: nice house, beautiful girlfriend, a son. But as these accomplishments transform into pressures, Jose is assaulted by visions of his troubled past and consumed by the fear that he is doomed to fail as a man, a father.

"I live in Highland Park, I wrote a story that takes place in Highland Park," Livingstone said. "It would seem silly to fake Highland Park on a sound stage."

The film will be directed by USC Production student Gabe Renfro.

"I am excited to explore the world of Highland Park and of representing it authentically and artistically," Renfro said.

To learn more about Birth Mark, which begins shooting on Saturday, Sept. 17, visit the official website.