“Babylon” Directed by Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle, is a period comedy-drama that takes us back to the 1920s when Hollywood was transitioning from silent films to talkies. It follows the rise and fall of various fictional actors and actresses, including Jack Conrad, Nellie LaRoy, and Manuel ‘Manna’ Torres, during a time of peak immorality in the film industry.
Manny, a film assistant who hopes to be an actor, is attracted to another aspiring actress, Nellie. That’s why he pursues her and tries his best to win her heart.
On the other hand, Jack, a silent film actor known for his extravagant parties, throws one of his wildest parties where things get out of control. With so much going on in the film, the audience must be enthralled from start to finish. In addition, stunning background visuals of various locations depicting the 1920s further enhance the narrative. So it’s natural to wonder where the lead actor Brad Pitt’s Babylon was filmed.
Where Was Babylon Movie Filmed?
“Babylon” was filmed entirely in California, particularly in Los Angeles and the Santa Clarita Valley. The original plan of the makers was to start shooting the comedy-drama film in mid-2020, only to have it postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
After several months of delay, principal photography on Margot Robbie’s lead role under the working title “Wild Chickens” began in early July 2021 with strict safety and health protocols in place. The project finally ended in October of the same year.
Since the story is about silent era Hollywood, the team had to do a lot of work to move around, use different locations and build different sets during the production process. They camped out in many mansions and castles, filming party sequences on film stages, in theaters, and behind studio backdrops.
California
Many key sequences for “Babylon” were filmed in Los Angeles, California’s largest city and the country’s second most populous city. The iconic Los Angeles Theater at 615 South Broadway and The Ebell of Los Angeles at 743 South Lucerne Boulevard were two important filming locations in the film. In addition, the filming unit used the Paramount Pictures Studios facility at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Hollywood district.
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The film studio is home to 30 different stages with over 360,000 square feet of stage space, ample mill space, wardrobe cages, and massive facilities to meet the production demands of all types of projects. In addition, several parts of the epic comedy-drama were filmed in and around Wilshire Boulevard.
Production designer Florencia Martin reportedly had a lot on her plate as she had to recreate Los Angeles in the 1920s and replicate the studio experience of that era. To make matters even more complicated, she had to recreate each of the fictional movie scenes in the remodeled studios so that she could also be depicted in the film.
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Additional parts for “Babylon” were shot in the Santa Clarita Valley, part of the upper Santa Clarita River basin in southern California. Specifically, during filming, the cast and crew were spotted filming several key scenes in Piro, an unincorporated historic town in Ventura County.
In addition, some scenes were set around Lake Pire, the area’s main recreational attraction. Finally, sequences involving Jack Conrad’s house were filmed at the former residence of the late William S. Hart at 24151 Newhall Avenue in Santa Clarita.