Back Lot

Back Lot

noun | Production

The outdoor area of a studio facility located behind or adjacent to the soundstages, containing permanent or semi-permanent exterior set constructions, open land available for set building, and controlled outdoor filming space. A back lot bridges the gap between the fully controlled interior environment of a soundstage and the uncontrolled authenticity of a real location. It provides outdoor filming space within the managed security and infrastructure of a studio facility.

Quick Reference

The Explanation: How & Why

A production designer walks onto a back lot and sees something a location scout cannot offer: a street that can be dressed as 1940s London on Monday and 1970s New York on Wednesday, with no permits, no traffic control, and no public access. That is the core value proposition of the back lot. It occupies a practical middle ground between soundstage and location shooting, offering the controlled access and studio infrastructure of a soundstage while providing outdoor filming space for scenes that require exterior environments, natural light, or open-air scale that a soundstage cannot accommodate.

Major studio back lots contain a range of permanent constructions. Standing sets are permanent exterior facades of building types that appear frequently in film and television: a city street, a Western town, a small-town main street, period domestic exteriors. These standing sets can be dressed, repainted, and modified to represent different specific locations across multiple productions. Universal Studios' New York Street back lot, the period streets at Pinewood, and Warner Bros.' standing New York exterior sets are among the most used back lot environments in cinema history.

Open land provides large areas of cleared outdoor space where sets can be constructed and struck as needed. A production requiring an outdoor environment not covered by standing sets can build a temporary set on this open land within the studio's infrastructure. Water tanks are included on some studio back lots for filming ocean, river, or lake scenes. Pinewood Studios' famous 800,000-gallon outdoor tank and underwater stage have been used for countless water-based productions. Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden offers a 100-acre back lot with a clear horizon and one of the largest heated underwater filming tanks in Europe.

The back lot's primary advantage over a real location is control. A back lot is owned and managed by the studio. Access is completely controlled. There are no members of the public, no competing businesses, and no noise from adjacent uses that the production cannot manage. The studio's electrical infrastructure is nearby, reducing generator requirements. Equipment and crew can move efficiently between the back lot and adjacent soundstages. As Variety reported in 2025, the Apple TV+ series The Studio shot extensively on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, using the back lot's New York street set and a wooded area called "The Jungle" (disguised with evergreens and snow) for a mountain cabin scene.

Historical Context & Origin

The back lot was a defining feature of the classical Hollywood studio system. The major studios of the 1930s to 1960s (MGM, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, RKO) maintained extensive back lots with permanent standing sets representing every environment their productions regularly required. MGM's back lot at its peak covered 167 acres and contained streets, buildings, lakes, jungles, European villages, and period city environments that were used and reused across hundreds of productions. The economics were straightforward: a permanent set costs money to build and maintain but produces a return across every production that uses it. The decline of the studio system from the 1960s onward led to the selling of many back lot properties for real estate development. MGM sold most of its back lot in the 1970s. Contemporary studio back lots are smaller but remain in active use, and streaming-driven production demand has created renewed interest in new studio facility construction worldwide. Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK now operates 30 sound stages across a 200-acre site with a 100-acre back lot, hosting productions including Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) and the HBO Harry Potter series.

How It's Used in Practice

Scenario 1 - Standing Set Use (Production Designer / Director): A period drama requires exterior Victorian street scenes. Rather than finding and closing a real period street (requiring extensive permits, traffic management, and public control), the production designer dresses the studio's permanent Victorian street back lot set. The studio infrastructure allows overnight set dressing without the logistics of a real location. The director shoots the exterior scenes over two back lot days at $25,000 per day for the lot rental, compared to $40,000-plus for a comparable location day with permits and street closures.

Scenario 2 - Back Lot Construction (Art Director): A production needs an exterior farmyard environment for three shooting days. The art director builds a temporary farmyard set on open land at the back of the studio lot. The set is constructed in two weeks, shot over three days, and struck in one day. The total cost is $45,000, comparable to finding and dressing a real farm location, but the controlled environment saved two days of location logistics. The studio's electrical tie-in points provide power without a generator.

Scenario 3 - Weather Day (1st AD): An exterior location day is rained out. The production moves to a pre-prepared back lot alternative: a scene that was originally scheduled for the back lot is moved forward, and the rained-out location scene is pushed to a weather-permitting slot later in the schedule. The back lot day proceeds in the rain because the covered studio access allows equipment to be kept dry between setups. The 1st AD coordinates the schedule change via a phone call to the studio lot office, not a location manager.

Usage Examples in Sentences

"The exterior street scenes are back lot. We are using the period street set and dressing it for 1940s London."

"The back lot gives us outdoor space with studio infrastructure. We can light it overnight and have it ready for the morning call."

