The house

ReMoss85

New member
Along the same lines as the floorplan thread, I've heard that there is a real hosue they film in as well as a fake house, or just a typical set. First of all, where did they say this? I don't remember hearing it in the commentary on the dvd. And second, why would they even need a set? I guess it could be a more controlled environment, but do they only use the real house when there are shots with the characters moving around a lot? Or just during outside shots? Is the set just individual rooms or is it just like the real house but without celings? I must know!
 

wando

New member
after going to the warner bros studios in california, we saw different ways programs are filmed.
i beleive the only shots that are filmed on location (at the actual house) are the ones on the outside, i.e the front garden, and door scenes.
the shots filmed at the garage are in the studio, as you can just kind of tell that its in the studio. and the shots inside the house, are in the studio(obviously),
The way the house would be set out in the studio will be just like that of a typical house, that when you walk out of the boys room for example, you would enter the kitchen/dining area.

i hope this information helps anyways.
 

ReMoss85

New member
So the set is basically the interior of a house but without ceilings? There are walls everywhere and all the rooms are connected? One of the most annoying things about regular shows is how they occasionally try to make it look like there are walls where there aren't. MITM does a lot of 360 camera swoops that shows it's a real room they're in which is another thing that sets it apart from other shows. It's a shame they aren't 100% authentic and they don't film everything in a real house though.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Right, there's walls in the set, but remember the ceiling is high and the walls don't go all the way to the ceiling, so they're able to set up lights and cameras and mics and things above. It would just be too darn difficult to have to do that under the constraints of a real house constantly.
 

Alfista Junior

New member
No I'm pretty sure. It's a real house modified for the show. We see that it's not a set. Is there a fan who live in CA who could have a look around Studio City to find the axact location of the house?

Actually, we already talked about it on the french forums, and we came to this latter conclusion. But what is not sure is where the house stands. We see hills behind the house: so the house is on the other side of Ventura Blvd. But where?

Could somebody look for it?
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
No I'm pretty sure. It's a real house modified for the show. We see that it's not a set. Is there a fan who live in CA who could have a look around Studio City to find the axact location of the house?

You're contradicting yourself. If it's a real house, it's not at Studio City because Studio City is just that--a studio. The studio version of the house is at Studio City, which they use for as many shots as possible. The real house is unmodified--someone actually lives there and MITM rents it from him. Around season 4 or 5, the original owner sold the house and there was some worry in MITM-land that the new owner wouldn't allow filming, but luckily, he did.
 

Ryebeach

Moderator
yardgames said:
You're contradicting yourself. If it's a real house, it's not at Studio City because Studio City is just that--a studio. The studio version of the house is at Studio City, which they use for as many shots as possible. The real house is unmodified--someone actually lives there and MITM rents it from him. Around season 4 or 5, the original owner sold the house and there was some worry in MITM-land that the new owner wouldn't allow filming, but luckily, he did.
Just to clarify, Studio City is an actual city in California. MITM was filmed at CBS Studio Center, which is in Studio City, California.

The actual location of the home where MITM exterior shots were filmed is not known to the public for safety and security reasons as it is a private home.

Justin Berfield did address the question of the sale of the home on his message board last year. http://www2.safesearching.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=14114
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
The whole Studio City thing has gotten really confusing--didn't something used to be called Television City and it was renamed? That was the actual CBS studios, right?
 

Ryebeach

Moderator
yardgames said:
The whole Studio City thing has gotten really confusing--didn't something used to be called Television City and it was renamed? That was the actual CBS studios, right?
There is still a CBS Television City, which is owned by CBS/Viacom. That studio is located in LA and it's where many of the shows that air on CBS are filmed. CBS Studio Center is where shows are filmed for all networks, not just CBS. :)
 

MITM ALUM

New member
CBS has two primary locations for filming. The first is in Hollywood and is commonly known as CBS Studio Center. The other location is in Studio City (near Burbank and Van Nuys) and is commonly known as CBS Radford, as it is located on Radford Ave. and Ventura Blvd. It is a fairly small, older studio. But it has turned out some big shows including Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore ( and all the spin-offs) Will and Grace and even Gunsmoke! The primary set for Malcolm was Stage 21, the biggest on the lot. The house interiors and backyard were all constructed on the stage. Sets are more versatile than practical locations, due to the flexibility of lighting, wall removal, camera positions and equipment storage, among other issues like weather protection. Ask yourself ...would YOU want Malcolm's family living in YOUR house five days a week?;) :rolleyes:
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
That's an intriguing question--did people actually live in the real house? I suppose I probably wouldn't like it. :D
 
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