Fake town built exclusively for filming TV and movies(petapixel.com)
petapixel.com
Fake town built exclusively for filming TV and movies
https://petapixel.com/2023/08/23/this-giant-fake-town-was-built-exclusively-for-filming-tv-and-movies/
145 comments
This is not only good for reducing infantry casualties but also reducing civilian casualties.
Once the panic response sets in, it is likely that they will fire on anything without fully assessing.
Training in similar environments can help soldiers avoid a panicked response and more logically assess the situation.
Once the panic response sets in, it is likely that they will fire on anything without fully assessing.
Training in similar environments can help soldiers avoid a panicked response and more logically assess the situation.
I've done combat training in one (a 3-story aluminum sided building furnished like a large office) and they had rigged the whole building with an interactive surround sound system. Once the course started and we got up to the building, I thought I heard music coming from inside. We opened the door and Metallica was blasting at 120db and none of us could hear each other. We had to communicate using signals while navigating the course with fake hostages and combatants etc. all while Master of Puppets was assaulting my ears. You couldn't escape it either, we were being sound-gunned on every floor and every room.
Anyway, just thought I'd share since Sound is something people forget when imagining training in these buildings and the experience was invaluable.
Anyway, just thought I'd share since Sound is something people forget when imagining training in these buildings and the experience was invaluable.
Sounds like we were in the same era. Welcome to the jungle was a perennial favorite at the school house my days.
At one of the SERE courses I did they had a noise focused resistance training period so you lose all sense of time and space. Pretty trippy
At one of the SERE courses I did they had a noise focused resistance training period so you lose all sense of time and space. Pretty trippy
This is extremely unsafe and seems like grounds for a lawsuit, if it were reasonably possible to do this. For reference only 7.5 minutes per day at 120db will cause permanent hearing loss. Disgusting that they made you do this.
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/19...
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/19...
I'll be honest, 120db was an exaggeration because it was VERY loud, I would not have had a way to measure it in combat gear. Additionally, earplugs are part of a military uniform at a lot of bases so you are required to carry them and the onus would be on you. At that point in time, I was not required to have hearing protection however.
You're not a civilian while enlisted, suing for any reason is not an option in most cases. It's more likely you would file to collect disability in the event of hearing damage after you get out.
You're not a civilian while enlisted, suing for any reason is not an option in most cases. It's more likely you would file to collect disability in the event of hearing damage after you get out.
Hearing damage should be on the easier to show side; I'm sure they screened your hearing during enlistment, so if your hearing tests as damaged when you're discharged, there you go. Confirming a connection to service if you don't test near discharge might be harder.
You might be surprised... a friend of mine spent 18 months in a tank with a cannon next to his head and has almost total loss in one ear and much lower function in the other... he's had trouble getting VA to pay for hearing aids.
I'm sorry to hear that; I would have expected it to be much easier than some of the stories I've heard about getting coverage for Agent Orange exposure from family and others.
Google "3M ear plug lawsuit".
I hear OSHA also frowns on being fired upon at work
Is it not typical for the military to have hearing protection? My highschool gun club had earmuffs with active noise suppression that would dampen sound above a certain DB level.
It is common and a part of your uniform on a lot of bases i.e. you will get in serious trouble without them.
Depends... apparently doesn't help much if you're in a tank with a cannon a few inches from your head for 18 months.
Or using pneumatic tools for 12+ hours daily for weeks, or spending time underwater with the worlds most powerful sonar
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this is so grotesque to read. Imagine a fake all-American town constructed in China, and someone commenting "This is not only good for reducing infantry casualties but also reducing civilian casualties."
The PRC did exactly that to train troops for Taiwan. There's a replica town, a replica of the presidential building, replica airbases, and even a weird pseudo-Eiffel tower [0].
[0] https://thediplomat.com/2015/08/satellite-imagery-from-china...
[0] https://thediplomat.com/2015/08/satellite-imagery-from-china...
I'm sure they do. To be clear, MOUT towns for infantry training existed before GWOT time. Shugart Gordon in LA is a good example of a more western looking town (link below). I spent a lot of time there back in my Infantry days.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uD9NpAu7rAYBYLNx9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uD9NpAu7rAYBYLNx9
What's wrong with that? If America was for some reason invaded by Chinese infantry, I would certainly prefer that the soldiers were properly trained to avoid civilian casualties.
