MOVIES

On Location

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

The Santa Ynez Valley reposes in Santa Barbara County between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The 2004 film Sideways was shot on location here and prompted a surge in tourism to the area that continues to this day.

For more than a century,

with California as a backdrop, movie-making master illusionists have influenced attitudes, shaped perceptions and fashion globally through memorable quotes such as, “Just one word…plastics” from The Graduate (1967) to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s line in The Terminator (1984), “I’ll be back.” Inspired by the Golden State’s striking landscapes, multidimensional culture and laid-back lifestyle, filmmakers have created a breathless diversity of movies representing the human condition.

Film Locations by the Hundreds

So many movies have been filmed in California that cottage industries have cropped up guiding tourists to film locations. There are hundreds of places to visit in Hollywood and greater Los Angeles, the cradle of the movie business. One of the better-kept secrets is Greystone Mansion and Park in Beverly Hills, which sits on 16 acres and is the setting for dozens of movies, including Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), The Social Network (2010), the Spiderman series (20022007) and X-men (2000). Go back in time and get a taste of Los Angeles as evoked in La La Land (2016) where the film was shot in 48 locations including Angels Flight Railway, Grand Central Market, Watts Tower and the Colorado Street Bridge.