As proud as New Yorkers are of the shows that film here and employ thousands of actors and crew members, the bulk of television production is done in LA, where studios such as Warner Bros. have permanent outdoor sets — shops, buildings, town squares, even train stations — known as the back lot that guarantee a show doesn’t have to go on location to get exterior shots.
“The back lot is not dead because of financial pressures,” says Ilene S. Landress, executive producer of “Girls” and former executive producer on “The Sopranos.”
Tom Ross, location manager of “Law & Order: SVU,” agrees that the back lot will remain an important part of television and movie production.
“I think there are always going to be films that use back lots because it’s easier and the actors are out there. We have a lot of production in New York, but New York is a tough place. It can be expensive, but it really has the best crews in the business.”
Like many New Yorkers, Brad Adgate, senior vice president and director of research at Horizon Media, thinks what studios save in expenses costs them credibility. “You can walk anywhere in Manhattan and see a film crew and ask what they’re filming, and they’ll say, ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ It’s part of the attraction.”