What's the alternative?
A recent study showed handing a Pepsi to the invading army would avert war
That study has not been replicated.
eg, staying out of other countries.
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I would imagine those do exist in China
I'd imagine America would be the last place China would invade, so I would be surprised if they'd bother. The closest (western) scenario I could see them training for is Australia.
I thought Australia would surely be in NATO and that would deter China from doing that but after looking it up, it looks like NATO and Australia merely have "deepened relationships" (according to an article from last year), whatever that means. Today I learned!
Because Australia is not in the north Atlantic
Reason: even in 2023, the logistics of invading a very large country of 350ish million across the Pacific are daunting, to put it mildly. “Impossible” is barely an overstatement.
I would also be surprised if they bother to train for an invasion of North America.
I would also be surprised if they bother to train for an invasion of North America.
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Then there's Hogan's Alley, the FBI training facility that is, in the current era, an elaborate fake town populated by actors and used to simulate a wide variety of scenarios from terrorism or hostage situations to processing evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogan%27s_Alley_%28FBI%29
Playas, NM is another one. It started as a real town, was abandoned when the mines played out, and now DHS uses it for training.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playas,_New_Mexico
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playas,_New_Mexico
Google Maps link, for those curious: https://goo.gl/maps/Pnyjs4RsQbdzrFbY9
Edit: N 35°20'58.0" W 116°35'39.1"
Edit: N 35°20'58.0" W 116°35'39.1"
35°20'58.0"N 116°35'39.1"W
So this is where Tackleberry trains now, not that old strip with the fake houses…
You can sometimes see some of these on the 5 when passing through Camp Pendleton in north San Diego County
Getting Americas Army tingles reading about MOUNT training. Used to play it heavily back in the days
I understand the need but it bother me so much to recognise a studio when watching a tv show (or cheap movie). It's like the Wilhelm scream, it immediately reminds me I'm watching a something.
Especially the paramount studio https://www.paramountstudios.com/new-york-backlot.html
Especially the paramount studio https://www.paramountstudios.com/new-york-backlot.html
Reminds me of when Stanely Kubrick had an assistant take hundreds of pictures of doors in London to find the perfect shot of a hooker in a doorway:
https://old.reddit.com/r/StanleyKubrick/comments/vhlcha/a_qu...
Although Eyes Wide Shut was still filmed mostly on a studio set in London where they recreated Greenwich Village, his other films took quite an interest in perfecting the settings.
https://old.reddit.com/r/StanleyKubrick/comments/vhlcha/a_qu...
Although Eyes Wide Shut was still filmed mostly on a studio set in London where they recreated Greenwich Village, his other films took quite an interest in perfecting the settings.
> his other films took quite an interest in perfecting the settings.
Kubrick took quite an interest in perfecting all aspects of his films.
https://collider.com/stanley-kubrick-the-shining-scene-guinn...:
“Stanley Kubrick movies are notorious for having multiple takes. One instance is in Eyes Wide Shut, when Tom Cruise's Dr. Bill Hartford walks through a door. He just walks through a door. That's it. 95 times Cruise walked through the same door. It is not surprising, then, to know that the Guinness World Record for "Most Retakes for One Scene With Dialogue" belongs to Kubrick's The Shining with a whopping 148 takes.”
One of the actors in that scene was a kid.
Another example is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Lyndon#Cinematography):
“After "tinker[ing] with different combinations of lenses and film stock," the production obtained three super-fast 50mm lenses (Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7) developed by Zeiss for use by NASA in the Apollo Moon landings, which Kubrick had discovered. These super-fast lenses "with their huge aperture (the film actually features the lowest f-stop in film history) and fixed focal length" were problematic to mount, and were extensively modified into three versions by Cinema Products Corp. for Kubrick to gain a wider angle of view, with input from optics expert Richard Vetter of Todd-AO. The rear element of the lens had to be 2.5 mm away from the film plane, requiring special modification to the rotating camera shutter. This allowed Kubrick and Alcott to shoot scenes lit in candlelight to an average lighting volume of only three candela, "recreating the huddle and glow of a pre-electrical age."”
