CGI technology is in vogue and how. Looking around, you would find closed sound stage productions everywhere. And frankly speaking, there are no alternatives for these. Movie makers know the importance of spending considerable time scouting for locations.
After all, the places selected should complement and justify the script, or else the purpose of the story gets defeated. Here’s a list of some of the most famous and vital Hollywood filming locations that created quite a stir throughout the world, which you can think of visiting this Christmas.
Hanapepe Valley, Kauai, Hawaii – Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg, the legend who recreated the world of dinosaurs on screen, shot parts of this iconic motion picture on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. If you remember the scenes where the waterfalls -Manawaiopuna falls (better known as Jurassic Falls) or helicopter rides were seen; these were based in the picturesque Hanapepe Valley near the Na Pali Coast. Unfortunately, few of the locations on the island stood inaccessible to common tourists, but helicopter rides could be availed.
As a result, most interested tourists could land on these secluded falls and take vivid captures. Kauai stays a private island among many others in Hawaii, where 80% of the land is not inhabited by human beings. The area has a very humid climate, which also facilitates the abundance of green rainforests.
Matamata, New Zealand – Lord of the Rings
JR Tolkien perhaps never thought that the Lord of the Rings movies filmed in New Zealand would have been a spectacle throughout the globe. The sets used in the trilogies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit for Hobbiton in the Shire stay exactly the way it is outside the country’s rural village called Matamata.
Located in the Waikato region in North Island, this filming location can make anyone move to the Middle Earth. Replete with tiny houses, homemade gardens having trimmed hedges, and the little pub at the Green Dragon; the place is bound to make you feel heavenly. By the way, don’t forget to check out the Bilbo Baggins’ House at the Bag End!
Savannah, USA – Forrest Gump
If this film didn’t tug at your heartstrings, then it’s unknown what would have anyway! The narrative that moved the toughest of people showcases a protagonist who recounts his early years, seated on a bench at a certain bus stop. This bench at Chippewa Square, in Savannah, Georgia, is the perfect place to get an idea of American history, at least from the perspective of Forrest Gump.
Few movies of Hollywood and the filming locations there were also featured in this world-renowned cinema. You would love the locales of North and South Carolina and Virginia that have been shown vividly here.
Christ Church College, Oxford, UK – Harry Potter
The world of magic is incomplete without Hogwarts, which might propel you to visit Potterworld! Traveling to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is an image that you can never get tired of.
While filming, it was the Christ College in Oxford that was used to make the fictional stone staircases of the school. Also, the dining hall design worked as the inspiration behind the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Not to forget, the exterior shots of the Cathedral were gathered in large numbers to show the real essence of Hogwarts.
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey – Argo
Turkey’s Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest markets in the world and is still functional. This place was well covered in the Oscar-winning film Argo by Ben Affleck. Despite the movie set in proper Iran, the filmmakers chose this chaotic and colorful market, for they required the natural crowd on the streets of Istanbul.
Iran wasn’t the perfect place to shoot, which made the camera persons select this place. Not many people know this, but as a chosen Hollywood filming location, it might augment the desire to visit a place that houses the first-ever shopping mall.
If you’re already bit by the travel bug reading these, you’ll be glad to know there are more than you can explore this Christmas and keep your adventures going. In fact, your travel story will be one of the bests that you can flaunt!
