History Main / HeyItsThatPlace

* The former Unocal building, now part of [[http://www.lacenterstudios.com/index1.html Los Angeles Center Studios]]. The lobby and some other interior spaces are available for filming, and you might recognise them from [[http://www.hollywoodlocations.com/property_details.cfm?pID=571&catID=24&startrow=1&pagenum=1 these photos]]. (''Series/{{Alias}}'', ''Series/TheBoys2019'', ''Series/ColdCase'', ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'', ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', ''Series/MadMen'', ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture'', early commercials for ''Series/{{Life|2007}}'', even a '''California tourism commercial''' of all things).

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandeis-Bardin_Institute#Filming_locations The Brandeis-Bardin Institute library]], also known as the House of the Book; featured once in ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' and once in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' ("Descent"), and served as the visual for the exterior of the command center/power chamber in ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. As well as several commercials and a movie nobody has ever heard of.

** And the Music/{{Genesis|Band}} music video for the song [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1zzdh_genesis-tonight-tonight-tonight_music "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight"]].

* If a scene in a movie or TV show is set in a cafe, odds are better than good it will be shot at [[http://niketalk.com/t/518898/quality-cafe-in-downtown-los-angeles-every-cafe-in-almost-every-film-ever The Quality Cafe]], an out-of-business cafe that's used exclusively for movie and TV shoots.

** This is actually a follow up to an earlier article, [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20173_6-places-youll-recognize-from-background-every-movie.html 6 Places You'll Recognize from the Background of Every Movie]], which features The Quality Cafe, Graystone Manor, the Bradbury and Monument Valley.

* Commercials or films that need a busy train station lobby or other busy public area often shoot at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Los_Angeles) Los Angeles Union Station]]. The old ticket lobby is no longer in use, so it's a frequent filming and event space.
* Long Beach State's college basketball arena, [[https://longbeachstate.com/sports/2018/7/31/sports-facilities-spec-rel-15-walter-pyramid-html.aspx The Walter Pyramid]], frequently appears in TV shows and commercials depicting basketball games, because it's in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_zone Thirty Mile Zone]] and looks like a big arena on the inside (even though it only has 4,000 seats). The unique ceiling design makes it immediately recognizable.

* There's a [[https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2293 [=McDonald's=] in City of Industry, CA]], that exists only to be used for shooting [=McDonald's=] commercials. Renovated and rebuilt many times over the years so it matches the latest exterior designs used by the company, it is not open to the public and does not actually serve customers, but has appeared in every single [=McDonald's=] television commercial for decades.

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe 30 St Mary Axe]], affectionately known as the Gherkin, is popular when the script calls for a contemporary-style European Skyscraper. Previously, it was the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_Building Lloyd's of London building]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Vancouver_Library_Square_July_2004.jpg Library Square]] (''Film/BallisticEcksVsSever'', ''Battlestar Galactica'', ''Series/BionicWoman'', unaired ''ComicBook/GlobalFrequency'' pilot)

* {{Toku}}satsu fans are familiar with quite a few locations in Japan that seem to be used every year, no matter what the series. This practice goes back to the original ''Series/KamenRider'', which prided itself on picking outdoor locations like dams, quarries and coasts for elaborate fight scenes. A comprehensive list of recurring locations from Creator/{{Toei}} series can be found [[https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2019/11/tokusatsu-filming-locations/ here]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters_Building 55 Central Park West]], otherwise known as the ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' Building. Note that it's not as tall as the film makes it out to be (or has a super-conductive paranormal antenna/pagan temple on the roof).

* The castle of Pierrefonds, known best now for playing Camelot in ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', also appeared in several other shows and movies-one example was as an Italian castle in ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' episode "Star-Crossed". Long before that, at least five {{swashbuckler}} movies starring Creator/JeanMarais (''The Eagle with two Heads'', ''Film/{{Le Bossu|1959}}'', ''Film/LeCapitan'', ''Film/TheMiracleOfTheWolves'' and ''Peau d'Âne'') were shot there. And also ''Film/GrampsIsInTheResistance''.

* The castle of Pierrefonds, known best now for playing Camelot in ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', also appeared in several other shows and movies-one example was as an Italian castle in ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' episode "Star-Crossed". Long before that, at least five {{swashbuckler}} movies starring Creator/JeanMarais (''The Eagle with two Heads'', ''Film/{{Le Bossu|1959}}'', ''Film/LeCapitan'', ''Film/TheMiracleOfTheWolves'' and ''Peau d'Âne'') were shot there.

[[folder:Los Angeles and California]]

[[folder:Vancouver (Stargate City)]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ontario]]

SubTrope of CaliforniaDoubling. KirksRock might be the single most-used That Place in American television, with BronsonCanyonAndCaves and DownLADrain as other very famous locales. The various {{BBC Quarr|y}}ies serve a similar role in the UK. See also RecycledSet.

* The coastal castle Fort la Latte, or Castle of the Rock Goyon, in the Côtes d'Armor department of the Brittany region, was used for 1931's ''Le parfum de la dame en noir'', ''Film/TheVikings'', ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1961}}'' (1961), ''Lancelot du Lac'' (1970), the series ''L'Épervier'' and the 2023 French version of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers''.

* The département of Dordogne is exceptionally well suited for {{Period Piece}}s set in either TheMiddleAges or TheCavalierYears with all its preserved castles, old churches and abbeys, medieval towns and forests.