Kubrick took quite an interest in perfecting all aspects of his films.
https://collider.com/stanley-kubrick-the-shining-scene-guinn...:
“Stanley Kubrick movies are notorious for having multiple takes. One instance is in Eyes Wide Shut, when Tom Cruise's Dr. Bill Hartford walks through a door. He just walks through a door. That's it. 95 times Cruise walked through the same door. It is not surprising, then, to know that the Guinness World Record for "Most Retakes for One Scene With Dialogue" belongs to Kubrick's The Shining with a whopping 148 takes.”
One of the actors in that scene was a kid.
Another example is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Lyndon#Cinematography):
“After "tinker[ing] with different combinations of lenses and film stock," the production obtained three super-fast 50mm lenses (Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7) developed by Zeiss for use by NASA in the Apollo Moon landings, which Kubrick had discovered. These super-fast lenses "with their huge aperture (the film actually features the lowest f-stop in film history) and fixed focal length" were problematic to mount, and were extensively modified into three versions by Cinema Products Corp. for Kubrick to gain a wider angle of view, with input from optics expert Richard Vetter of Todd-AO. The rear element of the lens had to be 2.5 mm away from the film plane, requiring special modification to the rotating camera shutter. This allowed Kubrick and Alcott to shoot scenes lit in candlelight to an average lighting volume of only three candela, "recreating the huddle and glow of a pre-electrical age."”
> Kubrick took quite an interest in perfecting all aspects of his films.
When he directed the Apollo landings I heard he was such a stickler for detail he insisted on filming on-location…
When he directed the Apollo landings I heard he was such a stickler for detail he insisted on filming on-location…
The scenes shot with these Zeiss lenses look gorgeous. The whole scene is lit up by the candles only, he needed super fast lenses to capture enough light. The whole movie actually is only shot with natural light.
https://youtu.be/KT7IYpjcpD4?si=bmDsRtDhclICdHTU
https://youtu.be/KT7IYpjcpD4?si=bmDsRtDhclICdHTU
To this day I cannot think of any other movie that is exclusively shot with natural light.
So the only light source in the scene right after, the one where she goes out on the terrace, is the moon?
Indeed, it is an absolute masterpiece. That whole movie in general is but that scene is without equal.
Done way better than a lot of modern "natural lighting" movies and shows, where the picture is so dark that you can't tell what's going on.
I live in LA and usually don't watch video content but when I do it's a fun game. Movie geography is wacky; you'll have the actors on a street in say, Long Beach and then they turn a corner and it's in Glendale, then enter a building and they're in Santa Monica and look out a window to see New York.
I really love seeing the details on the larger sets. At one of them they had these vintage cars on sunset blvd that would roll by as background for a period piece. Everything down to the wardrobe of the actors driving the car, the license plate tags, even the book the actor had on their dashboard was from the 1970s. None of this would show up on screen - there's not enough pixels to capture it. The effort they go through is really quite something.
They had traffic cops hold back the regular cars and then you'd hear "action" and see the 1970s cars start driving by in the background as the actor came out of the cafe or whatever they were doing ... it was a huge ceremony behind a fairly irrelevant scene.
Also action scenes in car chases are crazy to watch. They have these skilled stunt drivers that just do the choreographed crazy fishtail and skidding maneuvers over and over again. They're really good.
I really love seeing the details on the larger sets. At one of them they had these vintage cars on sunset blvd that would roll by as background for a period piece. Everything down to the wardrobe of the actors driving the car, the license plate tags, even the book the actor had on their dashboard was from the 1970s. None of this would show up on screen - there's not enough pixels to capture it. The effort they go through is really quite something.
They had traffic cops hold back the regular cars and then you'd hear "action" and see the 1970s cars start driving by in the background as the actor came out of the cafe or whatever they were doing ... it was a huge ceremony behind a fairly irrelevant scene.
Also action scenes in car chases are crazy to watch. They have these skilled stunt drivers that just do the choreographed crazy fishtail and skidding maneuvers over and over again. They're really good.
