Los Angeles film locations have made countless appearances in films and TV episodes. Downtown L.A.’s City Hall, Union Station, Millennium Biltmore Hotel and the Bradbury Building have had starring roles for decades. Historic Hollywood locations include landmarks such as Yamashiro Restaurant and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. L.A.’s natural landscape provides numerous locations. Whether it’s Santa Monica beach for Baywatch or Vasquez Rocks as seen in Star Trek, L.A. has been the home. Legendary studios where blockbusters and hit TV shows have been filmed, L.A. is their home. Must-sees for fans are tours of Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures. A sure way to get on TV is to attend a taping of any live show at a major network studio.
Los Angeles was home to one of the oldest defense company’s named Rockwell. This was where the Apollo satellite, which went on a mission to the moon, was built along with so many of the Space Shuttle’s components. This property once housed the Rockwell/Boeing/NASA Defense plant and is located in Downey, CA. With a space of 160 acres and sitting on the Bellflower and Imperial highway, this plant has a rich past.
The 2002 blockbuster “Superman” was shot here. A replica of the Times Square was erected and the “World Unity Festival” was in full swing when Spiderman battled the Green Goblin.
The action seems to be in Los Angeles, and we are at the center of it. Many such movie locations are strewn across Los Angeles. A drive thru Los Angeles would reveal many Los Angeles film locations you may have seen in a movie or a soap opera. Many Los Angeles film locations are used in several films and are featured in some of the most famous movies.
Some famous Los Angeles Film locations
- Las Palmos Hotel – Known famously as “The Pretty Woman Hotel”. Julia Roberts lived there before being rescued by Richard Gere in the movie “Pretty Woman”.
- Park Hyatt Hotel – The movies “Pacific Heights” and “Lethal Weapon 2” were shot here.
How To Watch Live Film Shoots in Los Angeles?
LA Film Location shooting go on all through the year. Almost any day of the year, one can see scores of film crews out on the streets of Los Angeles and Hollywood in the process of shooting scenes for motion pictures, commercials, TV shows or music videos. You could stop and watch the action, if you knew where the crews were shooting. If you are lucky enough, you may get to see your favorite stars in person.
This was possible a few years back, since all Los Angeles Film Location shooting needed permits from The Los Angeles Film Permit Office. This office published shoot sheets on a daily basis and was available to public for a nominal fee. All this however changed after the unfortunate 9/11 attacks. These days, even Hollywood is scared of terrorism.
Without the shoot sheets, one can still drive around LA and find at least two or three film locations where shooting is in progress.