* The castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte is often used when Versailles is not available [[note]]appropriately enough, its first owner Nicolas Fouquet threw parties that rivaled those of King UsefulNotes/LouisXIV, which played a role in his downfall among other things[[/note]] as far as quintessential French 17th-18th century places are concerned, or really just to play its own role sometimes. Things that were filmed there include ''Film/TheMarriedCoupleOfTheYearTwo'', ''Film/DelusionsOfGrandeur'' (where it {{California Doubl|ing}}ed as a Spanish castle), ''Que la fête commence'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' (where it is a French castle displaced in California stone by stone, no less), ''Film/{{Valmont}}'', ''Film/RevengeOfTheMusketeers'', ''The King's Alley'', ''Marquise'', ''Film/{{Ridicule}}'', ''Film/TheManInTheIronMask'', ''[[Film/LesVisiteurs Les Visiteurs II: The Corridors of Time]]'', ''The King Dances'', ''Vatel'', ''Film/BrotherhoodOfTheWolf'', ''Film/{{Vidocq}}'', ''Series/{{Napoleon}}'', ''Film/MarieAntoinette2006'', ''The Evasion of Louis XVI'', ''Le Roi, l'Écureuil et la Couleuvre'' (about its former owner Fouquet, precisely), ''Film/TheEmperorOfParis'' and ''Series/MarieAntoinette2022'', among many others.

*** The disused Aldwych station was regularly used for filming even before its closure as it had a peak hours only service on weekdays - scenes in ''Film/BattleOfBritain'' and ''Film/DeathLine'' were filmed there. Since it closed in 1994, Aldwych has been commonly used for filming period Underground scenes - among them ''Film/VForVendetta'', ''The Edge of Love'' and ''[[Film/DarkestHour2017 Darkest Hour]]''.

** Away from the Whoniverse, but still in Wales...
*** The countryside around Beddgelert in Snowdonia National Park doubled as China in ''Film/TheInnOfTheSixthHappiness'' and ''[[Film/LaraCroftTombRaider Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life]]''.
*** Pembroke Castle has appeared in ''Film/TheLionInWinter'', the [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] adaptation of ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'' and ''Film/TheBadEducationMovie''.

* The Lions, a twin-peaked mountain north of the city (''Film/RumbleInTheBronx'', ''Series/MacGyver1985'', ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'', ''Series/IronChef'''s Canadian contestant).

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronson_Canyon Bronson Canyon]]

* The Craven Estate in Pasadena, owned by the [[UsefulNotes/TheRedCross American Red Cross]], was used as the headquarters building in ''Series/{{JAG}}''. It has also been used for many other series like ''Series/TwentyFour'', ''Series/{{Bones}}'', ''Series/CommanderInChief'', ''Series/JudgingAmy''; and movies like ''Film/EnemyOfTheState'', ''[[Film/RushHour Rush Hour 3]]'', ''Film/{{Swordfish}}'' and ''Film/{{Traffic}}''.

** The store where the clerk asks for "more" (teeth, skin) from smokers in the "Truth" anti-smoking [=PSAs=] does not have the official Circus Liquor sign, but it is '''''extremely''''' similar (same clown, but it says "Jiffy" on the drum instead of "Circus Liquor"). It's likely the owners didn't want to be associated with Truth's [[WereStillRelevantDammit infamous]] [=PSAs=].

* The castle of Chantilly right North of UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} in the Oise departement has been used for ''Film/LeGentlemanDEpsom'', ''Film/TheLongestDay'', ''Film/AViewToAKill'', ''ComicBook/MichelVaillant'', Beaumarchais and ''Film/FarewellMyQueen'', among others. Its world-renowned horce race facilities are also used sometimes (most famously in ''A View to a Kill'').

* Eddie's kitchen on ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous'' eventually became the [[InsistentTerminology joke/gift shop]] in ''Series/{{Miranda}}''.

* The [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Los_Angeles_River_Bridge_B%26W.jpg concrete ditch]] surrounding the Los Angeles River (''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', ''Boomtown'', ''Series/TwentyFour'', ''Film/TheItalianJob2003'', ''Film/PointBlank'', ''Film/{{Grease}}''... Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_River#Entertainment_setting extensive list]]). There's [[DownLADrain an entry here]] as well.

* The fortified medieval city of Carcassonne (which also gave its name to a [[TabletopGame/Carcassonne tabletop game]]) in the Southern département of Aude is one of the most remarkable of its kind. Films that had scene shot there include ''Film/TheMiracleOfTheWolves'', ''Film/TheSucker'', 1968's ''Theatre/TheLionInWinter'', ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', ''Film/LesVisiteurs'', ''Film/TheMusketeer'' and many others.

* The castle of Pierrefonds, known best now for playing Camelot in ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', also appeared in several other shows and movies-one example was as an Italian castle in ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' episode "Star-Crossed". Long before that, at least five {{swashbuckler}} movies starring Creator/JeanMarais (''The Eagle with two Heads'', ''Film/{{Le Bossu|1959}}'', ''Film/LeCapitan'', ''Le Miracle des Loups'' and ''Peau d'Âne'') were shot there.

** Walthamstow Town Hall and the neighbouring Assembly Hall are London’s stock location for a large inter-war building due to the art deco exterior and surviving 1930s interiors. Notable appearances include many different fictional locations in ''Series/{{Poirot}}'', the exterior of the hotel in ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' series two part six, and the exterior of the Reichskanzlerei and the Nazi nightclub in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E8LetsKillHitler Let's Kill Hitler]]". Many recordings of classical music have been made here as well.

SubTrope of CaliforniaDoubling. KirksRock might be the single most-used That Place in American television, with DownLADrain as another very famous local. The various {{BBC Quarr|y}}ies serve a similar role in the UK. See also RecycledSet.

** ''Film/{{Red}}'' may well take the prize here, for it had Toronto double for ''several'' cities (Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Washington DC).

** And the Music/{{Genesis}} music video for the song [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1zzdh_genesis-tonight-tonight-tonight_music "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight"]].