Parks and Recreation drove me crazy because they used b-roll of the Pasadena City Hall exterior as a stand in for Pawnee City Hall, simply because it’s what everyone in the LA area pictures when they think “impressive city hall”
City Hall was not accurate, but several other exteriors actually are in Indiana in the Indianapolis area, and as a Hoosier, I let the City Hall thing go for it. The building that housed the accounting agency that Ben repeatedly almost worked at is 9333 North Meridian, and the office building where Dennis Feinstein had his office is on Carmel Drive.
https://parksandrecreation.fandom.com/wiki/Filming_Locations
https://parksandrecreation.fandom.com/wiki/Filming_Locations
The exterior of JJ's Diner is of a shopping center in Atlanta. Easily recognizable to locals because of the presence of Galaxy Trading Company (part of Starship Enterprises), which was a headshop.
I just did a studio tour in Hollywood and the tour guide mentioned that a lot of their most famous productions were done elsewhere because high brow directors hate the backlot. I gather most of the usage nowadays is for TV. Big budget films are either on location or just done on completely fabricated soundstages and/or CGI.
Yep, that paramount backlot is is is so many commercials... like every cell phone commercial that has a street scene.
> From the beginning, shooting a movie on a public bridge [Pont-Neuf] in the centre of Paris was complicated. The production team wanted to block off the bridge for three months, but the application was rejected. Instead, a model was created by the set designer Michel Vandestein.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Amants_du_Pont-Neuf
> In the middle of farmland they constructed the Pont Neuf, the familiar facades along the 14th-century quays on the Left Bank, the Samaritaine department store on the Right Bank, and that portion of the Ile de la Cite, in the middle of the Seine, where the bridge crosses the island to set off the Square of the Vert Gallant, the garden at the island's western tip dominated by the equestrian statue of Henri IV.
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/06/movies/review-film-lovers...
More information about the set:
http://lemuseedufake.com/leblog/2015/04/les-amants-du-pont-n...
(I recommend this film BTW, for the spectacle of it if nothing else.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Amants_du_Pont-Neuf
> In the middle of farmland they constructed the Pont Neuf, the familiar facades along the 14th-century quays on the Left Bank, the Samaritaine department store on the Right Bank, and that portion of the Ile de la Cite, in the middle of the Seine, where the bridge crosses the island to set off the Square of the Vert Gallant, the garden at the island's western tip dominated by the equestrian statue of Henri IV.
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/06/movies/review-film-lovers...
More information about the set:
http://lemuseedufake.com/leblog/2015/04/les-amants-du-pont-n...
(I recommend this film BTW, for the spectacle of it if nothing else.)
Growing up in LA, we had a few of these around. The most famous of course was Universal Studios, where you could pay for a tour. But my favorite was Paramount Ranch.
A bunch of stuff was filmed there in the 50s-70s, and it was open the public. I actually used it to make a movie with my friends in high school. It was pretty cool to have a prebuilt town around that was basically empty.
A bunch of stuff was filmed there in the 50s-70s, and it was open the public. I actually used it to make a movie with my friends in high school. It was pretty cool to have a prebuilt town around that was basically empty.
The Paramount Ranch was cool if you grew up watching those titles. Otherwise it was just an odd grouping of buildings.
It's all charcoal now though
It's all charcoal now though
> It's all charcoal now though
I heard. :( So sad. A piece of my childhood. That same fire actually took the homes of some of my childhood friends too. Heartbreaking.
I heard. :( So sad. A piece of my childhood. That same fire actually took the homes of some of my childhood friends too. Heartbreaking.
Yes, the Westworld Church is the only thing standing there now.
I guess being around LA as a kid has me jaded. Not sure why this is news worthy. This is how its been done for a very long time.
Something similar in Hungary but modeled for another age:
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4406321,18.7271297,187m/data...
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4406321,18.7271297,187m/data...
You can see both the old and new Eastenders set on Google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6583379,-0.2755948,240m/data...
The old one has now been demolished though
And Coronation St in Manchester https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PVXb4q9xXLzJeje6?g_st=ic
Wonder if they’ll be an Aussie along in a minute to add Ramsay St
Wonder if they’ll be an Aussie along in a minute to add Ramsay St
I can't see the old one in the link you sent, only seemingly new.
There are two areas labeled "Albert Square" One near the center right and one near the upper left of where that Maps link starts.
Go to the left and you'll see the old set
Assembly Atlanta has 135 acres with indoor studios, plus outdoor streets to simulate New Orleans, New York, Tribeca, and "Europe".
