Anisha Dutta
If you have watched ‘Locked Up’ aka ‘Vis a Vis’, you will know that almost the entire show (seasons 1 to 4) takes place inside the premises of the Cruz del Sur Prison and Cruz del Norte Prison. In the fifth season, called, ‘Vis a Vis: El Oasis’, the main protagonists, Zulema Zahir and Macarena Ferreiro escape Cruz del Norte and continue their lives as hardened criminals on the outside. The sets showcased in this prison drama are extremely realistic and this might make you wonder — where is ‘Locked Up’ filmed? Well, let’s get right into the details.
Locked Up Season 1 to 4 Filming Locations
‘Locked Up’ has been shot in all its entirety in Spain. While both Cruz del Sur and Cruz del Norte Prisons are fictional, the interior sets are located in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain.
When Zulema and her gang escape the prison at the end of season 1, accompanied by Macarena, they head to an isolated beach house in Morocco. Well, these particular scenes are filmed in Playazo de Rodalquilar, Níjar, Almería, Andalucía, Spain. Playazo de Rodalquilar beach is a historical site, famous for housing the San Ramón Battery and the Tower of the Alums.
Beyond the prison walls, the shots of Maca’s family and most of the fleeing/chasing scenes are filmed in Isleta del Moro, Almería, Andalucía, Spain, and Madrid. For some behind-the-scenes photos from the show’s fourth installment, you can check out this clip released by the series’ official Insta handle:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/BpX0_ehAwHh/
Locked Up Seasons 1 to 4: Filming Schedule
Produced by Globomedia for Antena 3 and, later, for FOX Spain, ‘Vis a Vis’ season 1 dropped on April 20, 2015, in Spain. In May 2015, ‘Locked Up’ was renewed for its second edition, with filming starting in October 2015. Shooting for season 3 ended in mid-February, 2018, following which the prison drama was renewed for a fourth season. Season 4 started shooting in June 2018. The 4th outing aired on FOX Spain from December 2018 to February 2019.
Locked Up Season 5 Filming Locations
Season 4 was initially intended to be the last installment from the series. However, owing to fan demand, the creators decided to launch a spinoff — which is essentially the fifth season overall. Titled ‘Vis a Vis: El Oasis’, the towns and locations featured in this iteration are completely different. We follow Zulema and Maca as they dedicate themselves to robbing jewelers, banks, and casinos. Filming of the fifth edition commenced on October 21, 2019, in Madrid. The shooting of the exterior scenes like the big heist is also done in Madrid.
Here’s a detailed clip of the crew sharing their filming journey for ‘Vis a Vis: El Oasis’.
View this post on Instagram
Following this, the crew moved the filming to Almería. The meeting point of Zulema and Maca, which happens to be Hotel Oasis, is located in Agua Amarga. Several scenes are also filmed in the Tabernas Desert.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCG4K67omA7/
Once the scenes to be shot in Almeria were complete, the crew returned to Madrid to continue shooting the rest of the episodes at the Adisar Media studios. Filming for season 5 was wrapped up on January 31, 2020.
Read More: The Umbrella Academy Filming Locations