"No permits, no public, no noise restrictions. That is what you get on the back lot."

"MGM's back lot was a city in itself. They had everything from a Western town to a New York subway."

Common Confusions & Misuse

Back Lot vs. Soundstage: A soundstage is an interior, acoustically treated, covered shooting space. The back lot is an outdoor area of the studio facility. Both are part of the studio complex and share its infrastructure, but they are physically and functionally distinct. Soundstages provide complete environmental control including temperature, acoustics, and weather independence. The back lot provides controlled outdoor space with natural light and weather exposure. A production typically uses both: interiors on soundstages, exteriors on the back lot.

Back Lot vs. Location: Both are filming environments, but a back lot is within the studio facility's managed perimeter. A location is any real-world environment outside the studio. The back lot has the studio's controlled access and infrastructure. A location requires permits, logistics planning, and management of a space the production does not own. A back lot street can be redressed for 10 different cities across a single production schedule. A real street can only look like itself unless substantial VFX work is applied.

Variations by Context

Key People & Films

The MGM back lot at its peak (1930s through 1960s) was the largest in Hollywood, covering 167 acres with standing sets for streets, jungles, lakes, and European villages. Art director Cedric Gibbons oversaw the MGM back lot during its most productive period. The Warner Bros. back lot in Burbank has been used continuously since the 1920s and remains active today, hosting productions including The Studio (2025, Apple TV+), which used the New York street set and "The Jungle" wooded area. Production designer Julie Berghoff designed the Continental Studios facade for The Studio on the Warner Bros. lot, erecting a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired exterior in front of the modern Steinberg building. In the UK, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden hosts major productions including the HBO Harry Potter series, House of the Dragon season 3, and Practical Magic 2 (2026).

Equipment / Tools Reference

Back lot shooting uses the same camera and lighting equipment as soundstage work, with the addition of weather protection and outdoor power distribution. ARRI Max 18K and M40 HMI fixtures are standard for outdoor key lighting on back lots. Generators are typically not needed on major studio back lots because of built-in electrical tie-in points (typically 600A three-phase bates connectors). Condor lifts (JLG 660SJ, Genie Z-135) are used for high-angle lighting positions. Weather protection includes 12x12 and 20x20 silks (overhead frames with diffusion or solid fabric) and rain tents for camera and talent. Walkie talkies (Motorola CP200d) are essential for coordinating across the large outdoor space.

Standards & Specifications

There are no formal industry standards specific to back lot construction or operation. Back lot facilities follow local building codes and fire safety regulations for permanent and temporary structures. In Los Angeles County, temporary set construction must comply with LAFD Title 32 fire safety standards for film sets. In the UK, studio facilities must comply with HSE Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 for temporary structures. Electrical distribution on back lots follows NEC Article 520 (Theatrical Equipment) in the US and BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations) in the UK. Studio lot rental rates are negotiated per production and typically range from $15,000 to $35,000 per day for major studio back lots in Los Angeles.

Common Questions / FAQ

Q: How much does it cost to film on a studio back lot?

A: Major studio back lots in Los Angeles (Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount) typically charge $15,000 to $35,000 per day for back lot rental, depending on the specific area and standing sets used. UK studios like Pinewood and Leavesden have comparable day rates. Independent studios may charge $5,000 to $10,000 per day. Rates are negotiated per production and may be reduced for multi-day bookings.

Q: Can you build a custom set on a back lot?

A: Yes. Most studio back lots include open land where productions can construct temporary sets. The production pays for construction and strike, and the studio may charge a fee for use of the open land. Temporary sets must comply with local building codes and fire safety regulations. The set is typically struck within a defined period after filming wraps.

Q: What is the difference between a back lot and a location?

A: A back lot is within the studio facility's managed perimeter. The studio controls access, provides electrical infrastructure, and owns the space. A location is any real-world environment outside the studio that requires permits, public management, and logistics planning. Back lots offer control and convenience. Locations offer authenticity and scale that standing sets cannot match.

Related Terms

• Soundstage - The indoor studio equivalent; the back lot provides outdoor filming within the same studio infrastructure
• Location - The real-world alternative; the back lot bridges studio and location shooting
• Production Design - The department that dresses and sometimes constructs back lot sets
• Pre-Production - Where back lot bookings, set construction, and dressing are planned
• Principal Photography - The shoot for which back lot sets are prepared

See Also / Tools

The Production Schedule Calculator helps plan back lot and soundstage days within the overall production schedule, grouping scenes at the same studio environment together to maximize the efficiency of set construction and dressing costs. For location vs. studio decision-making, see the blog post on production planning for indie filmmakers.