It's under construction, but close to completion.
It's under construction, but close to completion.
Georgia has ranked #2 in US film production by some metrics, and it continues to steal hundreds of productions from California every year [1].
Last year Georgia was host to nearly 500 movies and TV shows [2], and has been extensively used for some of the biggest hits and blockbusters: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther, Stranger Things, The Waking Dead, Ozark, Halt and Catch Fire, etc.
Disney, Marvel, and Netflix have major productions here. Winona Ryder was even my downstairs neighbor for a bit during the Stranger Things shoot.
Last year they built a fake White Castle a few blocks from me and then tore it down about a month later [3]. It was so disappointing as everyone was hoping for a real White Castle.
[1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/can...
[2] https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/08/01/georgia-film-industry-se...
[3] https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/white-castle-edgewood-ave...
Last year Georgia was host to nearly 500 movies and TV shows [2], and has been extensively used for some of the biggest hits and blockbusters: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Panther, Stranger Things, The Waking Dead, Ozark, Halt and Catch Fire, etc.
Disney, Marvel, and Netflix have major productions here. Winona Ryder was even my downstairs neighbor for a bit during the Stranger Things shoot.
Last year they built a fake White Castle a few blocks from me and then tore it down about a month later [3]. It was so disappointing as everyone was hoping for a real White Castle.
[1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/can...
[2] https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/08/01/georgia-film-industry-se...
[3] https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/white-castle-edgewood-ave...
Georgia doesn't "steal" business from California. The vast majority of the production houses in those productions are California centered with California staff, and many of the actors fly out to Georgia to film their on set scenes.
It helps local business in Georgia during filming and gives local talent a chance, but the majority of the money still flows back to California. Same goes for Germany, Vancouver, Croatia and all the other places that offer subsidies for filming there. Movie productions are ephemeral and exist temporarily, it's not like having a major corporation headquartered in your town.
It helps local business in Georgia during filming and gives local talent a chance, but the majority of the money still flows back to California. Same goes for Germany, Vancouver, Croatia and all the other places that offer subsidies for filming there. Movie productions are ephemeral and exist temporarily, it's not like having a major corporation headquartered in your town.
> The vast majority of the production houses in those productions are California centered with California staff, and many of the actors fly out to Georgia to film their on set scenes.
That's how it started, but we're well past that point.
IATSE folks are buying homes here and staying put. I know dozens of them. One of the Marvel DPs moved to my building, and this is his only residence. I also know several ADs that now call Atlanta home. There are thousands of permanent LA transplants.
Many of the top-billing actors own homes in and around the Atlanta area. Some of them now spend the majority of their time here.
We're seeing entire studio villages -- thousands of acres of lot construction -- spring up everywhere. Companies at all stages of the production cycle are now headquartered here to live alongside their staff.
This isn't ephemeral. Y'allywood passed critical mass, and it's growing. The people are here to stay. I know because I work in film tech and I've talked to lots of these folks.
That's how it started, but we're well past that point.
IATSE folks are buying homes here and staying put. I know dozens of them. One of the Marvel DPs moved to my building, and this is his only residence. I also know several ADs that now call Atlanta home. There are thousands of permanent LA transplants.
Many of the top-billing actors own homes in and around the Atlanta area. Some of them now spend the majority of their time here.
We're seeing entire studio villages -- thousands of acres of lot construction -- spring up everywhere. Companies at all stages of the production cycle are now headquartered here to live alongside their staff.
This isn't ephemeral. Y'allywood passed critical mass, and it's growing. The people are here to stay. I know because I work in film tech and I've talked to lots of these folks.
You can keep telling yourself that just like the Vancouverites did 20 years ago. The industry statistics show otherwise.
I'm glad Georgia's economy has seen a positive result from the subsidies, however.
I'm glad Georgia's economy has seen a positive result from the subsidies, however.
It's fascinating that something like that is being built at a time when most blockbusters are essentially animation films.
A lot of viewer time — and thus money — is coming from serial shows these days.
There are a tonne of mid and high-budget shows that are set in grounded settings which can utilize sets like this.
There are a tonne of mid and high-budget shows that are set in grounded settings which can utilize sets like this.
