In 2016, we’ve had the chance to see the first live-action Hollywood movie shot entirely using chrome keying – a technique that places actors in front of an evenly colored surface, usually green, with the visuals of the environment, added later on. It was Disney’s remake of “The Jungle Book”, directed by veteran Jon Favreau with titles like Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens, and Chef on his resume. Newcomer Neel Sethi (Mowgli) had little to no interaction with his co-stars Bill Murray, Sir Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba or Scarlett Johansson: all he had to work with were dummies used mostly to show him where to look and which direction to speak to.
Chroma keying is becoming a method used by a wide range of productions – but it didn’t take the place of on-location filming just yet. Actually, filming crews are routinely flown across half the world to take the perfect exterior shots in a variety of places. And quite often, you – the viewer – are made to believe they represent a completely different place (or era). Here are some places where Hollywood crews are seen quite often.
Monaco one of the favorite place for Hollywood movies shooting
Surprising as it may sound, 2006’s Casino Royale was not shot in the principality of Monaco despite the fact that in the original novel, the Monte Carlo Casino was used as a model for the ominous casino. But 2015’s Spectre, another James Bond movie, was. Actually, there are quite a few multi-million-dollar movies shot in Monte Carlo, including James Bond flick GoldenEye (the very special British agent with a license to kill seems to have a weakness for Monaco), many crime flicks like Ocean’s Twelve, Swordfish, and Daylight Robbery, and a handful of racing features including Grand Prix (1966), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and The Transporter Refueled.
Prague
Prague might be a modern-day state capital but it certainly has the looks of a period piece backdrop – and filmmakers are keen to use it as one. One of the first famous productions to be shot in the Czech Republic’s capital was Milos Forman’s 1984 Amadeus, and it was followed by a long list of other Hollywood films set centuries in the past making use of Prague’s unique architecture and atmosphere.
The list of films shot in Prague is impressive, ranging from action-sci-fi flicks like “Hellboy” to dramas like “The Trial”, action films like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (where it stood in for Moscow), and the archetypal movie for a new generation of spy movies, Triple X, which was shot almost entirely on location in the city.
Budapest
Hungary’s capital city is another go-to location for filming period pieces and beyond. It is a wonderful city filled with landmarks to see and places to explore. And it also has a certain charm that makes it a great place to film. Among others, movie lovers might have seen the city star in movies like “Underworld”, “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army”, “Transporter 3”, “A Good Day to Die Hard”, “Inferno”, and “Blade Runner 2049”.