I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
purpose of this newsgroup:

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set

Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
--
Rhino

On Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:00:44 -0400, Rhino
<no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

>I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>purpose of this newsgroup:
>
>https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>
>Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.

Did they say specifically WHERE in Pickering this place was? I'd guess
it's up near #7 Highway which is the newest part of Pickering.

(I lived there 35 years ago and my firstborn was born in
Pickering-Ajax General Hospital)

On Aug 17, 2023 at 10:00:44 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
wrote:

> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
> purpose of this newsgroup:
>
> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>
> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.

Contrary to popular belief, filming on a backlot is generally cheaper
than real locations, he said.

Who actually believes that? It's hardly a popular belief. It's a belief that
doesn't make sense on its face. Of course shooting on a backlot would be
cheaper than on location. It's just common sense.

"It can be super costly to shut down a whole street for a film shoot,"
Aitia elaborated. "Backlots eliminate the need for permits, scheduling
and coordinating with property owners. "They also save time as there's
less travel time between locations, allowing for more shooting hours
each day."

But the tradeoff is that no matter how hard they try, they can't recreate real
city streets and neighborhoods good enough that you can't tell the difference.
Every time I see a movie or show that used the Warner or Universal backlot, I
can tell immediately. Little things like the curbs on the streets being too
perfect-- no chips and wear and tear in the concrete-- and the streets are way
too clean and perfect. No oil stains or road repair patches. All sorts of
things like that give away a backlot if you look for it. Shooting on location
may be more expensive, but it adds a heightened level of realism.

FYI - This is our fake town where we run all sorts of training scenarios,
everything from attacks on protectees to serving warrants in financial crime
cases. Off to the left, that massive expanse of asphalt is the Protective
Operations Driving School, where you can learn to J-turn an armored limousine
at 80mph. It's paved with a special kind of asphalt that will simulate ice
when it gets wet.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3lb9hhb9z49ojj0xav2cs/JJRTC.png?rlkey=qt4b0knzbvh3avwokvunt68ke&dl=0

On 2023-08-18 1:04 AM, The Horny Goat wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:00:44 -0400, Rhino
> <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>
>> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>> purpose of this newsgroup:
>>
>> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>>
>> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
>
> Did they say specifically WHERE in Pickering this place was? I'd guess
> it's up near #7 Highway which is the newest part of Pickering.
>
Sorry, I wasn't able to read beyond the first few lines because I'm not
a subscriber and I've exhausted my monthly quota of free articles.

> (I lived there 35 years ago and my firstborn was born in
> Pickering-Ajax General Hospital)

--
Rhino

On 2023-08-18 1:47 AM, BTR1701 wrote:
> On Aug 17, 2023 at 10:00:44 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>> purpose of this newsgroup:
>>
>> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>>
>> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
>
> Contrary to popular belief, filming on a backlot is generally cheaper
> than real locations, he said.
>
> Who actually believes that? It's hardly a popular belief. It's a belief that
> doesn't make sense on its face. Of course shooting on a backlot would be
> cheaper than on location. It's just common sense.

Agreed.
>
> "It can be super costly to shut down a whole street for a film shoot,"
> Aitia elaborated. "Backlots eliminate the need for permits, scheduling
> and coordinating with property owners. "They also save time as there's
> less travel time between locations, allowing for more shooting hours
> each day."
>
> But the tradeoff is that no matter how hard they try, they can't recreate real
> city streets and neighborhoods good enough that you can't tell the difference.
> Every time I see a movie or show that used the Warner or Universal backlot, I
> can tell immediately. Little things like the curbs on the streets being too
> perfect-- no chips and wear and tear in the concrete-- and the streets are way
> too clean and perfect. No oil stains or road repair patches. All sorts of
> things like that give away a backlot if you look for it. Shooting on location
> may be more expensive, but it adds a heightened level of realism.
>
It also avoids the phenomenon of the audience actually recognizing
buildings or a specific block because they've seen it before in other
movies, possibly even many movies. For instance, I saw the buildings
from the street scenes in "A Piece of the Action" in at least two or
three other shows/films over the years.

I even recognized one of the rocks in Kirk's battle with the Gorn in
something else many years later because it was so distinctive.

> FYI - This is our fake town where we run all sorts of training scenarios,
> everything from attacks on protectees to serving warrants in financial crime
> cases. Off to the left, that massive expanse of asphalt is the Protective
> Operations Driving School, where you can learn to J-turn an armored limousine
> at 80mph. It's paved with a special kind of asphalt that will simulate ice
> when it gets wet.
>
>
> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3lb9hhb9z49ojj0xav2cs/JJRTC.png?rlkey=qt4b0knzbvh3avwokvunt68ke&dl=0
>
>
I remember seeing much more of your fake town in that news feature about
the reporter who got several days worth of real USSS training - although
not the hardest parts - and then participated in some real training
exercises.
--
Rhino

On Aug 18, 2023 at 5:09:01 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
wrote:

> On 2023-08-18 1:47 AM, BTR1701 wrote:
>> On Aug 17, 2023 at 10:00:44 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>>> purpose of this newsgroup:
>>>
>>> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>>>
>>> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
>>
>> Contrary to popular belief, filming on a backlot is generally cheaper
>> than real locations, he said.
>>
>> Who actually believes that? It's hardly a popular belief. It's a belief that
>> doesn't make sense on its face. Of course shooting on a backlot would be
>> cheaper than on location. It's just common sense.
>
> Agreed.
>>
>> "It can be super costly to shut down a whole street for a film shoot,"
>> Aitia elaborated. "Backlots eliminate the need for permits, scheduling
>> and coordinating with property owners. "They also save time as there's
>> less travel time between locations, allowing for more shooting hours
>> each day."
>>
>> But the tradeoff is that no matter how hard they try, they can't recreate
>> real
>> city streets and neighborhoods good enough that you can't tell the
>> difference.
>> Every time I see a movie or show that used the Warner or Universal backlot,
>> I
>> can tell immediately. Little things like the curbs on the streets being too
>> perfect-- no chips and wear and tear in the concrete-- and the streets are
>> way
>> too clean and perfect. No oil stains or road repair patches. All sorts of
>> things like that give away a backlot if you look for it. Shooting on
>> location
>> may be more expensive, but it adds a heightened level of realism.
>>
> It also avoids the phenomenon of the audience actually recognizing
> buildings or a specific block because they've seen it before in other
> movies, possibly even many movies. For instance, I saw the buildings
> from the street scenes in "A Piece of the Action" in at least two or
> three other shows/films over the years.
>
> I even recognized one of the rocks in Kirk's battle with the Gorn in
> something else many years later because it was so distinctive.

You mean Vazquez Rocks! I just did some photographing of my car up there last
month for a 4Runner group I belong to:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2y2e5k1vpntz31cipp23f/Vazquez.png?rlkey=ek6ztfy60sw1nigrq9h87rx0c&dl=0

That scenery has been in a lot more than just the Gorn episode. It was a
frequent setting for dozens of old westerns and other sci-fi shows and movies
like the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, AUSTIN POWERS, BLAZING SADDLES, GALAXY
QUEST, JOHN CARTER, THE MUPPET MOVIE, ONE MILLION B.C., PLANET OF THE APES
(2001), SHORT CIRCUIT, STAR TREK (2009), STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, STAR TREK
IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Plus dozens of car and truck commercials over the years.

On Fri, 18 Aug 2023 07:55:53 -0400, Rhino
<no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

>On 2023-08-18 1:04 AM, The Horny Goat wrote:
>> On Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:00:44 -0400, Rhino
>> <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>>> purpose of this newsgroup:
>>>
>>> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>>>
>>> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
>>
>> Did they say specifically WHERE in Pickering this place was? I'd guess
>> it's up near #7 Highway which is the newest part of Pickering.
>>
>Sorry, I wasn't able to read beyond the first few lines because I'm not
>a subscriber and I've exhausted my monthly quota of free articles.
>
>> (I lived there 35 years ago and my firstborn was born in
>> Pickering-Ajax General Hospital)

Guess I'll have to try it myself since the Vancouver Sun (previously
Canada's biggest paper west of Toronto - I'm a subscriber) now
includes a National Post section each day.

BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
> On Aug 18, 2023 at 5:09:01 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
wrote:
>
>> On 2023-08-18 1:47 AM, BTR1701 wrote:
>>> On Aug 17, 2023 at 10:00:44 AM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I just saw this article and thought you might be interested given the
>>>> purpose of this newsgroup:
>>>>
>>>> https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/fake-town-pickering-film-set
>>>>
>>>> Pickering is an eastern suburb of Toronto.
>>>
>>> Contrary to popular belief, filming on a backlot is generally cheaper
>>> than real locations, he said.
>>>
>>> Who actually believes that? It's hardly a popular belief. It's a belief that
>>> doesn't make sense on its face. Of course shooting on a backlot would be
>>> cheaper than on location. It's just common sense.
>>
>> Agreed.
>>>
>>> "It can be super costly to shut down a whole street for a film shoot,"
>>> Aitia elaborated. "Backlots eliminate the need for permits, scheduling
>>> and coordinating with property owners. "They also save time as there's
>>> less travel time between locations, allowing for more shooting hours
>>> each day."
>>>
>>> But the tradeoff is that no matter how hard they try, they can't recreate
>> real
>>> city streets and neighborhoods good enough that you can't tell the
>> difference.
>>> Every time I see a movie or show that used the Warner or Universal backlot,
>> I
>>> can tell immediately. Little things like the curbs on the streets being too
>>> perfect-- no chips and wear and tear in the concrete-- and the streets are
>> way
>>> too clean and perfect. No oil stains or road repair patches. All sorts of
>>> things like that give away a backlot if you look for it. Shooting on
>> location
>>> may be more expensive, but it adds a heightened level of realism.
>>>
>> It also avoids the phenomenon of the audience actually recognizing
>> buildings or a specific block because they've seen it before in other
>> movies, possibly even many movies. For instance, I saw the buildings
>> from the street scenes in "A Piece of the Action" in at least two or
>> three other shows/films over the years.
>>
>> I even recognized one of the rocks in Kirk's battle with the Gorn in
>> something else many years later because it was so distinctive.
>
> You mean Vazquez Rocks! I just did some photographing of my car up there last
month for a 4Runner group I belong to:
>
>
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2y2e5k1vpntz31cipp23f/Vazquez.png?rlkey=ek6ztfy60sw1nigrq9h87rx0c&dl=0
>
> That scenery has been in a lot more than just the Gorn episode. It was a
frequent setting for dozens of old westerns and other sci-fi shows and
movies
like the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, AUSTIN POWERS, BLAZING SADDLES,
GALAXY
QUEST, JOHN CARTER, THE MUPPET MOVIE, ONE MILLION B.C., PLANET OF THE APES
(2001), SHORT CIRCUIT, STAR TREK (2009), STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, STAR TREK
IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
>
> Plus dozens of car and truck commercials over the years.
>

Let us not forget the tales of the Bengal Lancers

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.