Ground breaking CGI used to be a selling point because you do things that weren't before possible.
Nowadays everything is more or less possible in CGI and it has lost its appeal a bit. Now it's appealing to advertise the fact you're doing things for real.
Nowadays everything is more or less possible in CGI and it has lost its appeal a bit. Now it's appealing to advertise the fact you're doing things for real.
CGI is sometimes cheaper, and usually logistically simpler. "Fix it in post" lets you wrap up the production sooner and spend less time on set.
Right, both Nolan and Gerwig made a point of that this summer. And Cruise has been making a point of that for awhile now.
And we are seeing the backlash to that, hence real sets struggling to be built up in time before movie-goers are permanently soured on blockbusters.
This would be the perfect setting for a "the Road"-style Twilight Zone episode. The ragtag group of survivors have fended off starvation, thieves, murderers, rapists, nasty weather, wild rabid animals, etc. and stumble on to this scene, thinking wow, we made it to that fabled city where everything is still ok.
And then they discover it's all fake. Including, of course, all of the provisions- food, drink.
In the last moments we see a band of marauders arriving, sneaking up next to the root beer stand...
And then they discover it's all fake. Including, of course, all of the provisions- food, drink.
In the last moments we see a band of marauders arriving, sneaking up next to the root beer stand...
Would be more convincing if the city was larger than two square blocks..
the marauders hold up the survivors and start threatening them, but one has an itchy trigger finger...
BANG!
- is written on the flag that unfurls from the barrel a la Bugs Bunny
BANG!
- is written on the flag that unfurls from the barrel a la Bugs Bunny
Okay but real talk (that's only tangentially related I guess). I want a Batman remake that's true to the original series. Goofy shit like that all the time.
I've had enough dark dystopia. I want more penguin with a monocle and a riddler in a green man suit.
I've had enough dark dystopia. I want more penguin with a monocle and a riddler in a green man suit.
Even crazier, there's a company that built a fake town right in the middle of a real town!
https://www.universalstudioslot.com/backlot
https://www.universalstudioslot.com/backlot
Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam has four "metropolitan" (Berlin/Paris/New York/London) streets: https://www.studiobabelsberg.com/en/backlots/metropolitan-ba...
Yep, there are several in LA: Warner has two. Sony has one. Paramount has one. There is one outside the city too.
If you go hiking about four miles into the santa monica mountains, you can visit the M*A*S*H set and see some of the left over trucks and some historical markers.
Yep, that's Paramount Ranch for those interested. There's not much left of it after the last fire that went through there though (Woolsey fire I think it was).
Paramount ranch is different, you can drive there. The mash site you park in the malibu creek recreation area and hike into it. I don’t think it was hit but even if it was the metal trucks would be fine in a grassland fire.
;-)
The Courthouse Square part of that backlot is the same courthouse from Back to the Future, with a different paint job and some aesthetic tweaks so that it can be used in other filming without being distractingly recognizable.
I see those sets constantly and always annoy the wife commenting on them.
It was in the Twilight Zone episode "Where is Everybody?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khvo6TH-DXc
I remember watching it more recently and when he runs down the alley I wondered if he was going to buy that almanac.
It was in the Twilight Zone episode "Where is Everybody?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khvo6TH-DXc
I remember watching it more recently and when he runs down the alley I wondered if he was going to buy that almanac.
Perhaps the most interesting of these is Pioneertown, CA. It's a real fake real town. Built in the 1940's to look like a town from the 1880's, so in that sense it was a fake town. But it was a real town, lived in by mostly movie people. The saloon, when it wasn't used for filming? The actual town bar. Peak population was 500 or so. Many many movies and tv shows filmed there.
I was triggered by the off-center "Police Department" sign, but then realized that it is off center so you can put the town name in front of it. Like "$TOWNNAME Police Department"
They probably should have put that on the next line because now for it to be centered $TOWNNAME is going to be within 7-12 characters to work
Agree -- I would have biased toward a two-line arrangement, with space for the town name on the upper line, centered independent of length, and "Police Department" on the lower.
Ah I wondered where the Jack Reacher TV series was shot, mystery solved.
