In the March issue we highlight one of Hollywood’s more important (but lesser recognized) lines of employment: location scouting. For the past 25 years, Lori Balton has been on the lookout for interesting L.A. locations, capturing a variety of spots in her Nikon lens in the hopes they’ll be used on the silver screen (some of her choices were used in films like Seabiscuit, Inception, and There Will Be Blood). Decrepit or luxe, Old World or new age, she shares some of the places she’s snapped while on the job in the slideshow below. If you recognize one from your favorite film, don’t forget to leave a comment letting us know!
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A private home in Burbank that is delightfully stuck in time.
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Southwest Marine on Terminal Island
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The back stairs of the Palace Theatre, shot in Dreamgirls
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The cavernous kentia hall at the L.A. convention center.
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A favorite match for New York City.
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The Rudolph Valentino Suite at the Alexandria Hotel in downtown L.A.
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Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita. Django Unchained was actually shot here.
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Great new architecture at Cal State Channel Islands.
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“Afghanistan” (within the studio zone at Blue Cloud Ranch).
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Southgate City Hall.
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The restaurant Cicada in downtown L.A. It used to be a men’s haberdashery and was most recently used for a remake of The Thin Man(which is on hold). Rob Reiner’s The Story Of Us also shot here.
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A hat store in Inglewood
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A North Hollywood freeway overpass that I scouted for a recent Christopher Guest project.
RELATED: L.A. Archetype: Location Scout
