‘War of the Worlds’ is a family-inspired sci-fi family film of 2005. Based on the 1898 novel H. G. Wells, the story follows Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a booth worker who reunites with his estranged children over the weekend. When Satan’s aliens appear on the ground and move forward to destroy the planet, Ray must reunite with the children and the mother.
The extensive expedition leads them from New York to New Jersey to Boston, while the so-called “Tripods” remain in their tails. If you want to know where the War of the Worlds movie was filmed, let us take you to your destination.
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War of the Worlds Movie Filming Locations
‘War of the Worlds’ was recorded throughout the US, especially in California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Connecticut, and surrounding areas. The recording started on November 8, 2004, and ended on March 7, 2005. Janusz Kaminski, a longtime Spielberg co-star known for his work ‘War Horse’ and ‘Minority Report,’ joined the group as a filmmaker.
At the same time, Academy Award-winning production designer Rick Carter (‘Avatar’) came on board to oversee the production design. Now let’s take you to some places where the War of the Worlds movie was filmed!
California
Most of the “War of the Worlds” recordings take place in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, where the group performs in parts of the studio. Some of the War of the Worlds scenes were recorded at Sony Pictures Studios, a famous production center located at 10202 West Washington Boulevard in the Culver City community in LA County. Since its inception in 1912, the studio has been home to some of the most prestigious exhibitions such as ‘The Goldbergs’ and ‘Insecure.’
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Another prominent studio location was 20th Century Fox Studios (also known as Searchlight Pictures), 10201 Pico Boulevard, Century City suburbs in Los Angeles. The band received Sections 15 and 16 of the iconic studio, where they recorded a series of sequences.
Since its inception in 1935, the studio has been a part of the American movie theaters for “Big Six”. Stage 15 is the same stage where important films such as Fight Club, ” Die Hard, ‘and’ Sound of Music is recorded.
The cast and team also headed to Universal Studios, the 100th Universal City Plaza film production studio in Universal City, in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, to film some of the scenes. The filming of the film took place in stages 27 and 28, and the wrecked plane is still the highlight of the studio tour.
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In addition, Boston street scenes were recorded at Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, another former member of the “Big Six” club at 4000 Warner Boulevard, in the Burbank LA County area. In 2015, the 62-hectare busy studio site had 35 audio phases to support various production levels.
Other outdoor scenes were also filmed in Santa Clarita, a large California city northwest of Los Angeles County. In the city, workers see certain scenes in the eastern part of the Canyon Country. An amazing district war sequence was recorded at Mystery Mesa, a studio venue in Santa Clarita.
When located at 30300 MYSTERY, Mesa Drive, downtown, the studio did not function permanently. In addition, recordings of a major incident took place on Witmer Street & Ingraham Steet, near Westlake in Los Angeles.
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Several other segments are fitted with lenses in California. The recording of an Athens restaurant, which should have been in New York, took place in the unincorporated historic township of Piru, east of Ventura County of California.
The village got its name from a lake of the same name, located in the middle of the forest of Los Padres National Forest and the mountains of Topatopa. Many productions have visited the city on their recording tour, from actor Will Smith King Richard ’to the TV series Blood of Truth.’
New York
A few scenes were filmed in and around New York City. Scenes of the opening booth were filmed at Red Hook in the center of Brooklyn. The filming took place at Water Street and Peck Slip in Manhattan. Mary Ann’s parents’ home should be in Boston.
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However, the scenes were filmed in the center of NYC, outside the area on Carroll Street, in the Park Slope community in Brooklyn. In addition, a highway film screening took place on the Korean War Veterans Parkway on Staten Island, south of New York City.
The actors and crew have visited extensively in New York as most of the story takes place in the province. Some scenes, especially a series of boats, were filmed in Athens, a beautiful New York city. Some were recorded in Cold Spring, a suburb of Philipstown in Putnam County, and the town of Beacon in Dutchess County. Several foreign tracks were recorded in Croton-on-Hudson, a town located in Westchester County, north of New York City.
Virginia
The production team has visited a mountainous region in southeastern Virginia to record some scenes. Another filming took place in Raphine, an isolated community in Rockbridge County in the Shenandoah Valley.
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Further filming of the film took place in Brownsburg, an isolated community in the same area of Rockbridge County. An outdoor recording of the battlefield events took place in Lexington, the largest Virginia city in southern Shenandoah Valley.
New Jersey
To make the story more realistic, the director took the team on an extensive tour, which led them to New Jersey. Ray’s house appears to be in New York. However, the scenes were recorded on a sound stage on JF Kennedy Boulevard in New Jersey City in Bayonne.
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In another sequence, we see an area bound with metal. Scenes are filmed on Ferry Street in the famous NJ city of Newark. On the other hand, a plane crash was filmed near the Howell community. Further filming of the province took place in the city of Elizabeth. “War of the Worlds.”
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