Where was La La Land filmed? The House & ALL the Filming Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
La La Land was filmed entirely in and around Los Angeles. The movie is a wonderful homage to the entertainment capital of the world, full of references to the classic movies that made it great.
Director Damien Chazelle spent nearly a year editing a movie that features many scenes shot in one take.
Director Damien Chazelle spent nearly a year editing a movie that features many scenes shot in one take.
Chazelle had the idea of filming in locations with a retro feel. In addition, this awarded romantic musical was shot using the old school wide-screen style, the CinemaScope.
The actors, Emma Stone and our favorite driver, Ryan Gosling, are no Broadway performers. They had to do their best to reduce errors when dancing long uninterrupted takes.
We have summarized the main locations here, but keep in mind that La La Land was filmed in more than 60 locations in L.A. We have tried to keep spoilers to a minimum.
The La La Land locations
The movie's traffic jam opening sequence was filmed at the massive interchange that connects the Century Freeway 105 to the 110.
Also known as the One Ten, this imposing structure is located near the Athens and Watts neighborhoods.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Remi Jouan - Map
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Remi Jouan - Map
Mia works in a coffee shop located on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot, where several sequences were filmed.
Some of the sequences had to be filmed during a specific time in the day to catch the beautiful light of the sunset or the blue hour.
La La Land was also produced at the Hollywood Center Studios.
Image courtesy of Summit Entertainment - Map
Mia's apartment is located in the Rose Towers complex, a magnificent Spanish Colonial Revival style building located at 1725-1729 East 3rd Street in Long Beach.
Also known as El Cordova, this 20-unit condominium community, designed by architect George R. Riddle in 1928, is a treasured historic landmark, protected for its architectural significance.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Google Maps
According to Seeing Stars, the pool party house scene was filmed in a modern mansion located at 4533 Estrondo Drive in Encino, in the San Fernando Valley.
Built in 1961, this luxurious six-bedroom, nine-bathroom property has an estimated market value of approximately $7,700,000 million.
Image by Summit Entertainment - Map
After the party, without her car, Mia has to walk home.
The first shot was taken in front of the house in Encino, but the next one is a view of the Hollywood Tower Apartments and the Hollywood (101) Freeway from Vine Street.
Mia also walks past the Castle Argyle Apartments in the Dell. The "storage entrance" mural is under the freeway.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Google Maps
The exterior of the fictional Lipton's Restaurant features the "You Are The Star" mural, located at 1698 Wilcox Avenue at Hollywood Boulevard.
This beautiful Art Deco building houses the Playmates Shoes store.
The door to the restaurant actually leads to the offices of an event company, Muse Lifestyle Group.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The interior of the Lipton's Restaurant, where Sebastian works playing boring variations of Christmas carols, was filmed at the Smoke House Restaurant at 4420 West Lakeside Drive in Burbank, just outside the Warner Bros. Studios.
Opened in 1946, the restaurant is not only a hangout for actors and film crews, but has also served as a location for many productions, including The Office, Six Feet Under, and Desperate Housewives.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The Van Beek jazz club, was actually the former Magnolia Theatre at 4403 West Magnolia Boulevard.
Established in 1941, the theater closed in the '70s, but Barbra Streisand bought it and transformed the old auditorium into the Evergreen Recording Studio.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The Retro Dairy Mart situated across the street is a permanently closed drive-thru dairy.
The Californian oranges mural was only set for the film, as the wall next to the store was always blank.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
One of the most memorable scenes in the movie, filmed in one take, until they got it right on the third day, is when the couple dances to the rhythm of the A Lovely Night theme.
The road overlooking the city is in Griffith Park, at a spot called Cathy's Corner on Mount Hollywood Drive.
Don't expect to find the bench and the street lamp there, they were movie props added to the scene by the production team.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The Lighthouse Café is a legendary bar and nightclub in Hermosa Beach that has been an active jazz showcase since 1949.
Both the interior and exterior were used for the movie, which was filmed over four days at the end of the summer of 2015.
Image courtesy of Summit Entertainment and Google Maps
Sebastian ends up dancing in the sunset at Hermosa's Beach Pier, a beautiful landmark originally built in 1904.
This spot was also a featured Westworld filming location.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Keith Yahl - Map
The scene where Mia and her boyfriend have dinner was filmed at the stylish Jar Restaurant at 8225 Beverly Boulevard.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The screening of Rebel Without a Cause takes place at the Rialto Theatre at 1023 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena.
Built in 1925, it served as a movie theater until 2007. Since 2017, the Mosaic Church has restored and reopened the building.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Google Maps
The Griffith Observatory is an iconic landmark located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park.
Designed in the Art Deco style, the observatory was constructed between 1933 and 1935.
The Planetarium is one of the key attractions within the observatory, offering visitors immersive experiences through its state-of-the-art projection system.
Image courtesy of Summit Entertainment - Map
The couple takes a stroll on Pasadena's majestic Colorado Street Bridge, built in 1912.
Opened in 1913, the bridge is renowned for its architectural beauty and has been designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
Mia and Sebastian have a date under the neon lights of a bar in the Grand Central Market in LA's Downtown.
Serving the community since 1917, it is one of the oldest food markets in the United States.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The romance continues at the Watts Towers, a series of scrap metal sculptures built between 1921 and 1954.
There is also a quick snapshot of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood and a mural in Salazar Park in East Los Angeles.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Maps: Watts Towers / Church / Mural
The lovers ride the Angels Flight, a funicular railway in Bunker Hill.
Closed in 2013 due to a derailment, the movie crew fixed the machinery to make it work again for the shoot in 2016.
This historic landmark reopened for public service the next year, in 2017.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate and Brian Arechiga - Map
The recording studio is the EastWest Studios in Hollywood.
Since the 1960s, the studio has played a significant role in the creation of numerous hit albums across a wide range of genres, including rock, pop, R&B, and film scores.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The performance with John Legend's jazz band, The Messengers, was recorded at the El Rey Theatre at 5515 Wilshire Boulevard on the Miracle Mile.
Built in 1936, this historic Art Deco venue was originally a movie house.
Over the years, it transitioned into a popular venue for live concerts and performances.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
Before she goes home, there's a scene with Mia in Chinatown, walking past the Royal Pagoda Motel.
Built in the 1930s in a distinctive architectural style inspired by traditional Chinese pagodas, you can stay in a double room for about US$140 per night.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
The small theater where Mia performs So Long, Boulder City is the former Hayworth Theatre, which reopened in 2017 as the Dynasty Typewriter.
However, the exterior is the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do, an event venue at 5257 West Adams Boulevard, now permanently closed.
Five years later, Mia is a celebrity staying at the famous Chateau Marmont, which resembles a castle nestled in the Hollywood Hills.
Opened in 1929, the four-star hotel's spacious rooms start at around $900.
Over the years, the Chateau Marmont has become synonymous with Old Hollywood glamour and has hosted numerous celebrities, musicians, artists, and notable figures.
Image courtesy of Lionsgate - Map
Seb's Jazz Club exterior was filmed between the Hernandez Furniture store and the Knucklehead Hollywood bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
The interior was recorded at the The Blind Donkey, a cocktail bar located at 149 Linden Avenue in Long Beach.
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Ra Moon
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