Ironic the mention of "The Truman Show" town, which is a real place; a town in Florida called (perhaps unimaginatively) Seaside.
https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/northwest/seaside/
https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/northwest/seaside/
I lived across the street from Warner Brothers Ranch. It was surreal to watch a show like the Sarah Connor Chronicles and see a town blow up and look out my window and see the same church steeple. My nightly walk took me past the backyard of the Wanda/Vision home. Apparently I was trapped in the Hex.
Two blocks by one block. So, interesting and impressive. Perhaps 'giant' is hyperbole.
I'm mostly struck by how perfect it looks. No dirt, no dents, no scratches, no rain-streaked windows, no rust. Not like any place I've ever been.
I'm mostly struck by how perfect it looks. No dirt, no dents, no scratches, no rain-streaked windows, no rust. Not like any place I've ever been.
it's bigger than most fake towns built exclusively for filming.
Pioneertown in CA is about 10 blocks by 5.
But yeah, most are much smaller.
But yeah, most are much smaller.
Here it is on google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/Z2cu4zwuYGZTrHhB7
Reminds me of the old Desliu 40 acres backlot, now long gone. There are websites covering the history.
http://retroweb.com/40acres.html
http://retroweb.com/40acres.html
CTRL+F 'hallmark' = No results...?
One would have thought that would be the main location, as dozens (hundreds?) of these have been filmed in Canada. Sets, tons, plots and actors are all generic and interchangable...
One would have thought that would be the main location, as dozens (hundreds?) of these have been filmed in Canada. Sets, tons, plots and actors are all generic and interchangable...
They shoot a bunch of Hallmark xmas movies in my town near Ottawa Canada. There is a half-abandoned strip mall that is now filled with Christmas crap and fake snow. They shot I think 4 movies there last year.
Aha... for some reason I thought they did most of that in the GTA, makes sense though.
VFX Walls and virtual sets like the ones in use @ Narwhal Studios [1] are pretty common now thanks to Unreal Engine 5. Used in productions of The Mandalorian, Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, etc. I think this, combined with outdoor sets like the OP posted about, are the future of movies. Instead of high CGI compositing, do the CGI compositing pre-production and film like you would a normal set.
[1] https://www.narwhalstudios.com
[1] https://www.narwhalstudios.com
Cinecittà, anyone?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinecitt%C3%A0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinecitt%C3%A0
Reminds me a little of the fake resort that the BBC built in Spain for the ill-fated Eldorado soap: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a836856/flop-bbc-soap-eldorado...
I mean, it's always been this way. Eaves Ranch and Old Tucson are popular for westerns, and go back decades.
When I was in Japan recently, we went to the Toei Studios theme park, the center of which is an Edo-era village with half a bridge, and the set of a zillion samurai flicks.
When I was in Japan recently, we went to the Toei Studios theme park, the center of which is an Edo-era village with half a bridge, and the set of a zillion samurai flicks.
On the other extreme, if you ever want to see the actual (charming) city where Brazilian tv and cinema productions portraying the colonial period (16th-19th cent) are filmed, it’s called Tiradentes, in Minas Gerais. Definitely worth a trip if you are in Rio or Sao Paulo.
Fun Fact: Tyler Perry of “Madea” fame built his own studio outside of Atlanta, initially to support his desire to make movies/shows that were harder to sell in Hollywood. It’s 200 acres of diverse sets and backlots including an 80% scaled White House.
> 200 acres
The Atlanta cops and some large Atlanta based companies are building a 80 acre fake town for the police to get trained in urban warfare, right outside of Atlanta.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/06/24/atlanta-cop-ci...
The Atlanta cops and some large Atlanta based companies are building a 80 acre fake town for the police to get trained in urban warfare, right outside of Atlanta.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/06/24/atlanta-cop-ci...
Tyler Perry and his studio system are parodied relentlessly in an episode of the last season of Atlanta and in The Boondocks, these episodes assume one knows about Tyler Perry’s studio.
Interestingly no mention of the giant green walls. Pretty sure those are there for shots that might catch the road leading out to empty space.
I don't think it is that giant. It is basically the downtown of a small town.
I'm pretty sure that's the town in the series Wednesday as well
The town for Wednesday was built in Romania. Almost the entire series was filmed in Romania.
This entire thread is a mine-field of really interesting rabbit holes.
