Birbla

Discussion summary

Vancouver is frequently used as a stand-in for San Francisco and other locations in movies and TV shows due to its versatile scenery and film-friendly policies. Discussions highlight its resemblance to SF, the ability to craft a desired city image, and its use in sci-fi series.

What the discussion says

  • Vancouver's scenery resembles SF and other cities.
  • Film policies make Vancouver attractive for shooting.
  • Vancouver's landscapes are used for sci-fi worlds.
“Vancouver allows you to sell the dream of a wonderful city.”
— comrade1234
“Every alien planet on Stargate SG-1 looked like British Columbia.”
— dreamcompiler

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  • Hacker News
  • You can also tell if something was shot in Canada by all the Canadian actors all over the place. I recognize so many people from X-Files, and so many other shows.
    by mistyvales
  • Also Battlestar Galactica -multiple shots of homes in Vancouver- I remember watching the series and wondering what city was being used for Baltar's house and surroundings because it was so beautiful, futuristic and clean..then I went vistied Vancouver.. its truly a gorgeous city and area

    http://www.battlestarlocations.com/locations-guide/the-minis...

    by AIorNot
  • Tax breaks for filming and it's not SF specific or even cities. Other planets too, like Stargate SG-1 being filmed around Squamish 1 hour away.
    by carabiner
  • Or in the case of Superbad, a film based on Seth Rogen's experiences as a Vancouver teenager in the late 90s, Vancouver is a stand-in for Los Angeles, which is a stand-in for Vancouver.
    by thought_alarm
  • My mother worked in a factory that sewed drapes for film sets before she retired. My brother-in-law used to be an operations manager for a warehouse that rented equipment to film sets.

    There is just a very long tail of services and a robust supply chain that is required for most industries to be successful.

    by pkaler
  • Psych (the TV show) was set in Santa Barbara but filmed in Vancouver. They then did an episode where the plot was that characters all took a trip to British Columbia, which I recall being amusingly meta.
    by topkai22
  • Vancouver always feels like Cities Skyline or SimCity to me, in a good way. That point where you’ve maxed everything out and there’s all sorts going on. You turn a corner and you see a seaplane landing, people cycling, rowing, running, doing yoga in the park, boats going past, etc, etc. Then another corner and you see the mountains, ski resorts with the lights twinkling. In one direction there’s skyscrapers but in another, quaint colourful houses. I love it here.
    by sandcat_
  • One of my favorite YouTube channels, Every Frame a Painting, has a video on this https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ojm74VGsZBU
    by auslegung

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