‘Gattaca’ is a fictional drama about a “genetically inferior” man named Vincent Freeman who strives to fulfill his lifelong dream of space travel due to widespread genetic discrimination in the future society. His sense of hopelessness and his determination to get ahead with his goal caused him to relinquish his prerogative to the spirit realm.
The 1997 movie stars are big names, including Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Xander Berkeley, and Gore Vidal, who are offering great concerts in the future.
The science-fiction movie contains an impressive backdrop with enough futures to make the audience wonder about the places used to match the theme with the ‘Gattaca’ setting. Well, you can stop wondering because we are here to give you all the facts you need about the recording sites used in this movie!
Where Was Gattaca Thriller Movie Filmed?
One large area was used to record the entire movie – California. The filming of the movie took place in different parts of California for the use of different parts of the city and to accurately capture the backgrounds of the movie, which will be set in the future.
In addition to the recording studios, the unique use of colors also played a key role in giving the movie a more modern and contemporary feel.
The filming of the movie “Gattaca” took place from April 22, 1996, to July 16 of the same year. To support future themes in science fiction films, future cars based on 60s car models such as the Studebaker Avanti, Citroen DS19, and Rover P6 were used. Over the years, California has been used as a studio for several movies such as ‘Free Guy’ and ‘Ghostbusters’.
California
Located in Northern California, San Rafael was one of the many sites used for the recording of ‘Gattaca’. The famous Marin County Civic Center located at 3501 Civic Center Drive, between North San Pedro Road and Avenue of the Flags, was used as the capital of Gattaca, a spatial exploration agency, where many external and internal photographs were taken.
Pomona, a city located in Los Angeles County, California, was used for a series of shootings involving the exterior of Vincent’s apartment, most notably the CLA Building on the California State Polytechnic University campus, at 3801 West Temple Avenue.
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Inglewood is another town in the region, where several scenes were recorded. Several photographs of the movie DNA testing center were taken near The Forum located at 3900 West Manchester Boulevard.
A few scenes in ‘Gattaca’ use Barstow, a town in San Bernardino County, California, as their backyard to add some variation to a particular movie sequence. Various antiques were shot in the area, such as ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ and ‘Lost Highway.
The production team also visited Marin County to record a few scenes. The panoramic landscape of Marin County, located in Northern California, was used as a movie theater to movie various scenes from a dystopian science fiction movie. Movies like ‘Jurrasic World’ and ‘American Graffiti’ have also used this production platform.
Of all the recording studios used in California, Los Angeles was the city where most of the series was shot. The scene in which Irene revealed to Jerome her heart condition was filmed at Sepulveda Dam, located in Encino. Los Angeles City Hall at 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, is another venue used to record some scenes, including a twelve-finger piano concert.
The location where Irene and Vincent were stationed at a police checkpoint in the tunnel and had their DNA tested on their day was shot using the back of the 2nd Street Tunnel between Hill and Figueroa. The Fancy Hall shown in the movie mid-date between Irene and Vincent interrupted by a police raid was recorded at the Los Angeles Theater at 615 South Broadway in Downtown.
Outside of all these places in Los Angeles, the Otis College of Art and Design at 9045 Lincoln Boulevard is another site used to record parking scenes, including the one where Anton parked his car outside a police building after discovering that the killer had been apprehended.
A few elementary and middle school scenes featured in ‘Gattaca’ were filmed at Culver City High School located at 4401 Elanda Street. It was only necessary for the staff to use the real school to shoot the school sequence as it made the movie look very realistic, albeit set for the future.
The solar power station where Irene took Vincent to see the sunrise together after their shooting day at Kramer Junction, Solar Electric Generating Station on Pipeline Road, Boron. The different colors of the sunset and the solar channel at the scene create an unusual sequence. “Gattaca.”