Reminds me of the ending of blazing saddles.
isnt that the back to the future set?
That's on the Universal Studios backlot in Universal City, next to Hollywood.
It's on the tour when they aren't filming other movies there.
Amadeus filmed there too.
It's on the tour when they aren't filming other movies there.
Amadeus filmed there too.
Think they are in the process of tearing down the WB one (christmas vacation, bewitched, partridge family, wandavision, etc) to make room for sound stages.
The universal one is unique if you know what to look for. It pops up in a lot of older TV shows. It is kind of neat to see it in twilight zone before they built some of it out.
There are quite a large number of vids on youtube where people go inside the buildings. Most end up being storage for stuff or setup areas for different productions.
The universal one is unique if you know what to look for. It pops up in a lot of older TV shows. It is kind of neat to see it in twilight zone before they built some of it out.
There are quite a large number of vids on youtube where people go inside the buildings. Most end up being storage for stuff or setup areas for different productions.
> The universal one is unique if you know what to look for. It pops up in a lot of older TV shows.
Recent ones too: https://hiddenremote.com/2018/02/28/travel-good-place-neighb...
Recent ones too: https://hiddenremote.com/2018/02/28/travel-good-place-neighb...
I thought it looked like Hill Valley too
like cinecittà
'giant' is a bit of a stretch for 5 buildings and a small park.
Doesn't it count as 5 blocks, not 5 buildings? https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2023/08/4_Backlot-Drone...
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Looks like the photos were taken before the Gorn attack.
exactly what I thought as well, though I wasn't sure
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Reaction: But building anything resembling a real town, where real people could actually live, is still de facto illegal in Canada.
Building a new town is ridiculously simple. You can buy vast tracts land for pennies and do it today if you want – most of North America is open and available. Canada in fact is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. You don't need permits, heck you don't need any permission at all. In fact there are entire such towns available for purchase.
But that's not what you really want, is it? You want a house in a fancy urban or suburban zip code with good services, schools, weather, parks, restaurants, social life, industry, commerce, transportation... That is going to cost you, because everyone else wants the same.
But that's not what you really want, is it? You want a house in a fancy urban or suburban zip code with good services, schools, weather, parks, restaurants, social life, industry, commerce, transportation... That is going to cost you, because everyone else wants the same.
> You can buy vast tracts land for pennies and...
That sounds remarkably like the just-revealed "Flannery Associates plan" - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-s... .
And still, even with ~50,000 acres and a bunch of billionaires behind them, the media coverage seems to agree that they'll be fighting against regulations and red tape and NIMBYs for years, to actually build anything useful. With success far from assured.
That sounds remarkably like the just-revealed "Flannery Associates plan" - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-s... .
And still, even with ~50,000 acres and a bunch of billionaires behind them, the media coverage seems to agree that they'll be fighting against regulations and red tape and NIMBYs for years, to actually build anything useful. With success far from assured.
Only if it's in the greenbelt. Of course all you need is a few rounds of golf and some Raptors tickets to make it legal for you and your friends.
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This is the same outfit NASA contracted for the moon landing footage!
They have placed a giant fake moon in orbit exclusively for filming moon landings.
Nearby are the old blimp hangers from the remnants of the MCAS Tustin. They've been used for many things (including storing blimps, of all things) in the past several years. But notably germane here, they were used for the lunar set for the mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" (well worth folks time to watch, IMHO).
The interesting part is that partly because the buildings are so big, they were able to tie helium balloons to the actors to mimic the lower lunar gravity. My tinybrain math skills puts those balloons at about 16 ft in diameter (assuming they were a single balloon, I have no idea). Those hangars would have no problem accommodating large balloons like that.
The interesting part is that partly because the buildings are so big, they were able to tie helium balloons to the actors to mimic the lower lunar gravity. My tinybrain math skills puts those balloons at about 16 ft in diameter (assuming they were a single balloon, I have no idea). Those hangars would have no problem accommodating large balloons like that.
"Me and my brother, we hid up in the rafters when we were kids. We seen the whole thing!"
(There's a very good reason for that sort of thing. Most infantry casualties are among soldiers new to combat. Very realistic training means that most noob mistakes happen at a training facility, not in combat. Armies that don't do this have huge casualty rates at first.)
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/its-a...