I arrived at the Dreamworks Production office on location at Holloman Air Force Base just after lunch. It became obvious very quickly that I had entered a different world when I stepped briefly into the making of next summer’s much-anticipated “Transformers, The Movie.” The movie is directed by Michael Bay and boasts a star-studded male cast that includes Shia Lebeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Bernie Mac, and Jon Voight to name a few. I wasn’t there to talk about the movie or the actors. I wanted a behind-the-scenes look at the women behind movie magic. The scope of the activity on the set of a high-budget action-packed film like “Transformers” is amazing, and the women involved in making it happen were happy to give New Mexico WOMAN a peek at their careers.

A vacated military office building was the nerve center for “Transformers” for a little more than two weeks. After following a maze of office signs, I found Gabriella Gutentag, Dreamworks publicist, in the midst of phone calls and e-mails. She was also packing boxes that would be shipped to L.A. It didn’t take long to deduce that my host for the day is a genius in the field of chaos management. From the production office to base camp to the set, Gabriella introduced me to several remarkable women behind the scenes of “Transformers .”

With titles like “Patch Adams,” “ Rat Race,” “ Anger Management, ” and “13 Going on 30” to her credit, the “Transformers” unit production manager, Allegra Clegg, has a shining history with Hollywood. The California native grew up around the movie industry and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and obtained a degree in art history and communication. After moving to San Francisco and gaining experience in commercial advertising, Clegg landed her first job as a production coordinator on the film “Robo-Cop.” Originally asked to fill in for a few weeks, Clegg reaped the reward of gaining valuable experience when a few weeks turned into a two-year project.

Clegg’s behind the scenes responsibilities encompass hiring and managing the key departments necessary to take a script to the movie screen. Such departments include camera, set lighting, special effects, wardrobe, casting, and transportation. More than 300 people work on location in Alamogordo and in addition to coordinating in New Mexico, Clegg organizes teams in Los Angeles and those setting up for the next location.

I was anxious to find out what Clegg thought of New Mexico, and she says,“It’s smart when a state offers a tax rebate,” referring to New Mexico’s 25 percent tax rebate on money spent in moviemaking. Many productions are done outside of the United States for the incentives. Clegg explained that director Michael Bay wanted to keep “Transformers” in the U.S. and of the five states that offer incentives, New Mexico had just what they were looking for.

“White Sands is amazing,” she says, “and the people at Holloman have been wonderful.” When asked what she might tell a young woman interested in moviemaking, Clegg’s advice is to be resourceful. With the growing film industry here, all it may take is a call to the film commission to see what’s going on and where interns or volunteers are needed. Even if it’s a low-budget or a student film, seeing different facets of production might help one find a niche that suits them.

Early in her career, Clegg had a chance to observe jobs in the movie industry. With a knack for organizing and multi-tasking, production coordination and management seemed a fitting choice. Clegg states that, as a production manager, “…even though you do essentially the same thing on each movie, there’s always something new.”

Working closely with Clegg is production coordinator, Daren Hicks. Hicks began her career in theater in the late sixties in New York City. She transitioned to movies after meeting Mel Brooks at a New York function and accepted an invitation to work on the set of “Spaceballs.”

Hicks’ position is the hub of the operation - everything that goes on in production goes through her office. She describes her role as that of a dancer, as she gathers and interprets information while organizing and distributing it to the right people. Her greatest challenge on “Transformers ” has been transitioning a crew of 378 people into the small town of Alamogordo.

With a background in theater and credits for work on movies like “Benchwarmers ,” “ Wild , Wild West,” and “Deep Impact,” Hicks states that the next phase of her career will include producing. She has produced several inde pendent films such as “Batman Deadend,” an eight-minute twist on the Batman tale that can be seen on www.ifilm.com. She says we’ll be seeing her in New Mexico again, as our film incentives include an outstanding loan program for small budget projects.

Hicks’ advice for aspiring filmmakers echoes that of Clegg’s—one must understand the industry and be prepared to intern or to start on smaller projects. She says it’s all about having a great attitude, demonstrating maturity, and putting your best foot forward.

Another outstanding woman working to bring “Transformers” to life is Air Force Captain, Kris Conde. Hailing from Castle Rock, Washington, Captain Conde joined the Air Force to travel and enjoy new opportunities. She originally sought a job as an air traffic controller, but became funneled into a position as an audio-visual production documentation specialist. Captain Conde trained at Lowry Air Force Base in all aspects of video production. In her four years of active duty at Norton Air Force Base, Conde operated a combat camera, documenting exercises during peacetime for training purposes. During these years, Conde took film classes at UCLA and began work on student films. When her four-year commitment was up, she opted to stay in the Air Force Reserves. Though she entered the military as enlisted personnel, she became commissioned and cross-trained in public affairs when offered the position as Air Force Entertainment Liaison.

Captain Conde is spending her two weeks of service at Holloman Air Force Base, acting in her role as liaison to ensure that the mission of Holloman Air Force base is in no way compromised by the film production. Conde also got a break in Hollywood by becoming a production assistant. She was working as a film reloader on sitcoms such as “Cheers ” and “Wings ” when she received an offer to work as an assistant cameraperson on the set of “Hook.” She is a camera operator in civilian life.

One day became more than two months worth of work on her first major motion picture.

Conde gives credit to the Air Force. Her four-year commitment was a great way to figure out what she wanted to do. She feels the training she received is everything the Air Force promised and more. She advises young women entering the Air Force go into it with an open mind. As she says, “You never know where you’ll end up.”

Out on the tarmac in the hot desert sun, I observed first-hand the creation of movie magic. Voices in unison yelled “rolling” and countless people on the set fell to a hush. Through the quiet, the high-energy pace of the film could be felt. Blown-up humvees in the distance testified to the work this crew has done while at Holloman.

The feeling is a bit surreal as Gutentag introduces me to women from one set to the next. I’m overwhelmed by the amount of information, planning, timing, people, and coordination that goes into filmmaking.

As the sunset painted the sky beautiful shades of gold and amber, I was introduced to even more phenomenal women. You can meet them, too, in next month’s issue of New Mexico WOMAN .

Christa Haynes is an insurance agent for a national company, a full-time wife and mother, and an aspiring novelist. She is involved with the Miss America pageant, preparing young women in Otero County to compete for Miss New Mexico. Christa came to New Mexico as a military brat.