Film Locations Lure Curious Movie-goers

By Author: Carolyn Clayton
Total Articles: 130
Comment this article

A screenplay is often born inside the mind of a writer who has no idea where it will be filmed. He dreams up settings, then has to find film locations to suit his imaginary worlds. Even though many backdrops can be created with computers and sound stages, live sets are necessary to accommodate some of the action.

Finding these locations is the job of a team which locates cities, fields, and seascapes that look right for each scene of a film. Movie crews move into a town and take over whole streets or houses. When they move out, tourists move in. It might take a while, but once a show is seen on the big screen, audiences become curious about where the film was shot.

They often want to walk in the footsteps of their favorite actors. Tourists will visit sites independently, or they can book holiday packages with tour guides. A guide enriches a holiday experience by offering interesting background information.

Some of the best-known movie settings are ordinary places. These include diners, restaurants, and whole city blocks. Viewers could be living just a few miles from somewhere that was used as a movie set ...
... and not even know that stunt drivers filmed car chases along them to create an adrenaline-packed chase scene. Meanwhile, certain films are many decades old and have not yet been discovered by a young generation of film-goers.

Bridget Jones, Nottinghill, and Harry Potter were all filmed along British Streets. Lord of the Rings was largely filmed in New Zealand. A number of historical stories have relied upon existing stately homes and castles for a number of exterior and interior shots because these retain their aged appearance in the face of modernization, making them ideal for Victorian, Regency, or Elizabethan time-periods.

Sometimes, one location will stand-in for another. A film budget is much easier to stay within if scouts can find resemblances between areas where they are already filming and the authentic neighborhood overseas. This is especially easy if the scenery is wild, like cliff tops over a churning sea, or a generic meadow.

Trading one site for another is not always easy. Death on the Nile had to take place somewhere in Egypt since there is nowhere else with quite the same kinds of giant monuments. Meanwhile, places like New York and Hollywood are common settings for films. There is a good chance that a tourist could be standing around on a much-filmed street corner without even realizing it.
For more information on going on a London Movie Locations why not check out Brit Movie tours who offer are a London based tour company offering many other London film Locations tours. You can also buy a Gift Certificate which would make a great gift idea for film fans.