Where was Fallout filmed? Discover the iconic locations of the TV series
Fallout on Prime Video is a post-apocalyptic drama based on the popular role-playing video game franchise of the same name developed by Bethesda Softworks. The series received positive reviews from both critics and fans, partly due to its exemplary production design and visuals. So, where was Fallout filmed? Read on to find out!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Where Fallout was filmed played a huge part in making the show iconic. The post-apocalyptic world ravaged by nuclear war is brought to life with visuals of collapsed skyscrapers, rusted-out vehicles, and desert landscapes. The set production designers managed to blend retro-futuristic elements with the aftermath of nuclear destruction.
Fallout series summary
Genre | Post-apocalyptic drama, sci-fi, Western |
Based on | Fallout video games by Bethesda Softworks |
Seasons | 1 (as of 2024) |
Episodes | 8 (as of 2024) |
Network | Amazon Prime Video |
Date of release | April 10, 2024, to date |
Creators | Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner |
Producers | Zach Dunn, Jake Bender, Gursimran SandhuHalle Phillips, Crystal Whelan |
Cinematography | Teodoro Maniaci, Stuart Dryburgh |
Production design by | Howard Cummings |
Starring | Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlanMoisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones, and Walton Goggins |
Rating | 8.4/10 on IMDB, 90% on Rotten Tomatoes |
Where was the Fallout series filmed?
In the Amazon Prime series, several real-life locations were used to create the post-apocalyptic world. Real places in New Jersey, New York, Utah, Nevada, and Namibia are featured in the drama. Below is all you need to know about the Fallout TV show filming locations;
Kolmanskop in Namibia, Africa
The series features a Wasteland in Shady Sands of Fallout Town. Some of the scenes were shot in Kolmanskop, an abandoned diamond mining town in the Namib Desert of Namibia. This ghost town, once bustling with diamond miners, was abandoned in the mid-20th century.
The production team filmed at a bombed diamond mine, now inhabited by hyenas, and even took a five-hour helicopter ride to an abandoned shipwreck along Namibia's Skeleton Coast. The Namib Desert has also been featured in other notable productions, including Mad Max: Fury Road and HBO's Westworld.
Trenton, New Jersey
The village of Filly, where Lucy encounters Dr. Wilzig, The Ghoul, and Maximus, was filmed at New Jersey's Pine Barrens automotive graveyard. The location is on private land and features vehicles and machinery from the 1930s. It is not open to the public.
Nyack in New York
The scenes involving the Red Rocket truck stop were filmed in Nyack, New York. The gas station, transformed into a Red Rocket for the show, is situated at 501 North Highland Avenue in Nyack.
New York City in New York
Super Duper Mart, where The Ghoul abandons Lucy and meets Snip Snip, was built using sets at the former Shoprite supermarket at 2424 Hylan Boulevard in New Dorp, Staten Island. The Hawthorne Medical Laboratories in the 5th episode, The Past, was filmed at the old Bayley Seton Hospital in Staten Island.
The Brooklyn Army Terminal Building in Sunset Park, NYC, served as the Enclave where Dr. Siggi Wilzig (played by Michael Emerson) examines puppies. The building, constructed in 1919 in the Art Deco style, was a key military supply base during World War II.
Wendover Air Force Base in Utah
The Brotherhood of Steel headquarters was filmed at the former Wendover Air Force Base in Utah. This location has a real apocalyptic background. During World War II, it served as a training centre for the group that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Wendover Airfield, situated at 352 Airport Way, south of Wendover, has since been turned into a museum.
On set
Various Fallout scenes were filmed on constructed sets. A notable example is Moldaver's (Sarita Choudhury) headquarters, which was designed to imitate the renowned Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California.
The sci-fi series was shot on Kodak film stock, giving it a distinct visual style. Some sets were also created virtually using Unreal Engine, allowing filmmakers to scout locations and block out action in VR. According to Oscar-winner Ben Grossmann, the virtual art department worked together with the series production designer.
The virtual art department was brought in, not as a vendor but as part of the art department. So the production designer worked with the VAD as just of the part of the art department. There weren't two teams on either side of a divide – as there sometimes can be. It was a great relationship.
Where does the Fallout TV show take place?
Fallout on Prime Video is set in Los Angeles, a location never explored before in the game. While the franchise has previously featured locations like Las Vegas, Boston, and Washington, D.C., the series takes viewers to the West Coast.
The sci-fi show was originally not supposed to be set in Los Angeles. While talking to What to Watch, Fallout's production designer Howard Cummings said the view in Kolmanskop, Namibia, provided the perfect setting for events set in Los Angeles.
Originally, the show wasn't actually set in LA. But we're standing [in Kolmanskop], and it's just stunningly beautiful because of the sand, the water and the really rough surf. I said, 'Too bad we can't see the water, and Jonah [Nolan] goes, 'What if we do see the water? What if we can?' He just ran off, and the other producer walked over and said, 'What's going on?' And I said, 'You're looking at the Santa Monica Pier'. And then the whole show became around that.
The show's official timeline is 2296, which is later than any other Fallout game released so far. The showrunners worked closely with Bethesda Game Studios to ensure consistency with the game lore, including significant events like the fate of Shady Sands, the first capital of the New California Republic.
FAQs
Prime Video's Fallout was released to critical acclaim, receiving praise for creating an original narrative set in the Fallout universe. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the show's filming locations;
Was Fallout filmed in Africa?
The Prime Video series was partly filmed in Africa. The Wasteland scenes were shot in Namibia along the Skeleton Coast.
Was Fallout shot in Namibia?
The production of Fallout used Namibia as a filming location. They filmed in the Namib Desert on the coast of Southern Africa called the Skeleton Coast. Some scenes were shot in Kolmanskop, an abandoned mining town in Fallout Namibia.
Where in Utah was Fallout filmed?
The Brotherhood of Steel headquarters in the series was filmed at the former Wendover Air Force Base in Utah. During World War II, it served as a training centre for the group that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Where the Fallout was filmed features a combination of real-world locations with studio sets, as highlighted above, to come up with a captivating post-nuclear world. Fans of the show can expect its return to the screen soon after Prime Video announced there will be a season 2.
READ ALSO: Where was The Shining filmed? Uncovering the horror classic's locations
Briefly.co.za published all you need to know about The Shining's filming locations. The horror classic was released in 1980 and is based on the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which is thought to be haunted in real life.
The Shining was filmed at different locations in the US and England, combining real and constructed places. Check the article for more on the horror classic.
Source: Briefly News